1922

The city is encircled by the enemy, whose presence can be pervasively felt, though not seen. Fear slinks through the streets, creeps into the backyards, worms its way into the houses. Loukia, the wife of a prosperous merchant, tries to secure a passage on the last ship to leave the harbour, but it is already too late. The enemy slips into the city silently, without fanfare or flourish. There are secret, isolated killings in some neighborhoods, but nobody is prepared to believe that the tragedy is about to begin - has already begun. Antigone, a young teacher, is giving Elias his last lesson. He is a seventeen-year old boy, the future author of the book on which the film is based. In a short while, Elias, Antigone, Loukia will be reduced to nameless, numbered figures in a long, trudging column of prisoners. Very few of them will survive the forced march across the mountains and the white salt desert of Anatolia. Antigone is killed by a Turk, like most of her anonymous companions. The beautiful Loukia goes out of her mind. Elias lives to see the end of the journey and takes part in the charming ceremony that awaits him there: officers, diplomats and ladies from the Red Cross welcome with music and warm applause the straggling, dusky wraiths who were once human beings. Asia Minor, 1922. The plan for genocide was worked out by Turkish and German officers and carried out by the Turkish army and bands of fanatic Muslims. In a few days, as many as one and a half million hounded Greeks were forced to cross over to the nearest Aegean islands or mainland ports in a desperate bid for life. Those who were unable to board the ships - over a million people - were driven by force across the barren plains of Anatolia, there to succumb to hunger, thirst and the victor's sword.

Cast:
Antigoni Amanitou (Loukia)
Zaharias Rohas (Elias)
Eleonora Stathopoulou (Antigone)
Betty Valassi

Director: Nikos Koundouros
Writer: Stratis Karras, Nikos Koundouros
Runtime: 135 min
Genre: Drama, History
Language: Greek
Production Year: 1978