Shadows And Faces 2010

Cyprus, 20 December 1963... A small village settled by both Greeks and Turks alike... In the village's Turkish teahouse, a puppeteer is in the throes of a shadow play performance when he collapses and dies. Popular belief holds that the puppeteer's puppets must also be buried to keep bad luck at bay. But Veli, a Turk in his 50s, considers it more appropriate to give them to the puppeteer's son in Nicosia and let him decide for himself. His plans, however, are thwarted by events on the island, and in the end the puppets never get buried. When Veli sets off for Nicosia with the puppets next day, he is witness to the bus being stopped at a Greek police checkpoint and the Turks taken off for questioning. Suspicious of growing tension between the Greeks and Turks, he warns his elder son Cevdet to return to the village with the family's flock of sheep. He then looks for his other son Ahmet and finds him using his father's shotgun to do target practice with his Turkish friends. He tells the youths target practice is a bad idea as it could give the Greeks the wrong signals and incite them to aggression. As it happens, his fears are soon vindicated when clashes break out in Nicosia between the Greeks and Turks. When the clashes spread, Veli and his Greek neighbour Panicos promise to defend each other against possible violence from their own respective sides. But Veli's son Ahmet reckons Panicos's son Hristo is in cahoots with a bunch of Greeks and stockpiling weapons against the Turks. On this basis, he plans to track down an underground anti-Greek organisation in Nicosia and request arms for the Turkish villagers to defend themselves against the Greeks. Veli fiercely opposes Ahmet's plan and warns him off getting involved in ventures that pitch the villagers against one another. Ignoring his father, Ahmet continues with the target practice sessions. But one day, while he is out grazing his sheep, Hristo sees the Turkish youths in action and warns the Greeks in the village against the Turks. Given the way things are going, Panicos and Veli try to prevail on their sons to stay calm. Ahmet, however, is unconvinced. He goes to Nicosia, finds the underground anti-Greek organisation and makes a plea for arms. The request is turned down on the pretext munitions are in short supply. The smartest thing the Turks of the village can do, he is told, is to uproot and move to the city. Ahmet returns empty-handed. One day when Cevdet takes the flock out of the village, he is seized by Hristo and a Greek policeman from the next village. When Cevdet insists there is no anti-Greek organisation in the village, the Greek police officer is infuriated and kills Cevdet despite Hristo's protests. Baffled by Cevdet's disappearance, Panicos grills his son Hristo to find out what has happened to him. Hristo reveals where the body is, and Cevdet is found. Ahmet is now raring for revenge. So next day, he takes two friends and their shotguns and sets up an ambush outside the village. The clash spirals out of control and spreads to the village. The Turks are crushed by the superior fire-power of the Greek police and flee the village in panic. Outside the village, they run into a bus carrying Greek civilians. Veli flags down the vehicle and the passengers are taken hostage. Although the hostages are released, the Turks manage to escape to Nicosia, where they are given shelter in a local primary school. In the classroom where he sleeps, Veli finds a crude cardboard cut-out of the two main shadow play characters pinned to the blackboard. He takes down the cut-outs and buries them outside.