The Divided Island - Documentary
Hi, I’m Cey Sesiguzel. I'm a 35-year-old producer-director, of Turkish Cypriot heritage, born and raised in London. I run a successful video production company in Central London and have done so for 13 years. I’ve studied film production, been a film lecturer, created a digital academy for young film-makers, and have won film awards - to be honest, I’m an all-round film buff.
I've produced and directed over 1000 videos for corporate clients, brands, and the public sector and now I am pursuing my passion in feature film production to create my first documentary about a topic close to my heart - the Cyprus Problem.
Ever since I was a teenager I have been fascinated by my ethnicity and ancestral home: Cyprus, a beautiful island in the Mediterranean Sea. For almost 60 years now the island has been divided. Not just in terms of land, but in terms of religion, identity, and people. The two main communities are separated by the green line and a UN peacekeeping force, resulting in Turkish Cypriots living in the North and Greek Cypriots in the South. This division caused trauma for thousands of familes, some of whom are still searching for the missing bodies of their loved ones today.
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(Producer & Director Cey Sesiguzel on set)
The rise of nationalism has pushed these two communities further away, and we’re seeing this pattern not just in Cyprus but across Europe and the rest of the world. Until now the mainstream media has misrepresented a narrative that fuels hate and even further division among the people who it affects the most - And the impact of this is being felt by today’s generation.
Both communities have suffered pain and loss. Tensions between Greece and Turkey are higher than ever and because of its history, Cyprus remains in a frozen conflict that can erupt at any time.
This story will explore the past through the eyes of those who have lived through it. Those that are fighting to get as close to the truth as possible to understand what the future holds for the divided island.
I’m producing a feature film that explores this untold story. A story that considers perspectives from both communities in one film. And I need your help to complete it.
What your funding supports
I’m not starting from scratch; the film is almost complete and I need your help with the final push.
So far, I’ve managed to fund the project myself with the support of a few contributions. This has allowed me to research the narrative, complete shoots in Cyprus and in the UK, film multiple interviews, create a trailer and begin the first cut of this documentary.
My goal is to raise (£15,000/€18,000) to complete the post-production stage, your donation will contribute towards:
- Filming the final scenes that are essential to telling this story
- Sourcing and purchasing archive footage
- Finishing the edit
- Subtitling (English, Greek & Turkish)
- Film festival submission fees
- Film aggregator fees for Netflix and Amazon Prime
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(Interview with Suleyman Camgöz -Who was part of the Turkish Cypriot resistance)
The Impact
Growing up in London has proved to me that Greek and Turkish Cypriots can co-exist together in solidarity. This has been evident especially in North London which has a thriving Cypriot community that regularly comes together in business, and education, as neighbours, friends, and family.
I myself run a company with my business partner and best friend who is Greek Cypriot. Video production is something that I do every single day in my role as a Producer/Director for Two Fresh. I know what it takes to produce a high-quality film and with this project, I have been able to apply my skills on a larger scale.
Hopefully, the trailer has already given you a flavour of what I can achieve!
I am shocked by the number of people I meet that haven’t considered both sides of this story, and this is common with most major conflicts across the world. If this film allows people to question the one-sided history that they have been taught, then in my eyes, it will have had a positive impact.
Many factors like racism and lack of knowledge play a big part in why our society tends to feel so disconnected. With this film I would like to send a message to the world that hate breeds hate, we can only move forward with forgiveness, love, and understanding.
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(Andromachi Sophocleous - Unite Cyprus Now peace activist)
Challenges
Are people ready to hear this story?
This documentary uncovers many upsetting stories of civil war, generational trauma, and loss. There is still a lot of anger towards the situation that unfolded in Cyprus and even when I researched this project, I received online abuse for planning to produce a documentary that considered both sides of the story.
My intention with this film is to capture the story from both communities in one place, whilst those who lived through the atrocities are still with us. Something that has never been done before. Although this may be painful for some, I believe we have a duty to raise awareness of the history of Cyprus and work towards rebuilding ourselves as a community.
Lobbying and censorship
This is a controversial documentary, but I am committed to seeing a social change in the way we understand the Cyprus Problem.
There are plenty of people who do not want to see this documentary shown on mainstream media because it does not align with their traditional views or political desires and will do everything they can to censor its release or worse, stop it altogether.
But there’s one thing they don’t know, I am determined to get this story told. This film has been two years in the making and regardless of the threat of censorship, this documentary will get distributed one way or another, and the world will see this film.
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(Filming in the Famagusta ghost town)
Other Ways You Can Help
Please do share the campaign with your family, friends, and community by sharing our content on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Apart from that, watch the documentary when it is released online!
Thank you for your support from the entire crew.
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