Salt film draws on a 1948 arrest over salt collection in colonial Cyprus

Arodes, Cyprus. A 1948 arrest over salt collection in British colonial Cyprus is the story behind Salt, a new 20-minute film premiering on Monday, October 12, at the International Short Film Festival of Cyprus.

A dispute that prompted a question

Constantinos Nikiforou’s interest in the story began with a newspaper report about the mukhtar of Inia in 2021.

Unhappy that the government’s proposed Akamas plan did not allow villagers to place umbrellas and sunbeds on Lara beach, the mukhtar demanded that Inia should instead take over all salt production in the area.

Nikiforou was puzzled by the reference to salt at Lara and called his friend, actor Jimmy Roussounis, who comes from nearby Arodes, to ask about it.

Roussounis responded by telling him a family story: in 1948, police in Arodes arrested his grandfather, Demetris, for stealing salt.

Salt collection under colonial rule

There is no salt lake near Lara beach. Instead, seawater washes over an area of rocky ground, filling crevices. As the water evaporates, it leaves a layer of salt.

Salt was prized both as a condiment and, especially, as a preservative. Nikiforou said it “was a matter of survival back in the day – because there were no fridges”. Its historical importance is also reflected in the word “salary”, which derives from the Latin word for salt.

The British colonial government tightly controlled the salt market in Cyprus and elsewhere across the empire. In India, Gandhi led the Salt March in 1930 to protest against the British salt monopoly.

“It was illegal to collect it, or sell it,” Roussounis said of salt under colonial rule.

The film industry connections

Roussounis, 58, is a British-born Cypriot now based in Limassol. His long career in the UK and Hollywood includes an appearance as one of two sailors who briefly speak Cypriot in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.

Nikiforou is a prominent figure in the local film industry, primarily as a producer. He produced Motherwitch, which is due to reach cinemas at the end of this month.