Turkish ‘ Fetih 1453' film angers Greeks


A historical epic movie alluding to the fall of Constantinople in 1453, has yet to hit the big screen but it is already sparking controversy, with many Greeks branding the movie as provocative and racist.

Turkish director Faruk Aksoy's latest film, “Fetih 1453” (The Conquest 1453), a historical epic movie alluding to the fall of Constantinople in 1453, has yet to hit the big screen but it is already sparking controversy, with many Greeks branding the movie as provocative and racist.
An article published on a Greek Internet site on Wednesday slamming the film as “$17 million worth of Turks' conquest propaganda,” prompted comments from hundreds of angry Greek readers, who vented their outrage at a film that they feel belittles and insults their nation.

The film, which was produced on a budget of $17 million, making it the most expensive Turkish film to date, is set to be released in cinemas around the world including the US, France, the United Arab Emirates and the UK in February.

One comment on the article reads, “Director Faruk Aksoy has been unsuccessful in presenting important aspects of that period such as the massacre and plundering of Rum [ethnic Greek people living in İstanbul],” while another criticizes Aksoy's work as being one-sided and delusional.

“What film will we be watching next?” one angry reader demands, adding: “The İzmir disaster? Or the expulsion of Greek Cypriots [from the northern part of Cyprus]?”

A reader named Kostas demands that the film be banned from being shown in Greece: “This anti-Greek and racist film should not be allowed to be screened in Greece! If the Germans decided to make a high-budget film on the massacres of Jews during WW II, would this be shown in Israel?”

However, not all the responses to the article expressed negativity towards the film; a Greek named Hristos praised Aksoy for his production. “I think they have done a very good job. There are many poorly made productions of accounts of the fall of Constantinople, it is about time a high-quality production was made,” he said. A reader by the name of Yannis questioned the nature of films depicting the heroic deeds of the Evzones, elite units of the Greek Army who resisted Ottoman rule. “Are these films not propaganda too?” he asked.

Another reader named Aleksandra said: “When the film is released we will all be rushing to watch it. I am not commenting on the content of the film, but the scenes are very dramatic!”

Aksoy's film, which was written by Atilla Engin and İrfan Saruhan, stars actors Devrim Evin, İbrahim Celikkol, Cengiz Coşkun, Recep Aktuğ and Dilek Serbest and will open in theaters on Feb. 17.

Cihan

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