The Edge of Heaven

During the Turkish holiday of Bayram, fate intertwines the lives of six people with divergent backgrounds, resulting in the forging of unlikely relationships in Turkey and Germany. Director Fatih Akin doesn’t overemphasize cultural differences and sociopolitical observations, but they are all here. The cast (with the exception of former Fassbinder leading lady Hanna Schygulla) will be unknown to American viewers, some of whom might be put off by the subtitles. But this is a marvelous film that explores and illuminates universal themes, and it deserves a wide audience.

Shelf Talk: A winner of multiple awards overseas (including honors for Best Screenplay from the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and Best Picture from the 2008 German Film Awards), Edge of Heaven snagged glowing reviews from U.S. critics. Strand is going all out to give the film a national campaign that includes extensive media coverage. Look to see this title featured online at Yahoo, Facebook, YouTube and MySpace and in Newsweek, Entertainment Weekly, The New Yorker, TV Guide and The Nation, among others.