Our movie of the month: Rheingold

In Rheingold, Fatih Akin tells the story of Giwar Hajabi, who became famous as gangster rapper Xatar. Xatar is the son of renowned Kurdish-Iranian musicians. He is a refugee, drug dealer, tutor and member of an obscure Dutch mafia. He is a convicted thief, but also a thoroughbred musician and family man. His life is the adventurous success story of a refugee who has to find his way and place in Germany. Rheingold provides insights into a living environment that only a few of us have experienced.

Emilio Sakraya gives a convincing performance as gangster rapper Giwar Hajabi, known by his stage name Xatar, seen here in a scene in prison as he secretly records his first rap song. Credit: Gordon Timpen /Bombero Int./Warner Brothers

SBS on Demand is a treasure trove of international films in the original language. Every month, we pick one from the German movie collection and discuss it with film scholar Dr. Claudia Sandberg.

Rheingold is now available on SBS on Demand.

You can find more German-language movies and series in the German Collection on SBS on Demand.

For more stories, interviews and news from SBS German, explore our podcast collection here.