- Germany's Official Submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008).
- The second entry in a proposed trilogy entitled "Liebe, Tod und Teufel" ("Love, Death and the Devil"). "Gegen die Wand" ("Head-On") was the first.
- When the film was released to UK cinemas on the 22nd February 2008, it simultaneously became available on Sky Box Office, the UK's major cable TV provider. This represented the first time such a release took place, opening up new possibilities for foreign language films - which traditionally have problems getting distribution - to be seen by bigger audiences.
- Fatih Akin originally conceived the film as being part Missing (1982) and part Frantic (1988).
- The role of Ali was written specially for veteran Turkish actor Tuncel Kurtiz.
- Nurgül Yesilçay - who is a big star in her native Turkey - had doubts about taking on the part of Ayten as she wasn't sure how audiences would react to seeing her as a revolutionary lesbian.
- Baki Davrak was cast very late into proceedings and subsequently missed Akin's standard three-week rehearsal period. To bring him up to speed, Akin took him on a trip to Turkey.
- Shot in 44 days.
- A whole subplot of Baki Davrak's character meeting an old flame and rekindling their romance was excised as it slowed the film down.
- The book Nejat gives to his father is a (at that point fictitious) Turkish translation of "Die Tochter des Schmieds" (The Blacksmith's Daughter) by Selim Özdogan. Selim Özdogan is a good friend of Fatih Akin.
- Most of the police officers in the film are real.
>>> WARNING: Here Be Spoilers <<<
Trivia items below here contain information that may give away important plot points. You may not want to read any further if you've not already seen this title.
- SPOILER: According to Fatih Akin, the closing scene of the film (Nejat waiting for Ali on the beach) is based on the last sentence of Alexandre Dumas' "The Count of Monte Cristo": ""Darling," replied Valentine, "has not the count just told us that all human wisdom is summed up in two words? - 'Wait and hope.'""
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