2 MILES FROM HOME Creative Documentary on the Holocaust of the Greeks of Anatolia: the genocide of the Pontic Greeks

The Unrivaled Creative Documentary on the Holocaust of the Greeks of Anatolia and the genocide of the Pontic Greeks.

2 Miles From Home recounts the story of the holocaust of the Greeks of Anatolia, the Pontic Greek genocide, with interviews of survivors, their descendants, and historians.

This creative documentary focuses on the period during 1914-1923, peaking at the arrival of Mustafa Kemal at Samsun on May 19th, 1919. That was the climax of the Pontic Greek genocide, killing about 353,000 Pontian Greeks (Greeks of the Black Sea). In this documentary, the poorer, uprooted, full-of-hardships survivors and their descendants, and genocide activists speak about crimes they’ve witnessed.

The holocaust of the Greeks of Anatolia, specifically the Pontic Greek genocide, has been overlooked by creative documentaries, due to the Greek government’s diplomacy, and the covering up of the crimes by the imperial countries, mainly due to politico-economic reasons. This is the reason why, 100 years later, we'd like to give this critical historical event the attention it deserves, and to honor the millions of victims suffered.

Over the last 4 years the production team along with director/producer Julia Speropoulos, have been creating documentaries, as well as short fiction films, on timeless social and political issues, human rights, biographies, and current affairs.

With your support, we’re going to produce the most thorough original documentary on the Greek holocaust and the Pontic Greek genocide.

Only with your support

To produce this high quality, original documentary, we need to raise at least €50,000. This will allow our core team of 6, to work on this project full time. Your contribution will allow the creation of the animated 2d segments of the documentary, as well as acquire the rights to use film reels, archive footage, newspaper archives, and music.

Every pledge will make this documentary better.

By supporting this special documentary project, you’ll get access to some exclusive perks:

1. Attend the international premiere events and hang out with us. (travel and accommodation not included)
2. Receive the film’s Press Kit and Poster.
3. Watch the documentary in an online platform after it has travelled to the festivals.
4. Have your name on the end titles as a thank you for your contribution.

Who are we?

JS Film Productions is a collective of filmmakers, with Julia Speropoulos being the core of the company. The company focuses on documentaries, inclusive of fiction films.

Made by the collective, these films focus on timeless social and political issues, human rights, biographies, current affairs. They have won more than four awards, and have been selected by festivals in countries across the globe.

CREDITS

Producer:Julia D. Speropoulos (JS FILM PRODUCTIONS)

Director:Julia D. Speropoulos

Screenplay: Julia D. Speropoulos

Cinematography: Tasos Kosmidis

Production Manager:Adamantia Fytili

Editor: Tzannetos Komineas

2D Animation Design: Nikos Kellis

Sketch Artist/Illustrator: Sofia Avramidou

History counselors: Kostas Fotiadis, Savvas Kallenteridis, Isidoros

Sideropoulos, Lena Saolidou.

Costume History counselor: Lena Kalpidou

Turkish interpreter/translator: Sofia Angelidou

There is also archive footage of Pontic Greek genocide survivors, by Isidoros Sideropoulos.

How You Can Help

100 years after the events, its history needs to be preserved and told for the new generation. Funding the 2 MILES FROM HOME documentary project will ensure that people from all over the world will learn about it through an unbiased, accurate documentary, that provokes the discovery of the truth beyond denial.

Risks & Challenges

Complex Research Topic

Since 1908, with the arrival of the Young Turks “Unity and Progress” movement, until the population exchange according to the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, peaking at the arrival of Mustafa Kemal in Samsun on May 19^th 1919, the Pontic Greeks (Greeks from the Black Sea) leave their patrimonial homes, where they have lived since 2000 B.C. Exiled, the few that survive, are forced to go to Greece. From 1914 to 1923, totally innocent people are slaughtered, hanged, burned, women raped, elderly and children killed or died from hardships, hunger, and thirst in “death passages” led by the Young Turks with the goal of “exterminating” them.

More than 2.5 million civilians such as Assyrians, Armenians, and Greeks were killed by the politics of the Young Turks’ movement “Unity and Progress,” with the excuse of the 1^st World War. The war was a good opportunity for the leaders of the Young Turks’ “Unity and Progress” movement to set their plans for a “clean” Turkey that would only be inhabited by Sunnite Muslim Turks.

Additional support comes from our international network of genocide experts, scholars, and historians that will provide insights into the holocaust of the Greeks of Anatolia. These experts will provide the documentary with special documents that shed light to the truth in this complex and dark part of history.

