Description:

A powerful and uncensored exploration of how Turkey has become the epicenter in a world of rising tensions between Russia and the United States, the Middle East and Europe. This film explores the power and tactics of the right-wing populist president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and how he has consolidated domestic politics and used military and diplomatic means to solidify Turkey as a regional power. From ruthless crackdowns on scores of journalists arrested, academics officially banned from leaving the country, and many of the highest-ranking military officers arrested to the nefarious and failed 2016 coup, the film outlines Erdogan’s mission to bring order and stability but has led to unraveling of liberal Turkey to massive conflicts with the Gulen movement, coup plotters and Kurdish nationalists - all of which have culminated in the crisis of modern Turkey. This 90 minute film explores the alchemy of dictatorship, greed and the vulnerability of democracy through the eyes of academics, politicians and exiled Turkish people, who are fighting to preserve their once thriving, progressive and beautifully open country.

Biography:

Barry Avrich is responsible for over 48 documentaries and best known for provocative exposes of Hollywood power brokers such as Lew Wasserman (The Last Mogul), Harvey Weinstein (The Reckoning), publishing kingpin Bob Guccione (Filthy Gorgeous), Blurred Lines, David Foster: Off the Record and the critically acclaimed film Prosecuting Evil. Avrich has also produced the Scotiabank Giller Prize and Canadian Screen Awards broadcasts. In 2007, Avrich built the world’s first state-of-the-art movie theatre in a hospital at Toronto’s SickKids. In 2016, Avrich released his best-selling memoir, Moguls, Monsters and Men.