Based on a colorful true story.
Translations TRADUCCIÓ CATALÀ | TÜRKÇE ÇEVIRI
Diren Merdiven is a short film based on the true story of a retired man who paint his neighborhood's stairs in the colors of the rainbow. His small act of artistic rebellion becomes the delight of the neighborhood - locals and tourists alike flock to the stairs in admiration.
A week later, in the middle of the night, city workers covered the stairs with
a sloppy, ugly coat of gray paint.
That's when things really get interesting. Neighbors are outraged, and the story explodes through social media -
using the hashtag #direnmerdiven, or "steps of resistance."
And
one by one, other Turkish citizens started painting
their
neighborhood stairs in solidarity; first in other Istanbul neighborhoods,
and then spreading across the entire country. It was, quite possibly, the most
colorful protest in history.
(Check out the absurd amount of #direnmerdiven stairs below).
A bridge between two cultures
The short film, shot in Barcelona, will follow a fictional storyline largely based in the real story. The screenplay's protagonist is the retired man, and the story unfolds to show the neighborhood's reactions - first, to the painted stairs, and second, to their sudden gray-ing. Through this project, our goal is to internationalize story of the rainbow stairs and the message behind them: There is always a way to bring color into the world.
Son of a Turkish father and a Catalan mother, director Denis Ileri also sees this project as one that bridges these two Mediterranean cultures. To those who have fought against the suppression of speech in the Gezi Park protests, we want to say that your story is being told. We want to spread that story - starting in Barcelona.
Let's talk money.
Our budget of 4200€ can be broken down in four big chunks:
1. Photography (cameras, lighting, travelling, etc.): 1500€
2. Art (badass police suits and a LOT of paint): 1200€
3. Production (transport, food for our volunteer staff, etc.): 1000€
4. Fees (Indiegogo, insurance, and filming permits): 500€
The rewards.
Help us make this project real! Take a look at our awesome rewards - some usual suspects - DVDs, premiere invites, and the like - and then some great goods make with love by our crafty team, which are depicted in our gallery. We're also excited to offer Limited Edition photography made exclusively for Diren Merdiven by Bradley Secker, a photojournalist dedicated to the consequences of social and political actions in the MENA region. featured in The Guardian, The New York Times, TIME.com, BBC, CNN, and more.
What's next?
Our shoot is scheduled for December 18-22. Our post-production goal is summer 2014. Until then, our priority is to motivate people like you to believe in our story and to take invest in our dream.
In August, one normal guy changed the world with a paintbrush. Now, through our own form of art - storytelling through film - we hope to do the same.
Translations TRADUCCIÓ CATALÀ | TÜRKÇE ÇEVIRI