Not Advertising Friendly

More than 2.5 million civilians such as Assyrians, Armenians, and Greeks were killed by the politics of the Young Turks’ movement “Unity and Progress.” The total number of the Pontic Greek genocide during 1914-1923 exceeds 353,000.

It is important to bring truth about history to the surface, paying tribute to the millions of totally innocent lives that died unjustly.

However, these topics are not advertising friendly. And that is why we are seeking funding via this campaign and won't create collaborations that will interfere with the content in any way.

Production Schedule

We want to release the film to premiere on December 31st, 2020. This is a tight schedule for the production, but we’re more than qualified as a production team, working full time to pull this through.

Timeline

January-APRIL 2020:

Completing filming in countries Greece, Switzerland, and the USA.

APRIL- SEPTEMBER 2020:

Animated 2d segments, map, motion graphics design.

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2020:

Editing, Post Production

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2020:

Sound Design, Post Production

DECEMBER 2020:

Release of documentary

Meet the team:

DIRECTOR, Julia D. Speropoulos

Julia Speropoulos is a Greek American director/producer, born in Miami Florida USA, where she graduated with a theater arts degree in acting from Florida International University (Bachelor of Arts in Theatre). She also studied at New York Film Academy, NY. As an actress, she performed in Free Rider, her first play produced in Athens in 2011. In TV she has hosted the Greek Sewer Stories Metropolis show by the Dutch channel VPRO.

The first film she worked in as assistant director, Sunflower Seeds(documentary)is the winner of several awards, as well as Officially Selected for the Kids n Docs section of 26th IDFA in 2013. JEAN is her first documentary (acquired by ERT channel, Greece), which acquired three awards, and was officially selected at film festivals in Greece and abroad. Her first mid-length documentary YUBI acquired one award, was officially selected at four documentary festivals across Greece, and was also acquired by the ERT channel, Greece. Julia Speropoulos currently travels between the United States and Greece.

Filmography

2018, Yubi, director, mid-length documentary, Greece.

• Winner of 3^rrd Prize Documentary award in the Greek short section at the 5^th International Documentary Festival of Ierapetra, Crete, 2018
• Official Selection at the 21^st Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, in the Human Rights category, 2019.
• Official Selection at the 8^th Athens International Digital Film Festival AIDFF, 2019.
• Official Selection at the 12^th Docfest Greek Documentary Festival, in the Panorama category, Chalkida 2018.
• Selection at the 59^th Krakow Film Festival, at the Market section, Krakow Poland, 2019.

2018, Aphasia, director, short experimental fiction, Greece.

2017, Jean, director, documentary short, Greece.

• Winner of Best First Film of a Director at the 4th International Documentary Film Festival Ierapetra, 2017, Crete. Officially Selected at Human Rights Film Festival Barcelona/NYC/Paris, 2017, Barcelona Spain. 3^rd Place in the Audience Award Section at the 4^th Peloponnisos Doc Festival, Kalamata 2018, Greece. Winner of Special Mention in the Documentary Section at the 7^th Athens International Digital Film Festival 2018. Officially Selected at ROMA CINEMA DOC, 2017, Rome, Italy. Officially Selected at MINDIE Miami Independent Film Festival, 2017, Miami, Florida, USA. First Selection at the International Short Film Festival Kalmthout, Belgium, 2017

Links: Email:[email protected]

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm5543218/

Official Website https://www.juliasperopoulos.com

EDITOR, Tzanetos Komineas

Tzanetos Komineas has been a director and editor for more than 38 years, with titles including I karekla (1985), O pappous (2013) and Re-action (2017), for which he is known for. He studied directing in Athens. He is a member of the Company of Greek Directors (EES). His films have been screened on National channel ERT as well as Festivals around the globe. He has also written and directed theatrical plays. He has published a cultural magazine as well as a collection of poems.

Links: Email: [email protected] IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2639880/

CINEMATOGRAPHER, Tasos Kosmidis

Tasos Kosmidis graduated from the Hellenic Cinema and Television School Stavrakos 2011-2014. He has worked as a cinematographer, camera operator, and gaffer in films such as Desolation (2019) directed by Thomas Giannakis, From Who The Bell Tolls (2018) directed by Spiros Papaspirou, Resolution (2018) directed by Dimitris Asproloupos, etc.

Links: Email: [email protected] IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9222846/

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Other than contributing, how can I help?

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FAQ

I have questions; how can I reach you?

You can reach us at [email protected]

Will the documentary be available globally?

Yes, it will travel to documentary festivals globally, then it will be available at a VOD platform.

What happens if you don't reach your target?

We will still complete the documentary the best way we can.