''The personal message sent to Ferris by the Greek prime minister a few days ago, was short but full of political meaning.''Dear Mr. Ferris, this work of yours marks a new proposal for a cultural bridge that can indicate the common elements connecting our two nations through the ages. The richness of your work and the consistency of your course as an artist guarantee an excellent result. We wish you success with all our warmest wishes. Costas Karamanlis, Prime Minister of Greece.'' Costas Ferris is not unknown to Turks. He is actually one the best known and loved Greek directors in Turkey. His film Rebetico in 1983, which tells the dramatic story of a Greek popular singer through 40 turbulent years of her life as well as the history of Greece, has found a devoted audience among Turks.After all, the story is tightly tied with Turkey. It starts in 1917, in Smyrna where Marika is born and then, at the age of seven, deported to Greece along with about 1.5 million Greeks after a catastrophic war between the two nations. She starts a career as a singer together with her parents, but witnesses a series of dramatic events starting with her mother's murder at teh hands of her father. She runs away from home, has a baby, and comes together with her childhood friend bouzouki player Babis where they appear together in a taverna. But Babis is exiled for political reasons, she sends her daughter away to a convent school and goes to America'' by Ariana FERENTINOU, 'Turkish Daily News'