BELOVED DAYS

In 1970, the people of the village of Karmi on the north coast of Cyprus participated in a memorable experience: the shooting of George P. Cosmatos' risqué romance THE BELOVED, starring movie icon Raquel Welch. The first Hollywood production to be filmed in Cyprus, THE BELOVED signaled a new future for the country as film destination, a future that was terminated abruptly by the Turkish invasion of 1974 and the changes that followed. Four decades later, this documentary recounts the experiences of those who lived through these two key events in Cypriot history.

  • Constantinos Patsalides
    Director
    Beloved days, Hope against "Hopeless", Immigrants circuits
  • George Avraam
    Writer
    Beloved days, Hope against "Hopeless", Immigrants circuits, Claiming Lives
  • George Avraam
    Producer
    Beloved days, Hope against "Hopeless", Immigrants circuits
  • Richard Johnson
    Key Cast
    Never So Few (1959) Cairo (1963) 80,000 Suspects (1963) The Haunting (1963) The Pumpkin Eater (1964) Operation Crossbow (1965) The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders (1965) Khartoum (1965) Deadlier Than the Male (1967) Danger Route (1967) The Column (1968) A Twist of Sand (1968) The Fifth Day of Peace (1969) Some Girls Do (1969) Julius Caesar (1970) The beloved (1970) Moses the Lawgiver (1973-74) Antony and Cleopatra (1974) Beyond the Door (1974) The Cursed Medallion (1975) Hennessy (1975) Take All of Me (1976) Aces High (1976) The Four Feathers (1977) The Comeback (1978) Island of the Fishmen (1979) The Great Alligator River (1979) Zombie 2 (1979) A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (1979) The Monster Club (1981) Turtle Diary (1985) What Waits Below (1985) Lady Jane (1986) Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) Scoop (2006) The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008)
  • Patrick Curtis
    Key Cast
    Gone with the Wind (1939) – actor, A Swingin' Summer (1965) - associate producer, The Sorcerers (1967) – producer, The Beloved (1970) – producer, Raquel! (1970) (TV special) – producer, Hannie Caulder (1971) – producer, The Avenging Angel (1995) - producer
  • Marcello Gatti
    Key Cast
    Role: Director of Photography Venezia Rosso Sangue (1988) Inganni (1985) The Salamander (1981) Ogro (1979) Eutanasia di un amore (1978) Tre Tigri Contro Tre Tigri (1977) La Prima volta sull'Erba (1975) Blood Sweat and Fear (1975) Che? (1973) Massacre in Rome (1973) Girolimoni, Il Mostro di Roma (1972) La Tarantola dal Ventre Nero (1972) Ciao Gulliver (1971) Anonimo Veneziano (1970) Burn! (1969) The Beloved (1970) The Tall Women (1967) The Battle of Algiers (1966) The Four Days of Naples (1962)
  • Thanassis Drakopoulos
    Key Cast
    Minnie the Moocher (1996), Casus belli (2010) Guilt (2009)
  • Andreas Nicolaides
    Key Cast
    actor tv series in Cyprus
  • Haris Evripidou
    Key Cast
    actor tv series in Cyprus
  • Giannis Ioannou
    Key Cast
    actor tv series in Cyprus
  • Sophocles Comodromos
    Key Cast
    actor tv series in Cyprus
  • George Pantzis
    Executive producers
    Impressions of a Drowned man, The last homecoming,Styx,Lullaby, Fish & chips, The joy and sorrow of the body
  • Monica Nicolaidou
    Executive producers
    Impressions of a drowned man, The Last homecoming,Styx,Lullaby,fish & chips, The joy and sorrow of the body
  • Constantinos Othonos
    Cinematographer
    Impressions Of A Drowned Man,The Last Homecoming,Kalabush
  • Kyros Papavassiliou
    Editing
    Impressions of a drowned man, role director, In the name of the sparrow
  • Christina Georgiou
    Music
    2014 Afterthoughts (Short) 2014 For Eternity (Short) 2013 Rupert's Ship (Short)
  • Giorgos Potamites
    Sound
    Conveyor Belt (sound recordist) 2014 5 Ways 2 Die (Short) (boom operator)
  • Paris Manoli
    Art director
  • Notis Panayiotou
    Costume Designer
  • Elena Giorgallou
    Casting director
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    Πολυαγαπημένες μέρες
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Romance
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 15 minutes 60 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2015
  • Production Budget:
    197,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Cyprus
  • Country of Filming:
    Cyprus, Italy, United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:1.85
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • AFIFilmEUShowcase American Film Institute
    Washington
    United States
    December 13, 2016
    U.S. PREMIERE
  • Chicago European Union Film Festival
    Chicago
    United States
    March 6, 2017
    CHICAGO PREMIERE
  • Umeo Film Festival
    Umeo
    Sweden
    September 23, 2017
    Sweden
  • 17th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
    Thessaloniki,Greece
    March 18, 2015
    Greek Premiere
  • 10th Lemesos International Documentary Festival
    Limassol, Cyprus
    August 2, 2015
    Cyprus Premiere
  • 31st Alexandria Mediteranean Countries Film Festival
    Alexandria, Egypt
    September 6, 2015
    Egyptian Premiere
  • Pantheon cinema

