AGAPI

A HAND DRAWN ANIMATED SHORT FILM BY JULIA SPEROPOULOS

Logline

1914-1923 marked the 2nd phase of the Genocide of the Greeks of the Black Sea by the Young Turks. Agapi, her family, and the whole village’s Greek population are forced out of their homes and into a march in the snowy forest for 40 days. Will they survive the ordeal?

Synopsis

After the fall of the Ottoman empire the Young Turks arose in power in 1908. Their goal was to exterminate the non-muslims, create a “clean” Turkey that would only be inhabited by Sunni muslim Turks. Mustafa Kemal, who succeeded them decided that the Greeks of the Black Sea (Pontic Greeks) were a threat. So, he decided to find different ways to exterminate them. One of these ways was the “white death march”, in which especially after 1916, innocent Greek civilians would be forced to leave their patrimonial homes and march toward inland in the winter through the forest with 1-2 meters of snow, with no food or water. This is the story of Agapi and her family, who were forced into such a march in 1921, for 40 days, from their home at Haydar, Kotyora (Turkish: Ordu, Black Sea, Turkey). Will she and her family survive?

TECHNICAL SPECS

Status: World Premiere

Production year: 2025

Project Genre: 2D Hand Drawn digitally animated short.

Length: 9’49”

GENRE: Narrative, historical, human rights.

Languages: Greek, Turkish, English

Countries of Production: Greece, USA

SOFTWARE: Blender, TV Paint, Photoshop, Premiere Pro.

Aspect Ratio: 2.39 : 1

Resolution: 4096x1716

Formats: DCP, ProRes, MP4