It was released shortly before the constitutional referendum which aimed for a transition to an executive presidency.

[2] Reis describes Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's childhood and his 1994 to 1998 Istanbul mayoral tenure.

The movie ends when he entered prison in 1998 as a consequence of reading a religiously intolerant poem in Siirt ("minarets are bayonets, domes are helmets, mosques are our barracks, believers are soldiers").

[3] Hüdaverdi Yavuz, the director of the movie, refused to attend the movie's premiere, citing various troubles during the shooting, unpaid staff, and his forcefully reduced involvement in the post-production process as reasons.

Reis attracted shy of 67,580 viewers in the first three days (March 3–5).