    November 13, 2015
  • kcineplex cinema
    Nicosia
    Cyprus
    April 23, 2016
  • Toldi Mozi cinema
    Boudapest
    Hungary
    September 22, 2016
    Hungary
  • 4th Indian Cine Film Festival
    Mombai
    India
    September 18, 2016
    Indian Premiere
    BEST DOCUMENTARY - JURY AWARD
  • 9th London Greek Film Festival
    London
    United Kingdom
    May 15, 2016
  • 1st Commonwealth Film Days 2018
    Nicosia
    Cyprus
    February 20, 2018
  • ART HOUSE CINEMA - LONDON
    London
    United Kingdom
    January 4, 2016
  • 4th Experience World Festival 2018
    Boukouresti
    Romania
    September 6, 2018
    Romania
  • KCineplex cinemas 7-14 Nov.2018
    Nicosia
    Cyprus
    November 7, 2018
  • Art house cinema, London 22-29March 2019
    London
    United Kingdom
    March 22, 2019
Distribution Information
  • Guy Knafo / 10FRANCS / Nokzedoc
    Country: France
    Rights: Video on Demand
Director Biography - Constantinos Patsalides

Constantinos PATSALIDES / Film and Documentary Director
Constantinos Patsalides was born in 1981 in Nicosia. His latest short film titled “30” was released in 2018 and is included in the Short Film Corner Market, catalogue of Cannes (14-19 May 2018).
For the next two years, he will be among the members of the Board of Directors of the Association of Film Directors in Cyprus (Film Representative, March 2017-2019).
Since 2001, he has worked as a cinematographer for television channels broadcasting all over Cyprus. In addition, he has worked for the Cyprus Radio Broadcasting Corporation (RIK) and he has participated in many television productions and documentaries. In 2015, he directed a long documentary film (creative documentary) called "Beloved Days", which is marking a significant success for Cyprus's standards. In April 2016, it was screened in K-Cineplex cinemas across Cyprus and was classified as the first Cypriot documentary ever to be featured among commercial films in K-Cineplex. “Beloved days” was awarded for Best Documentary by the Mumbai Film Festival jury, and a special screening was held in London and in Brussels, at the European Parliament.
In 2007 he undertook the direction of a documentary titled “A true story”, about the wretched living conditions of the people in Kenya. The documentary was nominated by the European Parliament Office in Cyprus for the Journalism Prize. In 2008 he directed a documentary about illegal immigration, titled "Hope against desperation", in co-production with the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus. He has given seminars in the University of Cyprus and Frederick University, on creative and video documentary.
Since 2008 he is one of the fundamental members of the freelance documentary company “Walking Around the World”.
His films have been screened in many international film festivals in Spain, Sweden, India, Greece, USA, Cyprus and Alexandria and have been theatrically released in London, Hungary and Cyprus.
Filmography
• “30” (2018, narrative short 15’)
• Beloved Days (2015, creative documentary 75’)
• Hope against “Hopeless” (2008, short documentary 45’)
• A true story (2007, short documentary 30’)
World Distribution
• 2017 BELOVED DAYS Awarded creative documentary (Distribution by 10FRANCS, France)
• 2014-2017 HOPE AGAINST HOPELESS Awarded TV documentary (Distribution in USA by FILMSMEDIA GROUP New York and TETRAKTYS in Cyprus)
Contact details:
www.constantinospatsalides.com
www.shortfilm30.com
www.beloveddays.com c.patsalides@documentaryworld.com.cy +357 99 960733

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Director Statement

The film “Beloved”, shot in 1970 in the now Turkish-occupied village of Karmi in Cyprus, functions as the kaleidoscope of the documentary, introducing images of that magical time, and of the island’s promising future as a filming destination: a future that was terminated abruptly by the Turkish invasion of 1974. Naturally, the memories and the emotions of whoever experienced these two important events of the seventies, along with the changes that the invasion has brought into the lives and their psyche, are weaved into the documentary.

The opening landscape shots are an important element of the documentary’s filmic language, predisposing the viewer with a feeling of remembrance and nostalgia, while at the same time symbolizing the course of the characters’ lives through time. Shots, characterized by simplicity, focus on the faces of the characters, capturing their human dimension. The documentary’s atmosphere, moving between realism and fiction through the re-enacted scenes, brings out the color of a world of innocence and carelessness, while at the same time entering the inner world of the characters, and transmitting self-reflections upon their experiences.

The documentary’s music plays an important part in the narrative flow, completing its poetic approach and transmitting powerful emotions to the viewer.

Finally, an innovative element of the documentary is that the characters do not know how the story will evolve, thus capturing realistic and unexpected reactions on camera. The aim of this different narrative approach is to touch the audience on a personal level, encouraging sensitization, awareness and reflection.