Dear Friends,

As you know, we finished making our documentary “Ecumenopolis: City Without Limits” about 6 months ago, and since then we’ve been showing it at festivals both at home and abroad, as well as at universities, conferences and in local communities.

Having completed the film, our foremost aim is now to draw attention to what is going on in our city, and to the events that the film documents. We wanted to question the process and pace of construction in Istanbul, and to introduce the voice of ordinary people into these rapid and often opaque developments. The film itself contains information which intends to make broader public participation possible.

However before the film can been seen by a wider audience and spark conversation in the media, we need to find funds to stage a proper cinema release. Following the cinema release, we intend to put the entire film onto the internet – along with the many interviews, maps and materials that there was not space for in the final cut – so that it can be shared and seen by all.

As you can guess, this will not be a cheap endeavour. But if 2,000 people read this message and contribute only 10 lira each, we will have made more than we need to get this process going.

We’re hosting our funding campaign on the projemefon.com website. Like kickstarter in the US, this website is a system for supporting small but important projects which wouldn’t get off the ground without the help of people like you. In return for your pledge, there are a variety of gifts and rewards on offer. And if it turns out that we don’t collect the entire sum of money that we have aimed for, then everyone who has pledged will get their money back. Unfortunately it’s not yet possible to pay with a credit card, so you have to do a bank transfer.

You can find the relevant information and instructions by clicking the link below.

http://www.projemefon.com/proje/detay/44/29

At the beginning of 2012, an exciting and unexpected film is going to hit the cinemas. Please join us by being a part of it, and pledge us your support. We would be grateful if you would share this email with as many people as possible.

Thanks for your help.

Gaye & İmre