#HelpUsHelpOthers

A strong documentary that shares the story of an amazing queen that despite the atrocities of the Turkish Army invading her beloved Island Cyprus, her home, her village, she refused to leave. Enclaved in her village Kormakitis since 1974 the mother of five saw her husband died, she has two disabled children and was one of the sole survivors of her village, refusing to leave and  standing strong despite all the trails and tribulations.

The Story

Only twenty years old at the time and a newlywed, this heroic queen woke up one day on the 20^th of July in 1974 to a village full of smoke, tanks, and soldiers. What is happening, why are they pushing us, why are they breaking our windows, what have we done. The Turks have launched an attack on the island with a military campaign to take what is not theirs to defend their wounded honour. 

She stood strong and refused to leave clenching on her house keys till they left a bloody mark in her palm. You are not wanted here a Turkish officer shouted, she replies, this is my home you will have to kill me as I won’t leave, I don’t belong anywhere else. Leave he replies take your goods, take your family, and start a new life elsewhere, this is Turkish land now. This is Gods land she replies, and ‘He’ only chooses who goes and who stays. The Turkish officer was secretly impressed with her bravery and could see in her eyes that she did not fear death.

In the meantime, all the other villagers had packed what belongings they could, leaving only their memories behind a hand full of elders and our young newlyweds. Now fifty years on and 70 years old through her patience and perseverance this single queen unconsciously has protected her village from the wrath of the Turks, who through the Vatican has agreed on a law that now Turk can settle, buy or rent in Kormakitis. In 1986 again due to the power of this woman the villagers were allowed back into their homes. Today the queen of our story is loved by her fellow villagers, the Greek Cypriot community and the Turkish Cypriot community and currently has the most famous restaurant in the illegally occupied north of Cyprus.

Producer/Director’s Statement
Panikos Panayiotou

Cyprus has a painful past in which unfortunately isn’t on the forefront of international platforms. Queens like the one in our story have the power to attract a global audience and show the in just occupation of the North of the Island, but also show how one single woman changed the destiny of her village. 

Our Target

Our Target is to reach £72,000 sterling as part of this campaign in order to facilitate this global documentary. This will allow our production team to create the quality needed to screen the production on mainstream platforms, share the assets across the world and give our queens the credit they deserve.  Help us bring this story to life…