The 4th Greek International Film Festival Tour (Canada) will be in 11 Canadian cities 1-31October2024 presenting films theatrically and, in some cases, on-line.
After the 1974 invasion and occupation of Northern Cyprus by Turkey a buffer zone was created between Northern Cyprus and Southern Cyprus and patrolled by United Nations “peacekeepers”. Like the old East and West Berlin, Nicosia is a divided city.
Yiannis (Adam Bousdoukos) is a struggling Greek Cypriot musician in debt to loan sharks and 5 months behind in his rent. Five months ago the love of his life and fellow band member Kiki left him leaving behind her dog Jimi. Jimi escapes and runs into the Turkish sector of Nicosia. Yiannis shows the proper documentation to enter the Turkish sector and searches for Jimi. He finds Jimi and attempts to return to Greek sector of Nicosia but is refused as there can be no importation of live animals between Northern and Southern Cyprus.
Yiannis has yet to visit the Turkish sector of Nicosia and his curiosity dictates a visit to the family home since taken over by settler Hasan (Fatih Al) and his family. “Settlers” are mainland Turks encouraged to “colonize” Northern Cyprus by Turkish state policy similar to a blind eye of the Turks to smuggling Muslim immigrants across the Aegean into various Greek islands. Turkish attempt at destabilizing Greece. Entire homes and villages were uprooted because of the division of Cyprus.
Yiannis must, through the recommendation of Hasan, enlist the help of a Turkish smuggler Tuberek (Özgür Karadeniz). The initial smuggling attempt fails and poor Jimi ends up in a farm and must be stolen by Yiannis with the help of Hasan, Tuberek and Kiki. Then a desperate attempt by boat to land in Southern Cyprus. The Cyprus naval patrol spots the boat and all overboard including Jimi who we last see dogpaddling to land. While the humans survive and return to Nicosia, Jimi is nowhere to be seen.
All the bureaucracy, politics and bullshit involved in simply bringing back a lost dog through the buffer zone. An example of the idiocy of a divided Cyprus. Also an example of Greeks and Turks co-operating in face of the tragic division of Cyprus.
Did you think that Jimi would have drowned? He was involved in narcotics smuggling!
In English, Turkish and Greek with English subtitles.
Here is the trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ACqXDktph0
RKS 2024 Film Rating : 77/100.
Directed by Marios Piperides.
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