''Smyrna, my Beloved'' () is a 2021 Greek

historical epic Epic films have large scale, sweeping scope, and spectacle. The term is slightly ambiguous, sometimes designating a film genre and at other times simply big-budget films. Like epics in the classical literary sense, it is often focused on a hero ...

film directed by Grigoris Karantinakis about the

burning of Smyrna The burning of Smyrna (, "Smyrna Catastrophe"; , "1922 İzmir Fire"; , ''Zmyuṙnio Mets Hrdeh'') destroyed much of the port city of Smyrna (modern İzmir, Turkey) in September 1922. Eyewitness reports state that the fire began on 13 September 1 ...

(today's Izmir, Turkey) by the Turkish army in September 1922. The film stars Mimi Denisi,

Burak Hakkı Burak Hakkı (; born 23 May 1972) is a Turkish actor and model. Biography After the Ottoman Empire collapsed, his paternal family which is of Turkish descent immigrated from Komotini and Thessaloniki. He won the Best Model of Turkey in 1994. He ...

Rupert Graves Rupert Simeon Graves (born 30 June 1963) is an English film, television, and theatre actor. He is known for his roles in '' A Room with a View'', '' Maurice'', '' The Madness of King George'' and '' The Forsyte Saga''. From 2010 to 2017 he sta ...

and

Susan Hampshire Susan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis (born 12 May 1937), is an English actress. She is a three-time Emmy Award winner, winning for the television dramas, '' The Forsyte Saga'' in 1970, '' The First Churchills'' in 1971, and for '' Vanity Fair'' i ...

Summary

The story follows the wealthy Greek ''Baltatzis'' family in the multicultural city of Smyrna during the Greco-Turkish War 1919-1922 and after the Turkish army entered the city in 1922, and shows the suffering and exodus of the ethnic Greeks of the city.

Screenings

The film premiered at Megaron-Athens Concert Hall. The film screened at Redstone Theatre through

Museum of the Moving Image The Museum of the Moving Image is a media museum located in a former building of the historic Astoria Studios (now Kaufman Astoria Studios), in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens in New York City. The museum originally opened in 1988 as the Am ...

in May 2022.

Reception

Reviews

A review in ''

The National Herald ''The National Herald'' is an English-language weekly newspaper, based in New York City, focusing on the Greek-American community. It was founded in 1997 and added a website in 2004. Its headquarters are in the Long Island City neighborhood of th ...

'' said, "The film is also a lesson about showing compassion to others in their times of need." ''Athens Insider'' referred to the film as "a poignant tale of loss and belonging". The film was reviewed by Tom McSorley of the

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

. At least one Turkish publication, ''

Hürriyet ''Hürriyet'' (, ''Liberty'') is a major List of newspapers in Turkey, Turkish newspaper, founded in 1948. it had the highest circulation of any newspaper in Turkey at around 319,000. ''Hürriyet'' combines entertainment with news coverage and ...

'', criticized the film, calling it "propaganda".

Awards

''Smyrna, My Beloved'' won The Audience Award for Feature Film at the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival.

References

External links

* * Mimi Denisi'
interview
with '' Neo Magazine'' {{Greece-film-stub 2021 films Greek drama films Greek historical films 2020s historical drama films Films set in 1922 History of Greece on film Films set in İzmir Films set in 20th-century Ottoman Empire World War I films set in the Middle East Burning of Smyrna Films about fires Works about the Greco-Turkish War (1919–1922) Population exchange between Greece and Turkey