The Third Motherland

Cyprus, 2011
Costas Constantinou & Yiorgos Kykkou Skordis
55’

World Premiere

What does "belonging" really mean? How does it feel to be caught in between two motherlands? What burdens and what opportunities does belonging to an "other" motherland entail? How does ethnic conflict exacerbate identity issues and what kind of impact does it have on the cultural heritage of small minority groups? Filmed in Cyprus and Lebanon, The Third Motherland poses these questions by way of the Cypriot Maronite community. The film reveals the dilemmas of identification and belonging and documents opposing feelings and beliefs within and beyond the community. This is a film about cultural loss, cooption and human rights violations, but also national pride, cultural revival and taking pleasure in everyday life.