TURKISH DIRECTOR AKIN DECORATED WITH AWARD BY FRENCH CULTURE MINISTRY

French Culture & Communication Minister Frederic Mitterrand, who is visiting German capital of Berlin on the sidelines of the International Film Festival, gave the award "Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres" to Akin at a ceremony held at the French embassy.
Born in Hamburg, Germany in 1973, Fatih Akin studied audiovisual communication, and in 1995, he filmed his first short film, "Sensin" (Du Bist Es!), followed by "Geturkt", in 1996. Both films received awards at numerous festivals on the international circuit. In 1998, he released his first feature length film, "Short Sharp Shock", which won the Bronze Leopard at Locarno Festival. He also received the award for best young director at the Bavarian Film Festival that year. His next feature films were "Im Juli" (2000) and "Solino" (2002). 
In 2004 he founded his production company, Corazón International, with which he made his subsequent films. His next feature film, "Head On", was received with great success on the international festival circuit, taking the Golden Bear in Berlin, and the Best Film and Audience Award at the European Film Awards. In 2005 he directed the documentary "Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul", and in 2007 he released "The Edge of Heaven", which received the Best Screenplay Award both in Cannes and in the first edition of the LUX prize for European Cinema by the European Parliament.