The documentary entitled The Journey, written and directed by Maria Mavrikou, was presented for the first time at a film festival in Thessaloniki. It records the return of Greeks and Turkish-Cretans to their homeland. Mr Asimakis Pagidas and his sister Antigone embark on a pilgrimage to the town in which they were born, Aivali. They walk around the town that used to number 35,000 Greeks, whereas in 1924, with the exchange of populations, it was mostly inhabited by Turkish-Cretans. The camera follows the protagonists around the town, where some mansion houses still reveal "the prosperity of earlier times". They visit the house they grew up in, the church their parents got married in, and their school. They also meet the first generation Turkish-Cretans, who describe the years they lived in Crete and their peaceful coexistence with the Greeks.

After the journey of these two siblings to Aivali comes the visit of 11 Turkish-Cretans to Rethymno. Four of them were born in Rethymno and during this journey they are accompanied by their children and grandchildren, Turkish-Cretans of second and third generation. The camera shows their effort to find their ancestors' houses and records their meetings with old Cretans, all of which creates a moving atmosphere.

Scenario-Director: Maria Mavrikou
Directors of Photography: Sakis Maniatis, Stathis Saltas, Christos Asimakopoulos
Editing: Despo Maroulakou
Production Director: Gina Petropoulou
Producer: Foundation of the Hellenic World
Duration: 80 minutes