The Greek Film Society is set to showcase Yorgos Arvanitis’ documentary ‘The Journey of Askavlos’, a ten-year passion project dedicated to the revival of the ancient Greek bagpipe in modern times.
The screening will take place on Thursday 27 April 7pm at the Greek Atlas Community and Cultural Centre, 96 Illawarra Rd, in Sydney’s Marrickville.
Arvanitis’ film travels from the stone-based villages where the askavlos’ (ancient Greek bagpipe) origins lie, to the concrete jungles of present-day towns and cities.
It captures its revival in the Aegean islands with people of all ages meeting up to play, sing and dance in the aim of retaining and renewing centuries-old traditions.
The documentary provides an intimate insight into contemporary island and urban musical trends that reveal how social and musical elements combine in a joyous and meaningful way.
Arvanitis bears witness as the askavlos is rediscovered by modern, younger audiences across Greece and introduced to the world, keeping alive the customs and an ethos of our ancestors of a previous era.
This independent production took ten years to complete before being released in 2020 and was entirely self-financed by the director.
There will be a Q&A Skype discussion with Arvanitis following the screening where he will go into greater detail about his film.
The event costs a one-month membership fee of $5 (which includes a one-off screening) for new members, while previous longer-term membership subscriptions that have not been used will also be honoured.
The centre’s restaurant will also be available for guests from 5.30 p.m. (only through pre-booking).
Guests interested in this must send an SMS with their name and number of persons to Maria on the mobile number 0404527151 by Tuesday 25 April.
Further information can be found at greekfilmsocietysydney.com and the Society’s Facebook page, or by calling either 0410529771 or 0404635471