Historic expansions, career retrospectives and a blend of old hits and new premieres characterise the upcoming 30th Greek Film Festival, which shows no signs of slowing after three decades of cinematic celebration.
Hype has steadily built for the landmark 30th edition of the Festival that will take over Sydney and Melbourne, as organised by the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW and the Greek Community of Melbourne, from 14-26 October.
The milestone has been matched by its major developments which includes an historic first-time expansion to Sydney’s west with the addition of Riverside Theatres in Parramatta.
The Parramatta theatre will screen a curated line-up of 15 films from the overall program during 16-26 October, joining the regular locations of Palace Cinemas Norton Street and Moore Park in showcasing Hellenic pictures.
“This expansion is a significant milestone for the Greek Film Festival of Sydney. It’s a testament to the festival’s growth and our commitment to making Greek culture and film accessible to an even wider audience,” said GOC NSW President Harry Danalis.
Parramatta will kick off its slate with a screening of Kostas Haralambous’ film ‘Kapetan Mihalis’ (based on Nikos Kazantzakis’ iconic novel by the same name), two days after it is first shown in both Sydney and Melbourne on 14 October.
The festival will feature a range of pictures from various years in the last three decades, turning it into a celebration of the past as well as a showcase of the present.
In line with honouring the past, Sydney will play host to visiting acclaimed Greek filmmaker Renos Haralambidis from 24-27 October.
Haralambidis will feature prominently in the line-up with all five of his directorial features included, spanning from his first film ‘No Budget Story’ to his latest one released in 2024 titled ‘Athens Midnight Radio’ (which will close the festival in Sydney).
The filmmaker expressed sincere gratitude to have his word screened in Australia.
“My films are being shown on the big screen for the first time, so far from where they were shot—the heart of Athens and, in a few cases, the surrounding region of Attica. I’m moved to be talking about the mythical southern hemisphere, beyond the horizon,” he said.
“The time has now come for ‘the other side of the world’ to become the centre of my cinematic universe.”
The festival will also have a distinctive Greek Australian flavour as it honours the works from Sydney-based filmmakers like Kosta Nikas, Alex Lykos, Kay Pavlou and Billy Cotsis.
In addition to the aforementioned works, the festival will showcase films like Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Dogtooth’, ‘The Return’ with Ralph Fiennes (who plays Odysseus), ‘Maria’ with Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas, as well as ‘A Journey to the Stars’ (which tells the story of the Giannakopoulos family’s ownership of Panathinaikos Basketball Club).
Numerous Pantelis Voulgaris features will also be shown, such as ‘Brides’ and ‘The Last Note’, while the program also includes the return of the very first film to open the Greek Film Festival in Australia, ‘The Flea’.
Leo Vlahaki, Greek Community of Melbourne Vice President and Greek Film Festival Committee Chair, stressed the significance of the event in strengthening the cultural ties between Greece and Australia.
“This year’s program honours the past, embraces the present, and looks forward to the future of Greek storytelling. We celebrate filmmaking in Greece, by Greeks and about Greek stories and the festival reflects this perfectly,” Vlahaki said.
Nia Karteris, Chair of the Greek Film Festival of Sydney, said the 30th anniversary is not just a milestone but also “a testament to the enduring power of Greek cinema and the unwavering dedication of our community”.
“We are incredibly proud of the history we have built and are committed to making this 30th edition our most spectacular yet,” Karteris said.
More information on the full programs in Sydney and Melbourne can be sourced on the Greek Film Festival website.
