Women survivors of the Greco-Turkish War testify their community’s saga of displacement, violence and horror from 1908 to 1922 as they ended up as refugees in Greece. There, they are treated by the locals in a way that mirrors the global treatment of the refugee crisis to this day. This animated documentary brings to life the oral accounts of the women who survived the “Asia Minor Catastrophe”.
“I worked with Greek producer Ioanna Soultani on my debut feature Pause, which was a Cypriot/Greek coproduction, and our collaboration was flawless. When she presented The Women of 1922 to me, I was intrigued by the story and wanted to be part of it. I was also aware of the previous successful work by talented screenwriter/directors Aris Kaplanidis and Elias Roumeliotis. The Women of 1922 is a story that reflects the themes I like to address in the films my company produces, which are compelling female character-driven stories. I am happy that from Cyprus we are bringing in the talent of painter Paskalis Anastasi, whose work is depicted in the still image presented in this article. I believe that we are in the process of making a successful and uncompromising film”, Cypriot producer Tonia Mishiali told FNE.
The Women of 1922 is produced by Ioanna Soultani of Soul Productions (Greece) and coproduced by Tonia Mishiali of Bark like a Cat Films (Cyprus) with the support of the Greek Film Center (Greece), ERT (Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation) (Greece) and the Cyprus Deputy Ministry of Culture, in partnership with Onassis Culture (Greece).
The total budget is 530,720 EUR.
The production of the film began on 3 January 2023. Video and audio editing, image and sound correction of the animation are currently underway.
The film is set to be finished by 30 December 2025 and it is planned to be released in 2026.
Production Information:
Producer:
Soul Productions (Greece)
Coproducer:
Bark like a Cat Films (Cyprus)
Credits:
Directors/screenwriters: Aris Kaplanidis, Elias Roumeliotis
Animation: BrosInArts Animation Studios
Oil paintings: Paskalis Anastasi
Original score: Nikos Genes
Historical advisor: Dr. Dimitris Kamouzis
