Towards a transnational turn(?): success stories, transgressive politics, and artistic initiative in recent Greek Cypriot cinema

Abstract

Film reviewer Theo Panayides has enthusiastically declared the year 2018 as the most ‘prestigious’ in the history of Cypriot cinema, making particular reference to Tonia Mishiali’s Pause and Marios Piperides’ Smuggling Hendrix. The starting point of this study is the unprecedented (considering Cyprus’ micro-state status) attention enjoyed by the two films mainly due to the symbolic value they accumulated through prestigious entries into the film festival circuit. Initially, the article focuses on those elements that film reviews/news have deemed successful and are associated with the exposure of the films to transnational exchanges. While aspects of both films evidently point back to a desire to speak to an international audience, and film reviews underline the achievement of Mishiali and Piperides in doing so, I argue that the success of the films also lies in the way they foreground local matters through the very act of refusing to comply with dominant canons in the history of Cypriot cinema. Finally, the study focuses on recent cinematic activity in Cyprus to illustrate that Mishiali and Piperides’ initiatives have helped energize developments which point towards a systematic transnational turn. To further support this view, I draw from Hjort’s illuminating work on small cinemas.