Ecumenopolis: City Without Limits

Synopsis

“Ecumenopolis: City Without Limits” tells the story of Istanbul and other Mega-Cities on a neo-liberal course to destruction. It follows the story of a migrant family from the demolition of their neighborhood to their on-going struggle for housing rights. The film takes a look at the city on a macro level and through the eyes of experts, going from the tops of mushrooming skyscrapers to the depths of the railway tunnel under the Bosphorous strait; from the historic neighborhoods in the south to the forests in the north; from isolated islands of poverty to the villas of the rich. It’s an Istanbul going from 15 million to 30 million. It’s an Istanbul going from 2 million cars to 8 million. It’s the Istanbul of the future that will soon engulf the entire region. It’s an Istanbul nobody has ever seen before.

Director Biography

Imre Azem was born in Istanbul in 1975. In 1998 he graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans with degrees in Political Science and French Literature. After graduating in 1998 he moved to New York. In 2003 he started working as a director of photography and editor in small video productions, short films, documentaries, and independent feature films. In 2007 he moved to Istanbul to embark on his directoral debut project, Ecumenopolis.