On September 12, the Nicosia International Festival raises the curtain and for 50 days, it brings theatre, dance, music and performances from Cyprus and abroad. Twenty two productions will soon land in the capital city as the festival presents a rich programme of events at the Nicosia Municipal Theatre and beyond, kicking off its agenda with the first four September events soon.

Following his Silver Lion award at the Venice Theatre Biennale, Mario Banushi, the director behind a string of sold-out shows, opens the festival with his multi-award-winning production Goodbye Lindita on September 12 and 13. The production, a deeply moving theatrical experience about loss, memory and the bonds that endure even after death, has travelled to leading stages and festivals around the world. Now, it marks a new beginning in Nicosia.

On September 15, L’Évènement arrives for the first time in Cyprus, a production by the Comédie-Française. Françoise Gillard brings to the stage the powerful autobiographical work of Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux. A personal testimony becomes a powerful work about freedom, self-determination and a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body.

September 17 and 18’s production travels to a downtown Nicosia location – coffee shop To Erma, as the Kinitiras Group and Antigoni Gyra present The Woman of Zakynthos. The words of Dionysios Solomos leave the page and meet the present day in this production where speech, movement and music meet.

Then, on September 20, Ali Chahrour’s When I Saw the Sea brings to life three women’s real stories. The internationally acclaimed Lebanese choreographer Ali Chahrour comes to Nicosia for the first time with a major international co-production about dignity, freedom and survival. Dance, music and personal testimonies come together in a performance that gives a voice to lives that usually remain unseen.

7th Nicosia International Festival

22 productions from Cyprus, Greece, Lebanon, France, Ireland and Spain. September 12-November 1. Nicosia Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. Tel: 22-797979.  www.nif.cy