Catalog Num:
GR-S007-1975
The young Turkish woman Shirin flees Turkey after her brothers try to marry her to a village administrator. Her destination is Cologne, Germany, where she hopes to find Mahmud, the man to whom she was promised in marriage as a girl. After finding and then losing various jobs, Shirin is persuaded to start prostituting herself. One evening in an apartment building for guest workers, she finally sees Mahmud, though he doesn't recognize her, much less marry her as she had hoped. At the end of the film, Shirin is killed in the crossfire between rival gangs.
When the television drama first aired, conservative Turks protested at the WDR broadcasting station. There was also a debate about the film in the Turkish parliament. Notes: WDR, 4/24/98; made-for-TV movie
. Director: Helma Sanders-Brahms. Actors: Ayten Erten, Jürgen Prochnow, Aras Ören . Black&White. Country: West Germany. No Subtitles.