When I'm Done Dying

WHEN I’M DONE DYING

A FILM BY NISAN DAG

In Istanbul, an aspiring rapper falls hard for an affluent DJ and engages in a relationship that soon becomes toxic.

SYNOPSIS Fehmi, a 19-year-old aspiring rapper from a rough neighbourhood in Istanbul, is approached by a top recording producer and knows this could be his big break. When Fehmi meets Devin, a 25-year- old affluent DJ, they fall hard for each other and find the inspiration they were both lacking. But the flaming love affair of this un- likely duo soon becomes toxic as Fehmi finds it harder and harder to control his addiction to bonzai, a cheap and deadly drug. WHEN I’M DONE DYING is an emotional rollercoaster into the lives of Is- tanbul’s youth, steeped in edgy rap composed by one of the most acclaimed beatmakers and rappers in Turkey, Da Poet.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT I discovered the hip-hop subculture in Istanbul’s rough yet conservative slums, whilst directing a documentary for MTV. At first, I was fascinated by the stark dichotomy between the young generation that worshiped Tupac and dressed like Nicki Minaj, yet attended Friday prayer at the local mosque, and had parents who wore full hijabs. After volunteering to teach in workshops there, having spent nearly 2 years in these neighborhoods, I wanted to make a film about this dilemma, hoping to inspire the youth in making the right choice.

WHEN I’M DONE DYING takes inspiration from the hip-hop culture, just like its main character Fehmi does. The film tackles the dark topics of addiction and toxic love, yet the storytelling takes it’s en- ergy from the colorful and dynamic DNA of the Hip hop culture. The street writings and song lyrics contribute to the story, holding a mir- ror deeper into the lives of the characters. The texture of the city’s slums is not only present in the visuals, but it’s also embedded in the lyrics of the songs for the careful listeners. PRODUCER’S STATEMENT Nisan Dag and I met during film school at Columbia University in 2009. I was drawn to her creative spirit and obvious passion. We became friends and collaborators and I had the pleasure of producing her short films. When she told me about the idea for WHEN I’M DONE DYING I immediately signed on to produce. We participated in a number of labs, and pieced together the production — refining the script, casting actors, finding locations, and securing the financing — not an easy feat during these economically and politically turbulent times. Even though an official treaty is non-existent between America and other countries, this film is practically a co-production between USA, Turkey, Germany and Switzerland. It took nearly 4 years from start to finish! We were able to raise private equity from investors in the USA. Since independent film is an inherently risky investment, it was critical to find investors who had a passion for the subject matter. We secured a number of international film funds from Germany, Turkey, and Switzerland. I believe the purpose of independent film is to tell stories from underrepresented voices and communities. I could not be prouder of the product we created. AN AUTHENTIC JOURNEY INTO TURKISH YOUTH Polarization has peaked in today’s Turkey — just as it has around the world. Depriving the impoverished communities of knowledge and education has become a tool for Turkey’s government to keep their conservative base from questioning them and to keep the votes coming. However, thanks to the power of globalization and internet, the hip-hop culture of the West has sneaked into the slums of Turkey and influenced the youth to rebel, question and take a political stand. Rap music can be seen as a uniting factor, as it has become hugely popular among varying social groups in the country.

The film portrays one of the many slums of Istanbul where hip-hop has become a prom- inent subculture. ‘Karacinar’ is a fictional slum, therefore representing multiple communities of Turkey. The actual shooting location was an impoverished neighborhood in the Fatih district, with high rates of crime, and it was a difficult environment for production, especially with the local mafia, yet despite the challenges,I wanted to film there to paint an authentic portrait of life in the slums.

While working with professional actors in the lead roles, I incorporated non actors from the neighborhood for the smaller parts, to create a tangible tie between the film and the location. My lead actor also spent time in the neighborhood before filming, as part of his character study. HIP-HOP AS A WAY OUT Before rap music became a big trend nationwide in Turkey, it was first embraced in the slums. The youth in these impoverished communities saw rap as a vocal weapon, a tool to get their voices heard. Rap has been more than a trend and more of a savior in these communities.

Prior to rap music, arabesque music had been the big trend in these neighborhoods. In arabesque music, people express their sorrows and hardships in life through complaint. What’s different in rap, is the powerful and rebellious attitude that’s embedded in the origin of the genre. The traditional arabesque form doesn’t have that element and that’s why the youth loved rap culture. As I directed the Rebel Music documentary for MTV and during the 2 years I spent in the slums afterwards, I have been equally appalled by the challenges the youth face in the slums and how strongly they have come to embrace it, thanks to the inspiration they draw from figures like Tupac.

Nisan Dag, Director/Writer

TURKISH RAPPERS IN WHEN I’M DONE DYING DA POET (Ozan Erdogan, @dapoetofficial) is one of the top beat makers in Turkey and also an MC. He started out by writing beats as a teenager and has produced a dozen albums over the past 15 years. Da Poet’s beats embody traditional elements from middle-eastern and Turkish music, within contemporary tunes. This makes his style unique, even in Turkey.

