Presented by British Turkish Cypriot journalist Mert Ahmet, the testimony-led film follows 12 survivors through three turbulent decades of violence, displacement and loss on the divided Mediterranean island.
A powerful new documentary recounting the Cyprus conflict through the experiences of Turkish Cypriots who lived through it will be released on Saturday, 1 August.
DISPLACED: A Turkish Cypriot Story brings together first-hand testimony from 12 Turkish Cypriots whose lives were shaped by intercommunal violence, forced displacement and the loss of their homes and communities between the 1950s and 1975.
Produced with the support of the Freedom and Fairness for Northern Cyprus campaign, the English-language documentary is presented and produced by young British Turkish Cypriot sports journalist and content creator Mert Ahmet.
The film’s makers say Displaced was created to preserve the memories of a generation who witnessed some of the most traumatic periods in modern Cypriot history, and whose accounts risk being lost with the passage of time.
Rather than relying on politicians or outside commentators to tell the story, the documentary is constructed around the recollections of the people who experienced these events themselves.
The film follows a chronological path beginning with the rise of the Greek Cypriot nationalist organisation EOKA during the 1950s and continuing through the breakdown of the Republic of Cyprus’s power-sharing arrangements and the intercommunal violence of the 1960s.
It examines key events in the conflict, including the Bloody Christmas period that started on 21 December 1963, the disappearance of Turkish Cypriot passengers from the ‘Larnaca Missing Bus’, the siege of Erenköy, and attacks on Turkish Cypriot communities in Geçitkale and Boğaziçi.
The documentary then moves into the events of 1974, including the mass killings of Turkish Cypriot civilians at Taşkent and the massacres at Muratağa, Sandallar and Atlılar.
It concludes with the 1975 Population Exchange Agreement, under which Turkish Cypriots living south of the new dividing line moved north and Greek Cypriots in the north relocated south, cementing the demographic division of Cyprus that largely remains in place today.
The interpretation of Cyprus’s modern history continues to be fiercely contested between the island’s two communities. Displaced does not claim to represent every perspective. Its stated purpose is to foreground Turkish Cypriot experiences of persecution, dispossession and survival, which its producers believe have too often been overlooked or excluded from international accounts of the conflict.
“At its heart, DISPLACED is a film about people — about what was lost, what was survived, and what must never be forgotten,” the documentary’s producers said.
Twelve witnesses tell their stories
The documentary features testimony from men and women born across Cyprus, many of whom were forced to leave the towns and villages where their families had lived.
Those appearing in the film are:
Ersoy Taluğ, from Taşkent (Tochni)
Talat Onar, from Erenköy (Kokkina)
Vedat Esendağ, from Poli (Polis)
Kemal Ahmet, from Binatlı (Polemidia)
İsmail Bozkurt, from Boğaziçi (Lapathos)
Oğuz Serbaş, from Erenköy (Kokkina)
Taner Çuvalcıoğlu, from Lefkoşa (Nicosia)
Ayten Salih Berkalp, from Gazimağusa (Famagusta)
Beha Hüseyin Köprülü, from Leymosun (Limassol)
Fatma Taşkan, from Larnaka (Larnaca)
Şafak Nihat, from Muratağa (Maratha)
Vahibe Özkasırga, from Erenköy (Kokkina)
Their accounts create a thread running through the documentary: homes abandoned, villages attacked, livelihoods destroyed and families separated, alongside stories of resistance, survival and the rebuilding of lives elsewhere.
Mert Ahmet returns to documentary-making
Displaced is Mert Ahmet’s second documentary examining the impact of the Cyprus conflict and the international isolation of Turkish Cypriots.
Ahmet, a UK-born Turkish Cypriot, studied Multimedia Sports Journalism at UCFB and has built a career as a sports multimedia specialist and digital content creator, developing a substantial following through his football-related work.
He previously presented, produced and co-wrote Offside: The Untold Story of Sports in the TRNC, a 41-minute documentary exploring how Turkish Cypriot footballers, clubs and sporting bodies remain excluded from most international competitions.
Mert Ahmet, pictured top right, with TRNC President Tufan Erhürman, and Eren Ramadan (left). Photo © Mert Ahmet / Facebook
Offside premiered to an audience of more than 100 people in London in August 2025 and featured contributions from footballers, coaches, administrators and political figures. It subsequently became available internationally through platforms including Prime Video and Apple TV.
Afzal Choudhury, who directed and edited Displaced through his production company NOPLAYBOOK, also directed Offside, while Eren Ramadan was involved in both projects.
Y.T.C. founder Eren Ramadan serves as executive producer
The new film’s Executive Producer, Eren Ramadan, is the founder of Young Turkish Cypriots, better known online as Y.T.C.
Established as a grassroots social-media platform, Y.T.C. produces content about Cyprus’s history, Turkish Cypriot identity, current affairs and the continuing political dispute. It also aims to connect younger members of the Turkish Cypriot diaspora in Britain, Türkiye, Australia, North America and elsewhere with their heritage and ancestral homeland.
Ramadan and the Y.T.C. platforms have also been involved in campaigning, commemorative events and public responses to political developments affecting Turkish Cypriots. Ramadan previously served as a producer and creative director on Offside.
Where to watch Displaced
DISPLACED: A Turkish Cypriot Story will be released on Saturday, 1 August 2026, and will be available to watch through the Freedom and Fairness for Northern Cyprus YouTube channel.
