Self-Return to Crimea
0/10
Rating
57 min
Runtime
2021
Release Year
Anna Tsyhyma
Director
Cast
Akhtem Seitablaiev
Quick Synopsis
In the late 1980s, Crimean Tatars began returning to their homeland after decades of exile, facing numerous challenges such as obtaining the right to buy homes and secure residence permits necessary for employment. They encountered daily racism and resistance from local authorities, who were supported by government-controlled media spreading propaganda against them. Despite these obstacles, the Crimean Tatars organized protests, petitions, peaceful marches, and even acts of self-immolation from Moscow to Taman and across Crimea to demand their rights. Their efforts culminated in reclaiming land, which officials labeled as "squatting." This film tells the story of their collective struggle and eventual success in returning to Crimea through unity and persistence. It also highlights the later hardships faced after the 2014 Russian occupation of the peninsula, focusing on both veterans of the Crimean Tatar movement and newer immigrants as central figures in this history.
Detailed Synopsis of Self-Return to Crimea
What did Crimean Tatars go through when returning to Crimea after decades of exile in the late 1980s? The right to buy a house, get a residence permit without which they cannot be hired - these rights were ones that Crimean Tatars had to fight for through numerous protests, constant pressure, and negotiations with local officials. They faced blatant racism on a daily basis. The government-controlled media pummeled the population with propaganda. Yet pickets from Moscow to Taman and throughout Crimea, petitions, peaceful marches, self-immolation, and, finally, the self-return of land, which the authorities called "squatting", all this eventually worked. This film is the story of an entire people's return, a story of victory in opposition to the system and thanks to cohesion. However, many had to lose their home for the second time after the Russian occupation of the peninsula in 2014. Veterans of the Crimean Tatar movement as well as immigrants are the heroes of this movie.
