Guestworkers Road

Sıla yolu, death road, way home — the former Europastraße (E5) between Germany and Turkey has many names. This transit route served generations of migrant workers as the main artery between Western Europe and their countries of origin. Today, the former ‘guest worker route’ remains an important road for holidaymakers, commuters and new groups of immigrants.

Having lived and worked in Germany for many years, in his documentary Gastarbeiterstrasse Tuncel Kurtiz portrays a variety of travellers on the former E5. A portrait of a highway which stands as a powerful documentation of the history of labour migration to Europe.