Hello Anatolia: Cretan Turks

90 years after an ethnic population exchange, Valantis Stamelos returns as the first of his family to the land of his ancestors...Izmir, Turkey.

After working in the corporate world for years, Greek-American filmmaker Chrysovalantis Stamelos decided it was time to satisfy his desire to search for his roots in Anatolia, the historical birthplace of his ancestors. So, he picked up and moved to the homeland of his great-grandparents: Turkey.

His family and friends thought he was crazy. Maybe he was, but he couldn't shake off the stories he heard growing up...of old Smyrna and Asia Minor.

Hello Anatolia follows Stamelos’ reconnection with his ancestry through the exploration of neighborhoods, interviews with Greeks of Turkey, and his immersion into the art and culture. Stamelos will break down barriers between two cultures with a history of feuding, as well as build a bridge from the Aegean to the US.

Written and Directed By Chrysovalantis Stamelos

Produced By
Gregory Pappas & Paras H. Chaudhari & Chrysovalantis Stamelos

Crescent Street Films 2013
Cultural Bridges 2019

[nectarmk]

Warmest greetings to my Cretan Muslim brothers from a Cretan Christian. It would be a dream if we could live together but it was not meant to be.
What I found astonishing is that in the late 90s you could find people in Aivali speaking original Cretan dialect better then most Cretans in Crete! I do not care what these guys think they are or what I think they might be; all I know is their fathers spoke the same language as mine and I consider them family. The story is similar for the Anatolian, Pontian and Kappadokians; immigration story is always a painful one.

[constantinos.a]

Guys, there is no reason for such argumnets. There is the Treaty of Lausanne and that's all (the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations signed by Greece and Turkey). We live in 2020 and we have to move forward, we share a common history with full of pain. History should be a good lesson for improvemnet and avoiding mistakes of the past. Respect and Peace.

[Dinosaur]

This comment section is very disappointing but not surprising, and I say this as a greek. I also find it very pointless. Guys, these arguments are very irrelevant. Cretan turks are turks. Sure, they might not have turkish ancestry and they might be turkified hellenic peoples but at the end of the day they identify as turkish. Yes, some still speak greek but as I said, if they want to identify as turkish then let them be, they cant be truly part of the greek nation unless they choose to, which I dont think they will anytime soon, at least those in Turkey because some cretan muslims in the levant do identify as greek. But Turkey's cretans were at the side of Turkey ever since they settled there. Even one general during the war was of cretan turkish origin and Kemal Ataturk also liked these people and they like him back. They are turks, end of story. What should be done is to protect their culture, culture is very important regardless how one identifies as.

[erm.]

i think it have a big number of convert Greeks during Ottoman Period. But the same thing was going on at Time of the Greek Colonisation of Aegean Islands and Anatolia. Many Anatolian Natives assimilated in Greek Culture. mainland Greeks and Anatolian Greeks aren't same Genetically. my Ancestors are Turks from Salonika and Crete. my Greek Friends Ancestors are Pontos Greeks from Trabzon, they changing their Homes in the Same Year. Yes History are verry complicated but we never talk About Politics!

[issith]

Her greek ancestors, made the mistake to convert to islam. for getting better treatment by ottomans, like so many others. They didn’t know, though, that if they wanted to go back to their religion, that it connected them to the other greeks, they couldn’t, cause the ottoman law condemned whoever, wanted to leave islam, to death!!! And this law was strong, until 1910, or a bit later. Generations of people did the same mistake, to get out of poverty or to save their lives, etc, and after they were trapped by this detail, that is a law, written in the quran itself, as i read, not in the handiths Lost people.

[b.g.]

One question to the Cretan people: is there a historical connection between Crete and Southern Turkey and Levant (Antioch).
My family is from Antioch and somehow I’m sharing common DNA with cretans/minoans. Maybe someone can help me. 🙃

[CASIUSGELAEI]

You mean...Islamized Cretans! (Orlov revolt 1770)

[murataydin]

This video smells like my hometown, İzmir.

[wankawanka]

Calling them cretan TYRKS is an insult

[alderaan]

was rethymno's people venetian? (before 1900)

[handevemahsuplar]

Buna da şükür yaiyai arap coğrafyasına da gönderilebilirdik😅

[basicinfo]

All the Turkey is Greek byzantine Muslims but they are older i mean they left christianity even a 1000 years ago so they assimilated to the Neoturks

[kizgintosbaga]

what cretan turks ? this is the first time i heard such fair tale

[wennschon]

Üldüm güldüm cakalak birbilik gül gül

[themuscleBONIFACIO]

You think if was Muslims in Crete, it will be peaceful you joking....