Neukölln Unlimited

2010, 52 minutes

Lial, Hassan and Maradona have grown up in the Neukölln city district in Berlin and are successful musicians and break-dancers. But their life is not a fairytale: they fled from Lebanon and face the risk of deportation every day. Hassan and Lial want to use their talent to allow their family to stay in Germany. Lively documentary with fast editing and animations. 

Although the Akkouch family has been living in Germany for sixteen years, their residence status is still uncertain and the fear of being deported weighs heavily on their shoulders. Lial (19) and Hassan (18), the only family members to have obtained a temporary residence permit, feel responsible and discuss who should take care of the family. In the meanwhile, fourteen-year-old Hassan gets himself into more and more trouble and is expelled from school. He is torn between embracing the ambitious lifestyle of his brother and sister and staying faithful to his friends in the street. However, his unexpected qualification for a talent search contest on television might change everything, since winning the first prize worth 100,000 euro would ensure his family’s future on German soil. 
The camera follows the three youngsters at school, at home and during their musical performances and break-dance competitions. 

Credits

Themes
Identity, Migration and refugees
Suitable for
havo/vwo - bovenbouw
mbo - niveau 1 & 2
mbo - niveau 3 & 4
vmbo b/k - leerjaar 3 & 4
vmbo t - leerjaar 3 & 4
Director
Agostino Imondi, Dietmar Ratsch
Country of production
Germany
Type
Documentary
Duration
52 minutes
Year
2010