16.04. ‐ 21.04.2024

Tokat – Das Leben schlägt zurück

Andrea Stevens, Cornelia Schendel

In the early '90s, gangs of Turkish origin stirred up the Frankfurt scene. The repertoire of the youths who teamed up in gands with illustrious names like “Turkish Powerboys”, “Griesheim Tigers,” or “Ahorn Boys” ranged from pushing drugs and swiping jackets to homicide.

In Tokat Frankfurt filmmakers Andrea Stevens and Cornelia Schendel inquire what has become of the though boys from back then. They follow Kerem who still lives in Frankfurt and stays afloat with small jobs. In Turkey they meet Hakan and Dömnez who were deported to their home country and have tried to build a new life for themselves there. Tokat is a haunting portrait of three men who failed to gain a foothold in Germany for different reasons. To what extent are they responsible themselves, to what extent is society responsible? The two documentary filmmakers undertake a causal research. Their questions are more relevant than ever against the backdrop of the debate about the integration of refugees.

Sound: Brian Hüchtebrock,
Sound Design, Mastering, Music: Lars Eichstaedt

Directing-Statement:
"The two of us, Andrea Stevens (Director) and Cornelia Schendel (Camera), grew up in Frankfurt. In the '90s, when the Turkish Power Boys were active, we were teenagers. The myth of the gang circulated everywhere. Everyone had heard about the stealing of jackets and brawls. In the past, the boys used to be frightening figures whom we only knew from a distance. Through the personal relationship with our protagonists and the comparison between today and the past, we are now able to use a different level of communication as basis for the retrospective. This special closeness with our protagonists is the basis on which Tokat, a moving portrait of the five former gang members, came into existence."

"Our film shooting took us twice to the Turkish village Bayat at the border to Armenia, where we investigated the origins of our protagonists. Owing to the trust that we were met with, we were able to gain insight into a world that we are unfamiliar with. As women in the protagonists' environment that is still partly shaped by machismo we are not considered as competition, and were met with much more trust. Behind the pathos that resonates in the description of the 1990s, we are working on discovering true reasons and motives." (Source: www.tokat-film.de)

"Review on Faz.net":http://www.faz.net/aktuell/rhein-main/dokumentarfilm-ueber-ehemalige-mitglieder-von-gangs-13979827.html

"Review on hessenschau.de":http://hessenschau.de/kultur/neue-filmdoku-ueber-frankfurter-jugendbanden,tokat-doku-frankfurt-gangs-100.html

"Review on Die Welt":http://www.welt.de/regionales/frankfurt/article121428665/Tokat-Was-wurde-aus-den-harten-Jungs.html

2 April 2016

15:30 h,

More information Lichter FilmfestLichter Filmfest

Direction Andrea Stevens, Cornelia Schendel
Year D 2015
Duration 76 min
Language German OV
Production Andrea Stevens
Editing Annette Kurzbach


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