Imagine you are sitting on a mountain top overlooking Galliciano, where everyone speaks the ancient dialect of Greko. Imagine you are a passenger travelling around the Griko towns of Apulia, which are also known as Grecia Salentina.
Two filmmakers from Australia not only imagined and visualised this, they made it to these areas to document the Greko of Calabria and the awarded Griko of Apulia.
Basil Genimahaliotis and Billy Cotsis produced three documentaries about their exploits and thanks to AHEPA NSW, two of these will be shown in Little Italy in Sydney.
AHEPA NSW hosted the longer form of Greko of Calabria, along with Themi Kallos of SBS Radio in November to a packed house. The event sold out a week in advance leading to the scheduling of this special screening.
Dr Panayiotis Diamandis, who sat on the panel discussion that day, told Neos Kosmos how proud he was to support the Greko language in front of a large audience. He also reflected on some of the key learnings.
“The key lesson from the Magna Graecia films is if you love it, use it. If you love Hellenism, speak its dialects, speak Hellenic in the form you know best. Greko and Griko has been spoken for more than two millennia. They provide a template for Hellenism in Australia as well.”
Genimahaliotis and Cotsis continue a tradition of sold out cinema sessions. As far back as 205 with their documentaries about Lesvos, then Mykonos and Delos, the filmmakers remain the only Greek-Australians who can sell out documentaries at the cinema.
The event on Sunday 12 February will feature Greko songs performed by Italian singers and a panel discussion on the Greko and Griko – two slightly different dialects. The Panel will be hosted by Calabrian-Australian actress Belinda Maree and will finish lawyer and author Costa Vertzayias who wrote a book about the Greeks of Magna Graecia in 1990. Mr Vertzayias visited the region twice with his family in the 1980s to research and learn about these living, breathing ancient Greek “statues”.
When: Sunday, 12 February at 6pm
Where: Palace Norton Street, Leichhardt, Sydney
Tickets: $20 for adults and $15 for concessions. To reserve your seats, call Chapter Antigone President Charoulla on 0411 137 266 or info@ahepansw.org.au
