A night of film and conversation awaits Melbourne audiences with ‘Land, Legacy & Loss: Contemporary Greek Cinema and Environmental Crisis’, a one-night-only event set to take place next Tuesday evening at The Capitol.
Presented as part of RMIT’s ‘The Best Films You’ve Never Seen’ series, the event showcases two visionary works—Georgis Grigorakis’s award-winning ‘Digger’ (2020) and Lia Tsalta’s haunting short ‘The Forest’ (2018)—that explore the growing tension between tradition, economic development, and environmental degradation in modern Greece.
In partnership with Neos Kosmos, the event reflects a deepening dialogue between Hellenic culture and contemporary global challenges. The collaboration brings these cinematic works to broader Australian audiences, especially those with ties to the Greek diaspora.
Grigorakis’s ‘Digger’ plunges viewers into the lush yet threatened forests of Northern Greece, where a reclusive farmer faces off against a mining company that is devastating the land—and finds himself reckoning with his estranged son who returns after two decades. Winner of the Berlinale’s CICAE Art Cinema Award, Digger was also featured in the 2020 Melbourne International Film Festival and is celebrated for its gripping narrative and the arresting cinematography of Giorgos Karvelas.
Vangelis Mourikis who plays the leading role in Digger studied and worked in Melbourne in the 1980s and 90s and recently starred in local filmmaker Alkinos Tsilimisos’s feature The Taverna.
Digger was Greece’s official entry for the Oscars’ best international feature film in 2022, though was not nominated by the Academy.
Accompanying it is Tsalta’s ‘The Forest’, a dystopian short envisioning a future stripped of nature, where people flock to a theme park to witness the remnants of a once-thriving ecosystem.
The evening is curated by Alexia Kannas (RMIT) in collaboration with Geli Mademli (Thessaloniki Film Festival, Syros Film Festival), offering audiences a rare opportunity to see these thought-provoking films on the big screen and engage in deeper reflection on issues of legacy, progress, and environmental stewardship.
When: Tuesday 29 April, 6.30pm
Where: The Capitol, 113 Swanston Street, Melbourne, VIC
Tickets: here
Watch the trailer below:
