The feeling of celebration was palpable at the opening of the 30th Greek Film Festival of Sydney, with hundreds coming together to honour the major milestone of one of the most significant events in the cultural calendar.
The Film Festival kicked off its 30th edition on Tuesday evening (14 October) at Palace Cinemas Norton Street in Leichhardt, packing out numerous theatres with Kostas Haralambous’ adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’ work ‘Kapetan Mihalis’.
For Nia Karteris, the Chair of the Film Festival of Sydney, the day held immense significance.
“It’s been quite an emotional day today for me to be quite honest,” Karteris told Neos Kosmos.
“It is a milestone, not for me but for the Greek Orthodox Community and for the Greek film industry.”
The Film Festival Chair expressed her pride in the hard work from everyone involved to put together the event, while noting this year’s program features a wide range of pictures from the past three decades.
Upon reflecting on reaching 30 years, Karteris expressed it is testament both to the community of Australia and the strength of the film industry in Greece.
“I think as a Greek of the Greek diaspora, we should be very proud of what we have achieved…This is what always was the objectives and goals of the Greek Film Festival: to make sure that it is here to stay for the next 50, 60 years,” she said.
“Greece is a small country but compared to the country it is and everything it has to offer, I think the film industry is flourishing.
“When you have the likes of Lanthimos being an oscar-nominated and oscar winner now, it just goes to show that being Greek is a thing that we are all proud of and I think Greece is proud of what we have achieved also.”
Harry Danalis, President of the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW, also remarked on his pleasure with the growth of the Film Festival over the past 30 years, while praising the efforts of all the people who make it the success it is.
“It is good to see that after 30 years, this film festival has grown to the magnitude it has today,” Danalis told Neos Kosmos.
“The offering tonight is very impressive, and it shows that we are very interested in Greek culture and we will look to continue to do so.”
The Film Festival has also served as a means of promoting the work of Greek Australian filmmakers since its inception, including Alex Lykos, who attended the opening and spoke glowingly of its impact.
“It is fostering the Greek talent within the community as well as bringing us film from Greece which allows us to watch what is going in Greece and get an idea of what kind of things they (the filmmakers) are exploring,” Lykos told Neos Kosmos.
Lykos noted the support the Film Festival has shown him, having premiered his films ‘Alex and Eve’ (ten years ago) and ‘Disconnect Me’ (two years ago), the former of which has been included in this year’s schedule.
Reflecting on the big turnout for the opening night, Lykos stated the Greek community is “very loyal and very supportive”.
“To see the Greek people that are out here tonight, here the band play, and just explore our Greekness the way we do is, I think is a great thing,” he said.
“I’m so glad we have the Greek Orthodox Community who do that and foster that. I think it is very important and I’m very grateful to be a part of it.”
There was a strong Cretan flavour at the event in line with the film’s subject matter, including traditional music played by a live band and traditional dancing from the island.
Nick Andriotakis, who is of Cretan background and has gone to nearly every Film Festival since its inception, addressed the historical context of the picture which is set in the late 1800s during which Crete was still occupied by the Ottoman Empire.
“What you have here is the character of Nikos Kazantzakis’ father Mihalis and he has fictionalised him in this story of the last throes of the Ottoman Empire in Crete,” Andriotakis told Neos Kosmos.
Speaking more broadly on the Film Festival, he emphasised it is a crucial avenue for Greece’s modernism to be communicated to Australia.
“This is not the country now of our parents and grandparents. This is a modern country, a European country, and as a country grows in its sophistication and education, so too does it in the arts.”
