“The year 2024 especially is very difficult because Cyprus is experiencing one of the worst droughts in decades. The topic of water is not unknown for me because in the past I had the opportunity to make two small documentaries, one for the Larnaca Waterboard and another one for Limassol Waterboard. As in all my documentaries, this one also makes use of what are possibly the last opportunities to immortalise scenes and evidences encompassing some of the protagonist of Cyprus rural life”, Paschalis Papapetrou told FNE.
The central idea of the film is the continuous effort of the Cypriots since ancient times to take advantage of the precious commodity both for water supply and for irrigation in a semi-dry area, in which if the Troodos massif did not exist to increase the precipitation vertically, the island would be a westward extension of the Negev desert.
“The documentary is based on the writings of geologist Dr Giorgos Konstantinou, who speculates that droughts or the drying up of surface water sources forced the inhabitants in Kissonerga, near the City of Pafos, to dig 12.5 metres deep wells to exploit their underground water. These wells, as well as others in the settlement of Siillourokambos in Pareklisia, have been radio-dated, with their age being placed at 8200 BC. These are the oldest dated wells in the world and the oldest human exploitation of underground water”, Papapetrou also said.
Anadysis Films Ltd is producing with a budget of 96,000 EUR, and with the support of the Film Advisory Committee - Deputy Ministry of Culture, the Anastasios Leventis Foundation, Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Enviroment, Waterboard Limassol, Waterboard Larnaca and Hellas Sat. The executive producer of the film is Stavros Papageorghiou.
The History of Water in Cyprus started intensive filming in September 2023 and its completion is due to wrap at the beginning of 2025.
Production Information:
Producer:
Anadysis Films Ltd (Cyprus)
Credits:
Director: Paschalis Papapetrou
Scriptwriters: Dr. George Conastantinou, Paschalis Papapetrou
DoP: Nicos Avraamides
Scientific advisors: Dr. George Constantinou (geologist), Dr. Sophocles Hadjisavvas (archaeologist), Dr. Kyriakos Kyrou (civil engineer)
Editor: Paschalis Papapetrou
Composer: Gabriel Karapatakis
