When the Swallows Fall Silent  / Milk – Rose

Organizer: Cyprus Presidency - Council of the European Union, Deputy Ministry of Culture
Admission Status: Free Entry 

Cinema

Film

When the Swallows Fall Silent explores the struggle of a neighbourhood in Old Nicosia to preserve its identity amid rapid modernization, focusing on the historic Faneromeni School and the iconic “Matthaios” restaurant. The film by Constantinos Patsalides and George Avraam had its world premiere at the 2025 Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, in the Platform+ category. It was also screened at this year’s Panorama of Contemporary Greek and Cypriot Cinema in Paris. It enjoyed a three-week theatrical run at KCINEPLEX Nicosia and was also screened in commercial zone at Danaos Cinema in Athens, at Arthouse Crouch End in London and at Le Grand Action Cinema in Paris. 

Milk – Rose follows an elderly refugee from the occupied village of Vatili who, seeking to escape the loneliness of his everyday life, embarks on a personal journey of liberation. 
 
The event will open with remarks by the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Austria and will include a Q&A session with the creators.  

The event is carried out within the framework of the Programme “Events at Embassies of the Republic of Cyprus abroad”, in the context of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU 2026.