Almanya: Welcome to Germany

A six-year-old boy caught between Turkish roots and German life, whose questions about belonging anchor the film. He experiences the friction of two languages and two cultures while growing up in a immigrant family. Cenk embodies the innocence and confusion of a child navigating a divided heritage.

Cenk’s 22-year-old cousin who is pregnant with David’s child. She serves as a bridge between generations, recounting the family’s migration story and the hardships that followed. Her pregnancy and honesty test the family’s norms and expectations.

The family patriarch who came to Germany in the 1960s and later buys a house in Turkey as a summer retreat. His German citizenship creates tension around burial customs after his death, revealing bureaucratic and cultural clashes. His life frames the migration narrative that spans generations.

The wise grandmother who witnesses the shifts between two countries. Her declaration of German citizenship crystallizes the cross-cultural identity the family embodies. She anchors memory and tradition for the younger generations.

Cenk’s German wife/mother who negotiates bilingual conversations and cultural expectations with empathy. Her presence illustrates everyday compromises and the blending of two cultures within a single family.

Cenk’s father, an immigrant worker balancing two sense of belonging—at work in Germany and within Turkish family duties. He embodies the tension between assimilation and preserving roots.

Hüseyin’s son who stays in Turkey to rebuild the family house, choosing to invest in his homeland despite unemployment in Germany. His decision highlights that migration is not a one-way journey and roots can lead back home.

Canan’s British boyfriend whose relationship with Canan underscores the cross-cultural romance at the heart of the family saga. His presence emphasizes the international dimension of immigration and the complexities of acceptance.