Filmmaker Documents Greek Ghost Town Of Levissi

Dating back 5,000 years, the Greek Orthodox town of Levissi, once known as Kayakov, was a village of 10,000 people. However, in 1922, the village went through an ‘ethnic cleanse’ and the people were forced to leave their land and heritage. Now, American filmmaker Joerg Schodl has documented what is left of Levissi in his documentary ‘Ghosts of Levissi.

Schodl tells the tale of the small Greek community in Asia Minor that was torn apart during the final days of the Ottoman Empire. It focuses on the disappearance of the population practically overnight thanks to campaigns, designed to scare Greeks from Levissi and nearby Macri (known as Fethiye), included offensives by Turks.

Since then, the homes have remained vacant, left to decay after being further damaged by a huge earthquake in 1957. The land, however, has been used for summer festivals, but the plan to lease the area and auction it off for commercial interests are causing an uproar among Turks and Greeks with roots to Levissi.

Schodl had the help of members from the Greek community in Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Perth, and Brisbane and he was able to find thirteen descendants of Levissi families. More descendants were found in Toronto, Rhodes, London, Athens and Istanbul.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Reporter 

See the Ghosts of Levissi trailer here: