TWO HOMELANDS

In 50 years, the illegal occupation of Northern Cyprus has not been resolved – for Cypriots the urgency does not dissipate. The dividing line cuts the island through the middle – Greek and Turkish Cypriots are forced to live apart, waiting to return to their homes. Ghost towns are crumbling; persons remain missing; human rights are violated; homes and ancestral lands are not repatriated: grief is inconsolable. Turkey’s President Erdogan refuses to negotiate.

In TWO HOMELANDS, Australian Greek Cypriot tell their eyewitness stories. They are waiting for resolution. Their motto is “I never forget”.

The Cypriot community, is struggling to deal with the grief of 50 years of unresolved conflict and occupation. The film helps the community to express these complex emotions. Plus it empowers them about the importance of their legacy. Others will experience increased knowledge of a lesser-known issue.

Through a NSW Parliamentary screening, I anticipate an official government statement to bring public attention to Australian advocacy on the ‘Cyprus Problem’, as it has become known. Greek Australian press (below) has recently written two feature articles on my film. I’ll focus on wider social impact through Australian and European media via my longstanding connections. A rally cry, that 50 years is too long for an island to be unjustly divided in two.

https://neoskosmos.com/en/2024/04/15/news/community/two-homelands-an-upcoming-documentary-on-the-cypriot-migrant-experience-to-australia/

https://greekherald.com.au/culture/film/heart-in-cyprus-home-in-australia-kay-pavlou

I will moderate discussions after screenings in the Adelaide, Sydney, Canberra Cyprus Clubs and more TBC. These are opportunities for the community to express emotions and reflect on their migrant legacy. Others can learn about an overlooked conflict.

I wish to expand my social reach in mainstream media, as achieved in Greek Australian press, below. I am negotiating with a broadcaster to reach a national audience. Screenings are also planned for Cyprus and London.

My film was conceived in consultation with SEKA – Justice For Cyprus- at the Cyprus Community Club of NSW as a positive offering to our community for the 50th anniversary in July 2024. I am now also working with interstate communities and Consulate agencies.

I am a lifetime member of the Cyprus Community Club of NSW and closely associated with the Cyprus Community of South Australia through my father and extended family.

I have long term relationships with the Greek print/online newspapers in Sydney (THE GREEK HERALD) and Melbourne (NEOS KOSMOS) as well as with SBS Greek radio.

I am connected to Cyprus via their Press and Information Office, a trilingual podcast called ISLAND TALKS which broadcasts in Greek, Turkish and English and the The Cyprus Mail.

We need to make a larger public voice on our Cyprus Problem. I am vaing a parliamentary screening with the MInister of Arts in SA who is from Cypriot refugee parents.