DIVIDED STILL – A Mini-documentary
- 03 Eki 2022
- , Campaigns
Until 2003, contact between the two parts of the divided Cyprus was extremely little, only possible for a limited group of people with special permissions. On the 23rd of April 2003, checkpoints – according to the Greek Cypriot official discourse, ‘borders’ – according to the Turkish Cypriot official discourse and crossing points – as referred internationally, opened for public crossing.
The possibility of crossing since 2003 has brought communities closer. However, in late February 2020, the crossing of island’s inhabitants across the divide came almost to a halt due to the regulations put in place by the local authorities, cited as an effort to limit the spread of the COVID-19.
To many, it seemed that political reasons were attached to this decision, with protests against the closure taking place in March. The closure had a critical impact on the lives of many and especially on those who used to travel across the existing divide on a regular or even everyday basis. In response, the Home for Cooperation invited people across the communities, who have since 2003 managed to build their everyday lives across the existing divide, to share their experiences and feelings, fears and concerns.
DIVIDED STILL, then, aims to raise public awareness with regards to the sudden rupture the closure brought in people’s lives. The goal is to highlight the necessity of free movement across the existing divide in today’s Cyprus. Read more about the documentary and the crew in the press kit here.
The documentary was selected and screened in August 2022 at the Kalamata Monthly International Short Documentary Festival in Greece. It was also one of the finalists screened at the Annual Kalamata International Festival in October. In September 2022, DIVIDED STILL was also screened at the EthnoKino Film Festival in Switzerland. In Cyprus, the film was premiered to invited guests during the Home for Cooperation’s 10(+1) Anniversary celebrations in May 2022. In 2023, public screenings are planned across Cyprus.
Watch the trailer below!
