| The Palace | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Anthony Maras |
| Produced by | Anthony Maras Kate Croser Andros Achilleas |
| Written by | Anthony Maras |
| Starring | Erol Afşin Kevork Malikyan Tamer Arslan Daphne Alexander Christopher Greco |
| Music by | Argyro Christodoulides |
| Cinematography | Nick Matthews |
| Editing by | Anthony Maras |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | Turkish, Greek |
The Palace is a 2011 Cypriot-Australian short film co-production, written and directed by Anthony Maras, and shot along the United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus.[1]
The film was inspired by true events that took place during the 1974 Turkish Invasion of Cyprus, including the confession (later retracted) of a now prominent actor, who detailed on live television how as a 19 year old conscript, he had killed 10 unarmed people on the orders of his superiors.
The Palace was produced by AntHouse Films, Cyan Films and SeaHorse Films, as an Australia-Cyprus co-production.
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Cyprus 1974. A Greek Cypriot family flees advancing Turkish forces and takes refuge in an abandoned Ottoman-era palace in the Cypriot capital Nicosia. When a young Turkish Cypriot conscript comes face to face with the family in hiding, he is forced to confront the brutal reality of war and his role in it.
The Palace has received early critical and audience acclaim. The film won the Best Short Film - Audience Award at its first public screening at the 2011 Adelaide Film Festival, Best Australian Short Film at the 2011 Melbourne International Film Festival, and Best Short Film (Live Action) at the 2011 Sydney Film Festival Dendy Awards. The Sydney Film Festival is an Academy Award qualifying festival, meaning The Palace is now eligible for consideration in the short film category at the 2012 Academy Awards. The Palace has not yet enjoyed its International Premiere.
At the 2011 Melbourne International Film Festival Morgan Spurlock, the Academy Award Nominated Director of Super Size Me, declared The Palace “One of the best short films I’ve ever seen..”. [2]
Peter Krausz, Chair of the Australian Film Critics Association, concluded his review after also seeing the film a the Melbourne International Film Festival ”This is pure film-making to the highest degree..”[3]
Blake Howard from the The Co-Op Post ended his review with, "The Palace is one of the most emotionally affective and powerful short films that I’ve ever seen."[4]
The Australian Film Review praised the film as "one of the most impressive and ambitious Australian shorts I’ve seen at the Sydney Film Festival so far. Or ever."[5]