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Director's Statement
A little more than a year ago, my producer Ralph Schwingel told me about a screenplay that he absolutely wanted to film. It was a script called "Solino" by the renowned Hamburg author Ruth Toma.
All I knew was that the story revolved around the first pizzeria in the Ruhr District. When I read the script, the thought of directing it myself didn't even cross my mind. Usually, I write my own film scripts. However, as a director, I found it impossible to read it without imagining how the film could be made, or how to find the best visuals. Whenever you read a screenplay, you get a vision of the film, even when you haven't written it yourself.
I was skeptical of the beginning, since it all seemed so far removed from my own life. I don't know any Italians, I don't speak Italian, and I know as little about the 60s as about the 70s. But I was captivated by the script from the very first page. I had tears in my eyes upon completing it. I fell in love with the book, as in a girl with a pretty dress. All the doubts I had before were swept away. I immediately began trying to convince the producers and the author — after all, my family also emigrated from elsewhere. Apulia or Anatolia, what's the difference? Just like Gigi, I also have an older brother, Cem, who's also a pretty good actor. And just like Gigi, I, too, was once a little boy with a big dream: the dream of making films.
Moreover, there is something universal about the story, something I know very well and love to teil over and over again in my films: the warmth, the tenderness, the love which the characters radiate ...
I am extremely happy to be able to make this film, and really looking forward to working in Italy. After all, Italy stands for good food, beautiful women, wonderful films and — not least — the strongest football league in the world.
FORZA SOLINO!