The word ‘fan’ as a shortened version of ‘fanatic’ seems nowhere more evident than in football, where fans are often referred to as ‘hooligans’ and violence between supporter groups occurs regularly.

No different in Istanbul, where three clubs — Besiktas, Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray — are renowned for their rivalries turned hatred, and violent clashes have resulted in countless injuries and even deaths.

Knowing this, when directors Olli Waldhauer and Farid Eslam saw pictures of the various club supporters banding together in the huge Gezi Park protests of summer 2013, they instantly realized the significance. Two days later, the pair were in Istanbul with cameras. With Istanbul United — a documentary produced by PLATOON member Tanja Georgieva and set for worldwide digital release in January, 2015, even as it continues its way around global film festivals — the viewer is taken into the heart of the protests that rocked a nation.We see the most intense of foes brought together, overcoming their differences to unite their strengths and defend peaceful protestors in the face of the brutality of the police for a cause even larger than football.