Shemaine Bushnell Kyriakides
Sometimes mistakes lead us to the best stories. In our attempt to tell you about a film screening at the historic Ledra Palace, one that explores both sides of the Cyprus story, we at KNEWS made a classic journalist’s blunder. We got the wrong film. Yep, we mixed up the titles. We journalists screwed up… shocker, right?
But here’s the beautiful part: our mistake led us to another story. A story of cooperation, friendship, and hope, one born not in the divided streets of Nicosia, but in the heart of London.
"...empathy is the most powerful tool we have in bridging division..."
In our effort to correct the misreporting and give this film its proper due, I reached out to producer and director Cey Sesiguzel in London and set up a Zoom interview. It was a funny moment for me: I sat in the conference room at the Kathimerini offices, and behind me on the wall hung an old artistic rendition of a Kathimerini newspaper with the headline “Never Forget”, a reminder of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus. The irony wasn’t lost on me: here I was, interviewing a Turkish Cypriot about a film on the divided island, with a historical reminder of the invasion looming behind me.
Cey, however, took it all in stride. He explained that his co-producer, Andreas Tokkallos, is Greek Cypriot, and together they made a documentary that honestly explores both sides of Cyprus’s recent history. What I hadn’t realized is how different life can be for the Cypriot communities in London. “Here, Greek and Turkish Cypriots intermarry, hang out together, and don’t show the tensions you see on the island,” Cey told me. Many of these London-born Cypriots were either born after the invasion or were very young at the time, so the immediate memories of suffering are less raw. Moreover, there are no in-your-face signs of a divided island, namely the Turkish Cypriot flag on the mountain and the crossing points staffed with both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots on both sides and the UN.
A film that bridges the divide
Directed by British Turkish Cypriot Cey Sesiguzel and co-produced by British Greek Cypriot Andreas Tokkallos, The Divided Island explores the history and human toll of the Cyprus conflict with a refreshing goal: to tell both sides honestly and humanely.
Released on November 1, 2024, the 90-minute documentary dives deep into the island’s turbulent past through personal stories and expert voices, from historians Andrekos Varnava and James Ker-Lindsay to journalists Sevgul Uludag and Ipek Ozerim.
“We haven’t had a film that tells both sides, honestly and humanely,” Sesiguzel told KNEWS. “The Divided Island is a mirror, one that shows pain, yes, but also the hope of healing. It allows us to feel seen and to start difficult conversations we’ve avoided for too long.”
Co-producers Cey Sesiguzel and Andreas Tokkallos
Outselling a Hollywood blockbuster
Against all odds, this self-funded Cypriot story went head-to-head with a Hollywood one and won. At Enfield Cineworld in North London, The Divided Island actually outperformed Venom 3 on its opening weekend.
“It was a proud moment,” Sesiguzel said, “seeing a self-funded documentary outsell a Hollywood blockbuster.”
Since then, it’s been screened across eight UK cities, from London to Glasgow, with over 40,000 people watching either in cinemas or on Amazon Prime. The film has won multiple awards, including Best Feature Documentary at the South London Film Festival and Best Cinematography at the Cyprus International Film Festival.
Critics have praised its depth and balance. Eye for Film called it “impressive and enriching,” while Shadows on the Wall described it as “a strikingly well-assembled narrative without taking sides.”
“Empathy is the only way forward.”
For Sesiguzel, who grew up in North London hearing a simplified version of the Cyprus story, making the documentary was deeply personal.
“Growing up as a Turkish Cypriot in the UK, the Cyprus conflict was discussed as a problem that started in 1974,” he said. “But the conflict started in the 50s and 60s, and that’s rarely talked about in the West. I realized only half the story was being told.”
That imbalance became the driving force behind The Divided Island, not to rewrite history, but to complete it.
“The most important thing I’ve learned,” he said, “is that empathy is the most powerful tool we have in bridging division. Telling the truth, all of it, is hard, but it’s the only way forward.”
Turkish Cypriot activist Ipek Ozerim
A Bicommunal collaboration born abroad
Ironically, it took two Cypriots outside Cyprus to do what many at home still struggle with, sit down together, listen, and tell a shared story.
Sesiguzel and Tokkallos, friends and business partners in London, made the film under their production company, Two Fresh. Together they created something rare: a truly bicommunal narrative, one that doesn’t assign blame but seeks to understand.
During screenings, they saw something remarkable. “People who had never socialized with Cypriots from the other side were suddenly talking, in person,” Sesiguzel said. “The film sparked cross-community dialogue after every showing.”
Nick Yiannoullou - Chairman of Eptakomi Association UK
A global message from a small island
While The Divided Island is about Cyprus, its message resonates far beyond the Green Line. “Division isn’t unique to us,” Sesiguzel reflected. “Look around, Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Palestine, Sudan, even America. Everywhere, people are seeing the other side as ‘the enemy.’”
The documentary, he said, serves as a reminder that history’s lessons still apply, that truth and empathy remain the most radical tools we have.
And perhaps, as The Divided Island proves, sometimes healing doesn’t begin in Nicosia or Ankara or Athens. Sometimes, it starts in a London editing room, with two Cypriots, a camera, and a shared belief that we’re stronger together than apart.
Watch: The Divided Island is now available on Vimeo On Demand and Amazon Prime (UK). or visit 'www.thedividedisland.com'.
