In the Fade centres on a woman seeking revenge after her husband and son's death. What drew you into this story?

Fatih Akin: There is an initial driving force behind every one of my film ideas. This time it was the murders committed by the NSU. Initially, all I know is: I want to show that I disapprove of the Nazis in this country. And then new ideas pop up as I write. I'll think of a character — this time it was a mother — and I start observing mothers; then new levels develop — a bit like an onion that you slowly peel. I try to tell a story the way I know it best. The world in which it is set, the characters that appear in it, the emotions that they have; essentially, it has to be in the most autobiographical way possible.

In the Fade was your first cooperation with Warner Bros. How did that come about and how did it go?

Nurhan Sekerci-Porst: We had actually established contact a number of years ago, when we were working on a children's film and looking for a distributor. A few months later Fatih and I met with Willi Geike (Executive Director at Warner Bros, Ed.). At some point the conversation turned to In the Fade, and that marked the starting point for our cooperation. Willi Geike has a lot of experience for which he is highly valued in Germany as well as in Hollywood. Willi liked the story, Fatih's talent and Diane Kruger, and he put together a wonderful team that really supported us and respected our artistic decisions. It was a very important experience for us.

In the Fade was shown simultaneously in repertory cinemas and in multiplex theatres. How do you manage to combine high artistic demands with cinema for the masses?

NS-P: As if we keep doing that (laughs). Let's say there are a number of interesting factors here that move people from their couches into the cinemas. The film's star is Diane Kruger. She appears in every image and you never tire of seeing her grief and her self-doubt, which she plays very well. And then there's Fatih who has a major fan base and who has made a very personal film with huge societal relevance. That's a big magnet, also for commercial cinema. The Warner test screening should not be underestimated, either, which took place before the final cut. The audience answered a questionnaire, and the answers made it quite clear that the target group was very broad. So we changed a few details in the editing.

Many fans were surprised with the choice of Diane Kruger as the main actress. Why was she your perfect cast?

FA: I generally like unusual casting. People with interesting faces and biographies, with a certain elementary power. It seeps into the whole film. I don't want to cast the "who's who" of the German yellow press. Diane Kruger may appear in the yellow press, but not in Germany. Even though she is from Lower Saxony, people here are unfamiliar with her work and have an entirely false image of her.

Are you now rectifying this image?

FA: No, I am complementing it.