“When I read the script, I felt immediately connected to the story, as there have been similar characters in my life and the struggles of Fehmi felt very familiar. It was very important for me to feel this connection. You don’t easily come across a story like this in Turkey, which portrays the youth with such realism and it paints the contemporary culture of Turkey so honestly.

All these strengths of the project, and having the hip-hop culture at the center of the film, made it so enjoyable for me to work on the project. I saw the film as a space that I could build my music into, where it will exist. As a beatmaker, I find it quite ex- citing that my music will be alive within the film, in its raw form. This excitement kept me going throughout the process.” OHASH (@shahulean) is among the youngest rappers in Turkey and gained acclaim in 2019 with the release of his first album at the age of 16. Born and raised in Iran, Ohash fled to Tur- key in 2014 and started making rap music. His first years in Turkey were harsh, he was home- less and battling poverty, but rap has been his way out. Fehmi’s character is heavily influenced by Ohash’s life, and it made perfect sense for Ohash to write the lyrics for the rap songs in WHEN I’M DONE DYING, as he could easily relate to Fehmi’s struggles and contribute to the storytelling through the rap lyrics.

Also known as Aytug Tunal, HAYKI (@hayki34) is one of the master MC’s in Turkey. Hayki col- laborated with Ohash in writing the rap lyrics for WHEN I’M DONE DYING. Known for his excel- lent writing technique, he contributed to the lyrics both in terms of structure and content. When he was only 5-years-old, Oktay and his family started going to the cinema every Sunday, and he de- cided then that he wanted to become an actor. After graduating from the American Collegiate Institute in Izmir, he followed his dream by joining Bilgi Universi- ty, in the Cinema and Television Department on a full merit scholarship. A strong advocate of personal and professional development, he participated in notable workshops and worked with distinguished coaches in acting throughout his university years. He has acted in three TV series and a movie to date — WHEN I’M DONE DYING was Oktay’s second acting role. He is currently performing in a TV production in Istanbul. One of his career goals is to act globally, as well locally and his fluency in English will help to realize this ambition. Oktay pushes his boundaries by taking on challenging characters in his acting roles. Along with acting, he has been busy with music and his music group S14 has published an album of trap songs. He is bilingual in Turkish and English, aged 24, a dog-owner, and lives in Istanbul. OKTAY CUBUK AS FEHMI Hayal was born in Istanbul in 1992. Her acting journey began when she enrolled in classes at a children’s theatre at the age of 6. During high school, she was cast in one of the most popular Turkish TV series, Ask-t Mem- nu, which was the first of many more to come. To this day,she has starred in five movies and six TV series, as well as the musical Yakaranlar, at one of the most prestigious theatres in Turkey. She has completed her higher education in acting and musical theatre at Istan- bul Aydin University (full scholarship) and Istanbul State Conservatory. Hayal’s music career is also a priority, with her songs receiving over 2 million plays, her music videos over 1 million views and performances all over the country. Hayal describes WHEN I’M DONE DYING as her most challenging acting job so far. HAYAL KOSEOGLU AS DEVIN

Born and raised in Turkey, Nisan Dag is a writer/director in her early 30s. She started her storytelling journey as a teenager with animated shorts. After graduating from Columbia University’s MFA Film Program in 2013 as a Fulbright schol- ar, she co-directed her feature film debut, ACROSS THE SEA (DENIZ SEVIYESI). The film competed at Warsaw Film Festival and won several awards at international festivals, including the Jury and Audience awards at Slamdance Film Festival, Best Director at Milano International Film Festival, Best Director and 5 other awards at the International Adana Film Festival.

Nisan directed an episode of MTV’s Rebel Music documentary series in 2015, with rappers from Istanbul’s slums, which led her to write and develop her second feature WHEN I’M DONE DYING. The film is supported by Eurim- ages, Hamburg Film Fund, Visions Sud Est and Berlinale Co-Production Market and will have its world premiere in the main competition section of Tallinn Black Nights Film NISAN DAG Festival in November 2020. WRITER/ Nisan is currently developing the script for her third feature DIRECTOR film and a limited series project. Jessica hails from a lobstering island of 500 people off the coast of Maine and attended college at just 16 years old. A graduate of Columbia University’s MFA Film program, she produced the independent feature films ELECTRICK CHILDREN, HAPPY BABY, AWOL and the upcoming WHEN I’M DONE DYING. Her feature film productions have premiered at Berlinale, SXSW, Tribeca, and have had theatrical and digital distribu- tion. Her short film work has premiered at Sundance, Telluride and Tribeca. Jessica was the writers room assistant and showrunners assistant on the Showtime series BILLIONS. Jessica’s short story “Fractured: A First Date” was published in the New York Times. She wrote EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT: IRIS for Andrew Lazar (Mad Chance) and co-wrote the feature film GONZO GIRL JESSICA for Tom Heller and Frank Hall Green (Catch & Release CALDWELL films) with Rebecca Thomas. Jessica is managed by Susan Solomon Shapiro at Circle of Confusion. PRODUCER WORLD SALES Magnolia Pictures International Lorna Lee Torres Marie Zeniter [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL PRESS Organic Kirsty Langsdale Tiffany Kizito [email protected]