Academy Award-nominated director Michael Cacoyannis offers a stomach-churning account of Cyprus’ most horrific period.
London-based filmmaker Michael Cacoyannis immediately heads to his home of Cyprus — an island located east of Greece — after hearing of the July 1974 Turkish army invasion. Thousands of Greeks are sent to displacement camps, while thousands more die senselessly. With a cameraman and sound engineer as his lone crew, Cacoyannis travels the island interviewing victims, refugees and politicians to piece together the real story behind the violent tragedy.
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Original Title: Ατίλας ’74: Ο βιασμός της Κύπρου
IMDb rate: 7,1/10
Movie Trivia:
1. An IMDb user states “I am not a Greek or Turk, I am a person who loves movies, and I loved Attila 74. The style of documentary film-making is fascinating and real. The film is blunt, to the point and devastating. It feels like you are there in the midst of war, suffer and grieve with the locals, you feel for their loss and suffering. The film connects with you no matter what nationality you are.”
2. The film was filmed on location in Cyprus and Greece in the immediate aftermath of the two Turkish invasions and subsequent occupation of approximately the northern third of the island. 40 years have passed and the turkish occupation continues still.
3. It was only five days after the inexplicable coup d’état of the country by Greece’s dictatorial forces, which overthrown the elected president of Cyprus, Archibishop Makarios, and only served to give the Turks an excuse to invade and occupy the northern part of the island. Approximately 40,000 Turkish troops raided the island under the code name “Operation Attila,” an apt name for the barbaric attack against innocent civilians. Turkish warplanes bombarded the area from Kyrenia to Nicosia, killing hundreds of civilians before their ground troops completed the massacre.
The pretext for the Turkish invasion was the protection of Turkish Cypriots, who made up about 18% of the island’s population, and were never harmed nor threatened by the forces of the coup d’état. This argument was as weak then as it is now. The “Attila” invasion involved heavily armed troops landing shortly before dawn at Kyrenia (Girne) on the northern coast meeting resistance from the few Greek and Greek Cypriot forces. “Coincidentally”, the greek Junta had ordered the greek military forces to evacuate the island, in order for the coup d’état to take place.
By the time the UN Security Council was able to obtain a ceasefire on 22 July the Turkish forces were in command of a narrow path between Kyrenia and Nicosia, 3% of the territory of Cyprus, which they succeeded in widening, violating the ceasefire demanded in Resolution 353. This was only the first part of the Cyprus tragedy, however. On August 14, 1974, the tragedy was compounded by the occupation of the beautiful seaside city of Famagusta and the Karpas Peninsula. On that day Turkey launched its “Second Peace Operation”, which eventually resulted in the Turkish occupation of 37% of Cyprus.
An estimated 5,000 people were killed during the invasion and 1,619 were reported missing, never to be seen again. But many historians believe the true toll of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus could be much higher. As many as 200,000 Cypriots were forcefully driven away from their homes and became refugees in their own homeland as Turkey split the island in two, occupying around 35% of the island.
4. Britain’s then foreign secretary (later prime minister) James Callaghan later disclosed that U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger “vetoed” at least one British military action to pre-empt the Turkish landing.
5. After the invasion, Turkey encouraged people from its country, who had no relationship or connection to the island whatsoever, to settle there, offering land and money. This illegal, systematic resettlement by Turkey of its own people on Cyprus forced many Cypriots to emigrate to Europe and elsewhere. The settlers today outnumber the native Turkish Cypriots by a ratio of about two to one.
6. In violation of international law and UN resolutions, Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot regime continue to systematically eradicate the Greek cultural heritage of the occupied areas of Cyprus.
Cities and villages have been given Turkish names, while archaeological sites, churches and cemeteries have been desecrated, destroyed or transformed for other types of use. Today, more than 43,000 armed soldiers from Turkey remain in the occupied areas of the island.
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