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Cem Kaya's irresistibly lively film takes a fresh approach to the story of Turkish communities in Germany - following the thread of the music that Turkish 'guest workers' brought with them, and its influence on subsequent generations.
When the German Federal Republic recruited workers from Turkey in 1961, the new, immigrant workforce brought with it a rich and strong culture. The expat population teemed with singers, songwriters and musicians, pining for their homeland and producing music from and for the community, amidst the appalling working conditions and racism they encountered in their new home. Love, Deutschmarks and Death follows the music from the early 60s, through waves of migration and assimilation, from back-room recordings to lavish wedding performances, and from bootlegged cassettes to a new generation of young performers.
The energy and vibrancy of the music pulses through Cem Kaya’s fascinating, archive-rich telling of this rarely shown – or heard – cultural history.