„Taksim is everywhere, resistance is everywhere.“
Two years ago, in early summer 2013, thousands of mainly younger people from across all political persuasions demonstrated against the destruction of Gezi Park in Istanbul. What began as a protest against a construction project quickly turned into a wider protest against the policies of the Erdogan government. The government violently suppressed the demonstrations in Gezi Park and nearby Taksim Square.
Our directors Biene Pilavci and Ayla Gottschlich, are two young GermanTurkish filmmakers, happened to witness the events and shot images, putting themselves at great personal risk. Still they decide to stay and continue to follow some of the demonstrators.
There is young Bimen, an Armenian resident of Istanbul. He joined the protests, as the remains of an Armenian cemetery were to be removed for the construction project. Tamer is a journalist who lost his job as a consequence of refusing to falsify his account of the protests. Months later he finds work with a private Kurdish broadcaster, but he considers his prospects in Turkey dire. Rojda is spokeswoman for the Muslim anti capitalist movement, who are opposed to Erdogan’s authoritarian leadership and who favour common wheel policies rather than encouraging private property.
Biene Pilavci and Ayla Gottschlich have followed these and other protagonists of the democracy movement up to the parliamentary elections of August 2014. ARTE and ZDF will present this portrait of the young democracy movement to coincide with the general elections on 7th of june 2015.
CHRONICLE OF A REVOLT is a is a film about the hope, dreams, fears and the braveness of young Istanbul citizens who are fighting for a self-determined life. For Erdogan they are still „Capulcus“ – scum.
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Credits
Documentary
83Min, 57Min HD
TV Chanel – ZDF & ARTE
Broadcast on TV: ARTE 02.06.2015 – ZDF 08.06.2015
Written, directed & edited by Biene Pilavci & Ayla Gottschlich
Cinematographers – Tan Kurttekin, Fatih Pinar, Armin Dierolf, Güray Varol and others
Editor Assistants – Eren Aksu & Erdal Bilici
Sound Mixer – Erkal Taskin
Composer – Cornelius Schwehr
Sounddesign and Re-Recording Mixing – Jan Pasemann
Line Producer – Yüksel Yilmaz
Production Managers – Aysel Yilmaz & Yüksel Yilmaz
Producers – Ayla Gottschlich, Biene Pilavci & Silvana Santamaria
Commissioning Editors – Kathrin Brinkmann (ZDF/ARTE Thema) & Burkhard Althoff (ZDF – Das kleine Fernsehspiel)
Co-Production – Biene Pilavci
Production Company – Soilfilms