The Palace (film)
Encyclopedia
The Palace is a 2011 Cypriot-Australian short film co-production, written and directed by Anthony Maras
, and shot along the United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus
.
The film was inspired by true events that took place during the 1974 Turkish Invasion of Cyprus
, including the confession (later retracted) of a now prominent actor, who detailed on live television how as a 19 year old conscript, he had killed 10 unarmed people on the orders of his superiors.
The Palace was produced by AntHouse Films, Cyan Films and SeaHorse Films, as an Australia-Cyprus co-production.
. When a young Turkish Cypriot conscript comes face to face with the family in hiding, he is forced to confront the brutal reality of war and his role in it.
At the 2011 Melbourne International Film Festival Morgan Spurlock
, the Academy Award Nominated Director of Super Size Me, declared The Palace “One of the best short films I’ve ever seen..”.
Peter Krausz, Chair of the Australian Film Critics Association, concluded his review after also seeing the film a the Melbourne International Film Festival ”This is pure film-making to the highest degree..”
Blake Howard from the The Co-Op Post ended his review with, "The Palace is one of the most emotionally affective and powerful short films that I’ve ever seen."
The Australian Film Review praised the film as "one of the most impressive and ambitious Australian shorts I’ve seen at the Sydney Film Festival so far. Or ever."
Anthony Maras
Anthony Theo Maras is an Australian film director, writer and producer born in Adelaide, South Australia.-Biography:Maras graduated from Flinders University in South Australia with a degree in Law and Legal Practice , before going on to study both film production and "Law and Society" at the...
, and shot along the United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus
United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus
The United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus runs for more than along what is known as the Green Line and has an area of . The zone partitions the island of Cyprus into a southern area effectively controlled by the government of the Republic of Cyprus , and the northern area...
.
The film was inspired by true events that took place during the 1974 Turkish Invasion of Cyprus
Turkish invasion of Cyprus
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus, launched on 20 July 1974, was a Turkish military invasion in response to a Greek military junta backed coup in Cyprus...
, including the confession (later retracted) of a now prominent actor, who detailed on live television how as a 19 year old conscript, he had killed 10 unarmed people on the orders of his superiors.
The Palace was produced by AntHouse Films, Cyan Films and SeaHorse Films, as an Australia-Cyprus co-production.
Synopsis
Cyprus 1974. A Greek Cypriot family flees advancing Turkish forces and takes refuge in an abandoned Ottoman-era palace in the Cypriot capital NicosiaNicosia
Nicosia from , known locally as Lefkosia , is the capital and largest city in Cyprus, as well as its main business center. Nicosia is the only divided capital in the world, with the southern and the northern portions divided by a Green Line...
. When a young Turkish Cypriot conscript comes face to face with the family in hiding, he is forced to confront the brutal reality of war and his role in it.
Production
- Shot in October 2010, entirely on location in Cyprus, along the United Nations Green LineGreen Line- Geographic demarcations :* Green Line, a name for the Gothic Line or "Linea Gotica", a German defensive line in Italy during World War II, renamed the "Green Line" in June 1944...
in Nicosia, in buildings and streets still ravaged by the 1974 Cyprus conflict.
- The "Palace" scenes were filmed at the House of Hadjigeorkakis Kornessios (1779), a landmark Ottoman Era residence which was home to the "DragomanDragomanA dragoman was an interpreter, translator and official guide between Turkish, Arabic, and Persian-speaking countries and polities of the Middle East and European embassies, consulates, vice-consulates and trading posts...
of Cyprus" – the chief tax collector in Cyprus during Ottoman rule – who was later hung in the town square during a revolt. The House has been restored to its former glory and now serves as a museum administered by the Department of Antiquities in the southern Greek part of Nicosia.
- The opening scene of The Palace was filmed in a real life bunker in the corner room of the "Ypnos Hotel" that borders the United Nations buffer zone near the Ledra StreetLedra StreetLedra Street is a major shopping thoroughfare in central Nicosia, Cyprus, which links North and South Nicosia....
Checkpoint in Nicosia. The bunker's original sandbags and machine gun turrets had not moved an inch since the 1974 hostilities. Many of the bullet holes and bomb-blasted walls, props and costumes used throughout the film are the real thing – relics of the 1974 war.
Cast
- Erol Afşin as Private Ömer Argun
- Kevork MalikyanKevork MalikyanKevork Malikyan is an English character actor of Armenian descent, perhaps best known for his role as Kazim in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade....
as Sergeant Kerem Akalın - Tamer Arslan as Private Mehmet Evgin
- Daphne Alexander as Stella
- Christopher Greco as Taki
- Monica Vassiliou as Eleftheria
- Vrahimis Petri as Haydar
- Kyriakos Theodossiou as Andreas
- Maria Marouchou as Anna
Reception
The Palace has received early critical and audience acclaim. The film won the Best Short Film - Audience Award at its first public screening at the 2011 Adelaide Film Festival, Best Australian Short Film at the 2011 Melbourne International Film Festival, and Best Short Film (Live Action) at the 2011 Sydney Film Festival Dendy Awards. The Sydney Film Festival is an Academy Award qualifying festival, meaning The Palace is now eligible for consideration in the short film category at the 2012 Academy Awards. The Palace has not yet enjoyed its International Premiere.At the 2011 Melbourne International Film Festival Morgan Spurlock
Morgan Spurlock
Morgan Valentine Spurlock is an American documentary filmmaker, humorist, television producer, screenwriter and journalist best known for the documentary film Super Size Me...
, the Academy Award Nominated Director of Super Size Me, declared The Palace “One of the best short films I’ve ever seen..”.
Peter Krausz, Chair of the Australian Film Critics Association, concluded his review after also seeing the film a the Melbourne International Film Festival ”This is pure film-making to the highest degree..”
Blake Howard from the The Co-Op Post ended his review with, "The Palace is one of the most emotionally affective and powerful short films that I’ve ever seen."
The Australian Film Review praised the film as "one of the most impressive and ambitious Australian shorts I’ve seen at the Sydney Film Festival so far. Or ever."
Festivals and Awards
- Won: Best Short Film (Live Action) - 2011 Sydney Film FestivalSydney Film FestivalThe Sydney Film Festival is an annual film festival held in the Australian city of Sydney and is held over 12 days in June. The competitive film festival draws international and local attention, with films being showcased in several venues across the city centre and includes features,...
- Dendy Awards
- Won: Best Australian Short Film - 2011 Melbourne International Film FestivalMelbourne International Film FestivalThe Melbourne International Film Festival is an acclaimed annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1951, making it one of the oldest in the World....
- Won: Audience Award - 2011 Adelaide Film Festival