One of Australia's premiere national cultural events, the Greek Film Festival is back with the best of contemporary and classic Greek cinema, announcing its full Sydney programming schedule.
Proudly presented by the «Bank of Sydney», the 28th Greek Film Festival will return to Leichhardt’s Palace Norton Street Cinema from 19 to 29 October 2023 and include 15 award-winning feature films, 8 documentaries and the established Student Film Festival, which celebrates its 11th year.
In September 2022, Greek Cinema lost one of its behemoths, the late Irini Papa. With a career that spans more than 70 years and multiple roles in internationally renowned films, the 28th Greek Film Festival pays tribute to the great actress by screening the "Guns of Navarone", one of her most internationally acknowledged cinematic performances.
2023 marks 80 years from the deportation of the Jews of Thessaloniki. Honouring this dark anniversary for the Greek Jews and with the support and cooperation of the Jewish Board of Deputies of NSW, 4 exceptional documentaries and a feature film commemorating the victims of the Holocaust and especially the Jewish community of Thessaloniki will be presented to Sydney’s cine-friends.
Opening Night Film
The 28th Greek Film Festival will open with Asimina Proedrou’s multi-award-winning debut feature film “Behind the Haystacks”. The film touches the very sensitive and topical issue of refugee immigration while outlining the modern Greek reality of living in a small boarder town where closed societies are called to handle everyday life struggles sometimes with distorted perspective.
Closing Night Film
An unexpectedly dynamic Cypriot film “IMAN” by Korinna Avraamidou and Kyriakos Tofaridis will conclude the 28th Greek Film Festival on 29th October. The film successfully depicts the complexity of modern Cypriot society, portraying with powerful performances the protagonists’ personal fights for survival within a Western-style country that is geographically so close to the turbulent Middle East.
Special Events
For the first time a film dedicated to young audiences will be screened at the 28th Greek Film Festival; “Karagiozis”, the emblematic figure of the shadow theatre became a film, the first Greek-produced animation film and aspires to introduce our little friends to the classic greek childhood hero!
Acclaimed Greek-Australian director Jason Raftopoulos will attend the screening of his new drama 'Voices in Deep' on Saturday 21st October at the Palace Cinema Norton St. The film is set in the aftermath of the 2015-16 refugee crisis when nearly 1,000,000 refugees "crossed" from Turkey to Greece and is filmed in Greece. The screening will be followed by a Q&A.
The 28th Greek Film Festival has the honour to present this year a special documentary about the life of Nelson Mandela's Greek lawyer, George Bizos, which will be screened in the presence of his son, Alexis. Alexis Bizos and the creator of the George Bizos Icon doco, Jane Thandi Lipman, will attend the screening of the highly anticipated documentary which will be followed by a Q&A.
With powerful screenings and special events during 19-29 October 2023, this year the 28th Greek Film Festival guarantees to excite you!
For more information and to buy your tickets visit www.greekfilmfestival.com.au
Festival Details:
What: 28th Greek Film Festival 2023 - Sydney
When: Thursday 19 October - Sunday 29 October 2023
Where: Palace Norton Street, 99 Norton Street, Leichhardt, NSW 2040
Website: www.greekfilmfestival.com.au/sydney
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GreekFilmFestival
www.facebook.com/greekfestivalofsydney
Instagram: www.instagram.com/greekfilmfestival
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