Cefalonia (2005) Plot Summary Explained

Release, runtime and language

2005 · 136 mins · Italian

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Directed by

Riccardo Milani

Starring

Luisa Ranieri, Luca Zingaretti, Jasmine Trinca, Claudio Gioè, Claudio Amendola, Corrado Fortuna

In September 1943 on the Greek island of Kefalonia, the 12,000 men of Italy’s 33rd Acqui Division refused German orders after Italy’s armistice. German forces, aided by Stuka dive‑bombers, forced their surrender after days of fighting, killing 1,300. The German high command then ordered the execution of all survivors; about 5,000 were shot in a week, a few hidden by locals and partisans, while others were shipped as prisoners, with roughly 3,000 drowning when their vessels hit mines. The Hollywood film “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” depicts the occupation but greatly softens this massacre.