Canberra is about to get a taste of the Greko from Calabria via the Greko of Calabria documentary.
The film, shot by Basil Genimahaliotis formerly of London and Adelaide, and writer Billy Cotsis from Sydney and Lesvos.
The award-winning pair have actually shot a number of projects across the Magna Graecia region, from An Olive Tale with Sandhurst Fine Foods to the history of Greko and Griko speakers in Calabria and Apulia, respectively.
Thanks to John Loukadellis, the President of the Greek Community of Canberra and Chair of the Hellenic Club’s Cultural committee, the film will debut in Canberra on Sunday September 10.
Cotsis, like Loukadellis is a Bulldogs supporter, a team which is out of the running for the NRL finals, so the event won’t clash with finals footy for Bulldogs supporters. It is hoped the Canberra Raiders who will feature in the finals, wont be playing that day.
“It would be ironic if people have to chose between the Raiders and our film, both are products of expansion from the motherland. In the Raiders case, from the Sydney ARL competition in 1982 and after years of support they have blossomed.
“The Greeks of Calabria originally came from Greece and now they need the support to blossom once more,” he tells Neos Kosmos.
When Cotsis first visited these towns and villages, he met Carmelo Nucera and other Greko, and says that he felt that the Greko language in Calabria, after 2800 years would nearing its end.
Subsequent visits to Calabria including last year, has seen the language hold on despite the passing of many of the great Greko elders including the brilliant poetess Francesca Tripodi and the smiling, warm hearted singer and poet Mimmo Nucera Milinari.
Cotsis says that young people have taken on the language, they speak it and teach it. To Ddomadi Greko is one way to learn Greko and visit in person.
“A group led by Carmelo Nucera is called Circolo culturale APODIAFAZZI and it promotes Greko culture and music in Calabria’s capital Reggio,” Cotsis says adding “the restaurant proprietor of Mediterraneo Restaurant in Bova Marina, Salvatore Dieni, houses a small school for teaching the language and a Greko/Greek library.”
Despite the effort of the filmmaking pair, many Greeks take these small Greek minorities for granted.
Recently, Cotsis talks of Greek Facebook page which took one of the videos he shot last year, downloaded it without permission and posted it.
“It was an interview in Galliciano village with musician Pantaleone Danilo Brancati and president of To Ddomadi Greko,” he says.
After 400,000 views and the Greek Facebook page “finally acknowledged the video’s true origins” Cotsis says, and only “after about friends from all over Australia sent the site messages about the illegal download and post.”
“It wasn’t about me, it was the fact that all these people saw the video and didn’t understand the call to action, as there was none. Had I been approached, I would have supplied the video and the message to accompany any posting.
“Also, I see a lot of people write about the Greko and also the Griko people of Apulia for various publications. I challenge them to leave desktop research and visit these people.”
Cotsis says that as Hellenes we “must support the efforts of the Greko in Calabria.”
“Imagine that with 400,000 people, should just one per cent donate to the teaching course or visit and stay in the towns, it would be a short term game changer. Opportunity lost.”
The hope is that the Canberra screening can reach a new audience as the film has played in Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne, as well as internationally and is likely to play on Channel 31 next year.
The film will screen for free at the Hellenic Club of Canberra and is supported by AHEPA NSW. The film sessions spearheaded in Sydney recently by AHEPA NSW were “cinematic sell-outs”, something rare within the community for Greek documentaries.
Genimahaliotis and Cotsis will participate in a Q&A about the Greko and Griko populations, and may be joined by Dr Panayiotis Diamandis from AHEPA NSW.
When: Sunday, 10 September at 3.15 pm for a 3.30 pm start
Where: Hellenic Club of Canberra, 1 Matilda St, Phillip ACT
FB event details: https://fb.me/e/2H9mvCiEH
Further details: ineuropewithbillycotsis@yahoo.com.au
Trailers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp6bMxF8ES0
