The topic of labour migration to Germany is present in various Turkish and German-Turkish films. It was not only an inspiration for many films in the Turkish Yeşilçam industry, but was also an important subject for the German directors with or without Turkish origin. The film series Left Side Stories: Social Criticism in the German-Turkish Migration Cinema deals with Turkish and German-Turkish films, which focus on the phenomenon of labour migration to Germany and the lives of the so-called “guest workers” from a societal-critical perspective. They deal with social justice, class consciousness, women’s emancipation and the living conditions of the children of the workers from Turkey. It is also discussed how, despite the negotiation of German-Turkish migration in the films, the political sphere of the 1970s in Turkey decisively influenced the films and their directors.
With kind support by Landesstelle für Entwicklungszusammenarbeit des Landes Berlin (LEZ).