According to the Turkish newspaper Star, the movie “Reis” (Leader), directed by Hüdaverdi Yavuz, was filmed in Istanbul and also at various locations in Cyprus.
The film’s makers used fourteen heavy trucks to transport their equipment and props from Istanbul to Cyprus.
The filming started in January 2016 in Trikomo, a village in northern Cyprus, transformed for the movie into the 1950 Kasimpasa neighborhood of Istanbul where Erdogan lived as a child. The production team worked for four months and spent another three months on post-production.
The film’s trailer, released late last year, created a big buzz on social media. It was viewed 130 million times and reposted over 20 million times.
“Reis” was originally expected to come out in Turkey in October 2016, but the premiere was eventually pushed back to February 26, 2017, when Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be celebrating his 63rd birthday.
Reha Beyoglu plays President Erdogan and Ozlem Balcı performs the part of his wife Emine Erdogan.
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