It began as a demonstration against the Ottoman Empire by Great Britain and her allies.
Within nine months it had grown to become one of the fiercest and most controversial battles of World War I.
Produced over six years and in seven different countries, “Gallipoli,” is a documentary film that tells the story of ordinary men forced by history to do extraordinary things. The courage with which they faced hardship and the sacrifices they made are brought to life through their own words.
Newly uncovered diaries, letters, and photographs from both sides; interviews with international experts; on-location landscape, underwater, and aerial photography; 3-D computer animations; and dramatic re-enactments of trenches and battles, make this “Gallipoli” not only the newest film on the subject, but also the most comprehensive.
Directed by Tolga Örnek, it has been produced in association with the Australian War Memorial, Imperial War Museum, New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage, and the Çanakkale Naval Museum. Detailed research has been carried out in more than 70 archives around the world and 16 international historians have been consulted to make the film as historically rich and accurate as possible.
Narrated by Jeremy Irons with Sam Neill, Gallipoli opened in theaters in Turkey on March 18, 2005 and was the top box office film for five weeks in a row, quickly becoming the highest grossing documentary in Turkish film history, seen by more than 650,000 people. The film was also released theatrically in Germany, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Holland, London, and France. On November 3, 2005 Gallipoli opened in 37 screens in Australia and New Zealand to great critical acclaim, and has been regarded by many critics as the best film on the subject. It has been broadcast on History Channel (Australia and New Zealand), Maori TV. It’s Turkish broadcast on October 29, 2006 yielded the day’s second highest ratings.