“Journey into Cyprus: East to West” is a documentary about a 15-day cross Cyprus hike by Yalcin Adal, a Turkish Cypriot, and Stavros Tszortis, a Greek Cypriot both currently living in Melbourne, Australia.
As a result of a 1974 invasion of Cyprus by Turkey, possibly a result of Greek political maneuvering and a failed assassination attempt on Archbishop Makarios of Cyprus by the Greek military junta, Cyprus was divided into a Turkish and Greek sector separated by a buffer zone and enforced by a U.N. peacekeeping mission. The division, of course was artificial as Turkish and Greek communities lived side by side until the divide. It is estimated that 6-9,000 Cypriots were killed and are missing as a result of the 1974 conflict.
But 50 years later Stavros and Yalcin set out to walk through Turkish and Greek sectors in an east to west 15-day trek of some 400 kilometres in a move to push start reconciliation between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities. Through their encounters with politicians, journalists, Greek and Turkish pro unitarians. family members and relatives of missing persons it is clear that the Turkish and Greek camps are not entrenched in mutual hatred. Fifty years has passed and many believe it is time to set the clock back and live in harmony uneasy as it might be.
Both Stavros and Yalcin realize their trek is not going to galvanize an international movement for the re-unification of Cyprus hoping that their trek is symbolic of Cypriot unification. Their trek was simply a small step but if their willingness could be adopted by all Cypriots the best is yet to come to Cyprus. As one placard read, “Stop Holding Our Future Hostage to the Past”.
In a mixture of English, Turkish and Greek (in which case there will be subtitles).
The 4th Annual Greek International Film Festival Tour (Canada) running 1-31October2024 plays in eleven Canadian cities both in theatre and on-line. For scheduling information check out https://gifft.ca
Directed by Stavros and Yalcin.
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