The Istanbul premiere of the documentary film “Meçhul Tutsaklar” was held in Harbiye as part of TRT Documentary Days.
Officials from the TRNC Istanbul Consulate, Cyprus veterans, representatives of civil society organizations, international producers and audience members attended the screening at TRT’s historic building in Harbiye. The screening drew strong interest, and director Cem Kar took part in a discussion afterward.
The documentary recounts, in their own words, the experiences of 75 Turkish Cypriots who were taken from their homes after the 1974 Peace Operation, and 11 journalists who were taken prisoner in Cyprus during the same period. As part of the research, interviews were conducted with journalists from that period: Mete Akyol, Ertürk Yöndem, Ziya Ergun, Yücel Hacaloğlu, Hüdai Bayık, Hami Sami Coşar, Sermet İpekçioğlu, Cengiz Kapkın and Ergin Konuksever.
The article also mentions interviews with Orhan Birgit, the Minister of Tourism and Information and Government Spokesperson at the time; Christos Tsangaris, commander of the Greek Cypriot National Guard and head of Makarios’s personal security; and Rauf Raif Denktaş, Founding President of the TRNC. The film was to compete as a TRNC production at the 2012 TRT Documentary Awards, to be held on May 7. The article also notes the work of production team members Ali Fakıoğlu, Erkan Kabakçı, Gözde Abken and Mine Çeliker.