Almanya: Welcome to Germany (2011)

Almanya: Welcome to Germany (German: Almanya – Willkommen in Deutschland) (Almanya is Turkish for Germany) is a 2011 German comedy film directed by Yasemin Şamdereli. The film premiered at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival in the section competition and won the Deutscher Filmpreis 2011 in the categories Best Script and Best Film.

The tragic comedy dramatizes the question of identity and belonging for former Turkish guest workers in Germany and their descendants. The film opened in German cinemas on 10 March and was the fourth most successful German film of 2011 with 1.5 million viewers.

Synopsis

Six year-old Cenk Yılmaz begins to question his identity in his German school one day when he isn't chosen for either the German or the Turkish soccer team. He is the son of Ali, of Turkish heritage, and his German wife, Gabi, and Cenk cannot speak Turkish. At a family meal his Grandmother Fatma declares to the family her newly acquired German citizenship. At the same meal, Grandfather Hüseyin tells the family that he has bought a house in Turkey that he wants to use as a summer home. In order to renovate the house, he wants to travel to Turkey with the whole family.

Actors