Fatih Akin is a film director, actor, producer, and screenwriter who enjoys DJing in his spare time and lives in Hamburg. Akin, the son of Turkish immigrants, was born in Hamburg in 1973 and decided early on to pursue a career in film. He studied visual communication, made short films, then feature films, and before long national awards were pouring in, including the Berlinale Golden Bear. More international recognition followed as Akin won the prize for best screenplay at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. Akin's films are based on a reality that is normal for some Germans but unusual for others: being rooted in two cultures.

In 2009, his first comedy, "Soul Kitchen," won a prize at the Venice Film Festival. The story follows restaurant owner Zinos on a turbulent roller coaster ride of personal and professional disasters. But as a true survivor, he manages to make a new start for himself and his restaurant, the Soul Kitchen, with the enthusiastic support of the people around him. Akin himself calls this film a modern "movie about home" inspired by the German film genre that traditionally takes place in an idealized regional setting. On the one hand, he pays tribute to Hamburg as his home, and on the other, he honors the unity of his family and friends.