90
Film Screening
Ecumenopolis: City without Limits

Director: İmre Azem
Turkish with English subtitles
SALT Galata Auditorium

Ecological thresholds are surpassed, economic thresholds are surpassed, population thresholds are surpassed, and social harmony is upset. Ecumenopolis: City without Limits is a depiction of neoliberal urbanization. In his first feature-length documentary, İmre Azem takes a holistic approach to İstanbul; he questions the underlying dynamics of the city as much as the change itself. Leading a journey from İstanbul’s demolished slums to the tops of its skyscrapers, from the depths of the Sea of Marmara to the route of the Third Bridge across the Bosphorus, from real estate investors to urban opposition, Azem hopes the viewer will not be a mere spectator to change, but will question it.

In response to high demand for a repeat screening of Ecumenopolis: City without Limits, originally shown last month at SALT Beyoğlu in the context of 90, Ecumenopolis will be shown in the SALT Galata Auditorium. This will be the first screening to be held at SALT Galata. After the screening, Cihan Uzunçarşılı Baysal will discuss the film with director İmre Azem.

Cihan Uzunçarşılı Baysal is a member of Sulukule Platform and UN-HABITAT’s Expert Group. After graduating from Boğaziçi University in 1980, she earned her master’s degree in Human Rights Law from İstanbul Bilgi University in 2010. Her thesis, Urban Transformation as a Tool for Turning İstanbul into a Global City and the Housing Rights Violations Behind it: From Ayazma to Bezirganbahçe, the Unsurvivors, examined urban transformation projects in İstanbul, the national and global aspirations behind these projects, and the human rights violations and injustices experienced by residents — focusing primarily on the Ayazma-Bezirganbahçe relocation process. These projects were analyzed vis-à-vis international human rights standards, conventions and treaties on the right to adequate housing. In 2009, Baysal was designated a local expert of AGFE by UN-HABITAT, participating in AGFE’s İstanbul mission in 2009. She subsequently contributed to the AGFE İstanbul report presented to UN-HABITAT.

İmre Azem was born in İstanbul in 1975. Graduating from Tulane University with degrees in Political Science and French Literature, in 2004, he began working as a director of photography and editor for small video productions, short films, documentaries and independent feature films. In 2008, he moved to İstanbul to embark on his directorial debut, Ecumenopolis: City without Limits.