Kastellorizo: An Ιsland in the Ηeart of the World

The shadow of Greek-Turkish conflict looms over Kastellorizo, a small Greek island in the Aegean Sea, far from Athens but very close to the coast of Asia Minor. This militarised island guards the borders of Europe, facing a Turkey that has not relinquished its claims in this geostrategic zone.
The film portrays the daily life of the island’s inhabitants, set between the celebrations of Epiphany and Easter, always against a backdrop of tension and military presence.

Director: Ivan Butel

After extensive graduate studies (Master’s degree in Philosophy, in Documentary Filmmaking and in Linguistics), he began making documentaries on illiteracy (Jean) and immigration (Tout est Bleu) in the early 2000s.

In 2014, he began collaborating with producer Paul Saadoun and Seconde Vague Production, producing several 52-minute films broadcasted by ARTE (in the Writers of Europe series), France 3 (on the far left-wing Tarnac affair), and France 5 (Warding off fear, in collaboration with historian Patrick Boucheron).

In my films, I explore the question of political memory. He examines the scars left by History, highlighting often forgotten or disturbing human trajectories. He seeks to understand the contradictions and silences that haunt European societies.

In early 2025, he published his first book, Of Silence and Gold (Editions Globe), based on a true story. This book combines journalistic investigation, intimate portraiture, and historical reflection on the post-Franco democratic transition in Spain.

He is currently working on his next documentary film, produced by Frédérika Sonza (Les Productions du Triton, in Corsica) which will follow in the footsteps of the German philosopher Nietzsche along the Mediterranean coast, between Nice and Genoa.