In 1955 a couple of prominent Greek Istanbulites adopt an orphan Greek girl, twelve-year-old Polyxeni, who is separated from her younger brother. She embarks on a new life and a future that looks bright, but she will have to defend what’s rightfully hers.
Acting
Katia Goulioni's defiant stillness carries every frame.
Production
Istanbul's vanished Greek world meticulously resurrected.
Director
Dora Masklavanou
Katia Goulioni
Polyxeni
Özgür Emre Yıldırım
Kerem
Lydia Fotopoulou
Mother
Akilas Karazisis
Father
Errikos Litsis
Lawyer
Alexandros Mylonas
Priest
Argyris Pandazaras
Brother
Costas Xikominos
Shop owner
Vassilis Koukalani
Legal officer
Nikos Karathanos
Savas Dimadis
Siamak Etemadi
Janitor
Meletis Georgiadis
Orphanage director
Nikos Gelia
Assistant lawyer
Yvonne Maltezou
Neighbour
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The 1955 Istanbul Pogrom against Greeks haunts the margins—most Greek characters are ghosts of a community already disappearing.
Director Masklavanou based this on true adoption scandals where Greek orphans in Turkey were seized by wealthy families who stripped them of names, religion, and birthrights.
GR
