'Fetih 1453' movie trailer stirs up Greece

Sabah

'Fetih 1453' is directed by Faruk Aksoy.

A trailer for the upcoming Turkish movie "Fetih 1453" (Conquest 1453) angered Greek viewers after it was released in Turkey’s Aegean neighbor, daily Sabah reported on its website today.  

"Fetih 1453," directed by Faruk Aksoy, tells the story of Istanbul's capture by the Ottomans during the reign of Sultan Mehmed II.

Greek weekly To Proto Thema called the movie "a conquest propaganda by the Turks," on a story it published on its website. "Turkish invaders present themselves as rulers of the world in the movie," the report said, adding that the film "fails to show the mass killings of Greeks and the plunder of the land by the Turks."  

The film is based on two main characters, Sultan Mehmed II, and Ulubatlı Hasan, a soldier believed to be the first person to have planted the Ottoman flag on the walls of Istanbul during the final assault on the city.  

"Fetih 1453" was shot over a period of three years and cost $17 million – the highest ever in Turkish cinema. The movie trailer itself took 1.5 months to complete and cost $600,000. The trailer was viewed by over 1.5 million people within 24 hours of its release.

The film will hit cinemas Feb. 17