Fatih Akin was born in 1973 in Hamburg, Germany, to Turkish parents. His journey in the world of visual communications began in 1994 when he enrolled in the College of Fine Arts in Hamburg. Around the same time, he also started collaborating with Wueste Film, a partnership that would last for many years to come. In 1995, Akin wrote and directed his first short feature film, "Sensin - You're the One!" ("Sensin - Du bist es!"),which garnered the Audience Award at the Hamburg International Short Film Festival.
The following year, Akin released his second short film, "Weed" ("Getürkt"),which received numerous accolades at national and international film festivals. His first full-length feature film, "Short Sharp Shock" ("Kurz und schmerzlos"),was released in 1998 and won the Bronze Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival, as well as the Bavarian Film Award for Best Young Director.
Akin's subsequent films include "In July" ("Im Juli", 2000),"Wir haben vergessen zurückzukehren" (2001),"Solino" (2002),the Berlinale Golden Bear-winning and award-winning "Head-On" ("Gegen die Wand", 2003),and "Crossing the Bridge - The Sound of Istanbul" (2005).
