The Turkish premiere in İzmir of the documentary film Unknown Prisoners, which tells the story of 75 mujahideen captured during the Cyprus Peace Operation, was held in cooperation with the İzmir Consulate General of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and Konak Municipality’s Prof. Türkan Saylan Alsancak Cultural Centre. Attendees included Deputy Governors Nevzat Ergün and Ardahan Totuk, Konak Mayor Hakan Tartan, TRNC Consul Uğur Umar, Cem Kar, who wrote the story and also produced and directed the film, as well as commanders, veterans and members of the public.
Cem Kar said that, through the documentary—which was also published as a book—he wanted to show once again that wars bring nothing but suffering, and to highlight the importance of peace. “I hope we learn from this and similar events and do everything we can to ensure they never happen again,” he said.
57 people interviewed
Kar said that, while preparing the documentary, he conducted more than 1,500 minutes of interviews with 57 people living in Türkiye, Cyprus, the United Kingdom and Australia, at different times and places. “A 40-person reenactment team took part in the documentary. We used a different editing technique and a new narrative language. We also included the story of the first covert filming footage in Turkish television history and information about where the decision to launch the landing on the island was made. The interviews conducted for the documentary were also turned into a book of the same name through a different narrative approach,” he said.