Cyprus-Forum.com

[Murataga]

I dedicate this article to those who speak of tolerance, democracy and freedom of speech in Greek administration of Southern Cyprus... Please note the scale of the propaganda effort.

Film director threatens to sue government
By Constantine Markides
(archive article - Sunday, September 10, 2006)
ON THE DAY his film was set to air in the acclaimed Venice Film Festival, Cypriot director Panicos Chrysanthou yesterday announced he may take legal action against the Cyprus government for blocking his efforts to air the movie and failing to live up to its financial obligations.

The government recently sent Chrysanthou a letter threatening to sue him if he did not remove a controversial scene within four months.

The 125-minute feature film is a love story between a Turkish Cypriot man and a Greek Cypriot woman, spanning the two turbulent decades between 1955 and 1975.
Chrysanthou spoke to the Sunday Mail just hours before his film was set to air as one of five features in the Festival’s ‘Horizons’ section in Lido, Venice. It marks the first instance where a Cypriot film has been shown at the prestigious festival.

The Cyprus government, which has contributed 20 per cent of the movie’s costs, has withheld promised funds for making copies of the film and for festival and promotional costs. They have also sent a letter to Chrysanthou stating that they do not approve of any public showing of the film.
Under the umbrella of the Education Ministry, the Film Advisory Committee has complained that Chrysanthou violated his contract by including a scene in which EOKA fighters kill a suspected traitor in a church, despite a contractual agreement that the scene would instead take place in a coffee shop.

Chrysanthou said that the government has now sent him another letter threatening to sue him if he does not remove the scene within four months.

But Chrysanthou – who along with a number of other journalists, artists and intellectuals claims the government is seeking to censor the work – said he has no plans to remove the scene.

“I believe I have fulfilled all of my obligations. In fact I am thinking of taking them to court myself.”
Chrysanthou said that the government – which contributed 20 per cent of the film’s costs – had obstructed his efforts to air the film in the festival and had not delivered promised funds.
The director said that, aside from owing him £14,000 of the original £150,000 promised, the government also owes him crucial funds for making copies of the film as well as for festival and promotional costs.
Over the past few weeks Chrysanthou has scrabbled to raise around £15,000 so that he could deliver a completed reel of film with English subtitles to the Venice festival.
“We more or less managed to raise the money, although we still owe quite a lot. I can’t say I was 100 per cent sure [that the film would be delivered in time] but I believed that it would happen just I have believed in this film the whole way through.”
As it is in the special ‘Horizons’ category, the film will not be competing for a prize, but it should be widely reviewed.
Chrysanthou said he does not anticipate the reviews to emerge for several days. “There are critics from all over the world here. I’m still trying to figure out myself which critics and publications will be reviewing the film.”
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2007

[zan]

Why confuse the Cyprus problem with any truths

[Murataga]

Simply to show how intolerant and racist the South is to those who want to want to give up their legal founding partner status in Cyprus and become this looser and illegal administration`s minority...

[Piratis]

This topic has been discussed to death many months ago.

What is propaganda is what you do. Trying to find articles, quotes etc from months, years and decades ago in a lame attempt to excuse the inexcusable.

Democracy and freedom of speech in Republic of Cyprus are at least at the average of EU standards, probably above. Thats way above anything that ever existed or will exist in Turkey and her puppet state.

In fact the only issue in the case above is that the government funded this movie less than what was originally planned. Nobody was silenced or anything else.

[Murataga]

What will you do if I proove to you that the movie "akamas" was censored by the illegal GC government in Nicosia Pantheon Art last week?

[zan]

What will you do if I proove to you that the movie "akamas" was censored by the illegal GC government in Nicosia Pantheon Art last week?

I think you already know the answer to trhat my friend. He will spout off the same old rubbish as he always does.

[Piratis]

The "illegal GC goverment"?

Here is what is illegal, along with the proof:

The Security Council,

Having heard the statement of the Foreign Minister of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus,

Concerned at the declaration by the Turkish Cypriot authorities issued on 15 November 1983 which purports to create in independent state in northern Cyprus,

Considering that this declaration is incompatible with the 1960 Treaty concerning the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus and the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee,

Considering therefore that the attempt to create a "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" is invalid, and will contribute to a worsening of the situation in Cyprus,

Reaffirming its resolutions 365(1974) and 367(1975),

Aware of the need of a solution to the Cyprus problem, based on the mission of good offices undertaken by the Secretary-General,

Affirming its continued support for the United Nations Peace- keeping Force in Cyprus,

Taking note of the Secretary-Generals statement of 17 November 1983,

1. Deplores the declaration of the Turkish Cypriot authorities of the purported secession of part of the Republic of Cyprus;

2. Considers the declaration refereed to above as legally invalid and calls for its withdrawal;

3. Calls for the urgent and effective implementation of its resolutions 365(1974) and 367(1975);

4. Requests the Secretary-General to peruse his mission of good offices in order to achieve the earliest possible progress towards a just and lasting settlement in Cyprus;

5. Calls upon the parties to co-operate with the Secretary- General in his mission of good offices;

6. Calls upon all states to respect the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and non-alignment of the Republic of Cyprus;

7. Calls upon all states not to recognise any Cypriot state other than the Republic of Cyprus;

8. Calls upon all states and the two communities in Cyprus to refrain from any action which might exacerbate the situation;

9. Requests the Secretary-General to keep the Security Council fully informed.

[Murataga]

Yeah, divert... nice move, yet desperate.

As far as the "proof" is concerned... are you prepared to bet your life on every U.N decision? Can you confidently say that none of them are biased, that none of them were brought up to serve the interests of some countries, all are neutral, all are just? The current southern GC government is illegal and unacceptable.

[pitsilos]

The current southern GC government is illegal and unacceptable.

says who? you?

and i bet you sit on a window ledge thinking you get framed

[Piratis]

Are you kidding me? The illegal criminal Turkish invasion has ethnically cleansed 200.000 people and now illegally occupies 1/3rd of a sovereign UN member and you complain that the resolution was biased?

What was biased was the reaction. The UN should have done what they did in the case of Iraq with Kuwait, but your friends the Americans didn't want that of course.

About this film, the government has not censored it. Private organizations are free to show it if they wish. Beyond that everybody is free to express their opinion, including the government. Thats what free speech is all about.