Following the successful premiere of Asimina Proedrou’s “Behind the Haystacks” feature in Sydney and Melbourne last night, the Greek Film Festival (Australia) has an exciting programme of screen gems for Greek cinema lovers for the next 10 days.
The Greek Film Festival in Sydney kicks off tonight with TRIP TO GREECE and BLACK STONE, whilst Melbourne is screening GOD’S PAINTING, IMAN and VOICES IN DEEP.
SYDNEY SCREENINGS:
THE TRIP TO GREECE (Fri 20th October at 6:30pm)
In their fourth and final gastronomic expedition, Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon set out from the ruins of Troy in modern-day Turkey as they head to Greece to retrace the steps of legendary king Odysseus, the hero of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, on his journey home to Ithaca at the end of the Trojan War. Steve and Rob’s semi-fictional alter-egos hit the road in search of culture, history, breathtaking vistas and, of course, some of the finest food in Europe.
LANGUAGE: English & Greek with English subtitles
BLACK STONE (Fri 20th October at 8:30pm)
While filming absent civil servants, a documentary crew stumbles upon Haroula, a desperate, overprotective Greek mother in search of her son.
But when he is accused of fraud, Haroula sets out with her other, disabled son and a Greek-African taxi driver to bring him back home where he belongs.
Even if this means discovering who her son really is.
LANGUAGE: Greek with English subtitles
MELBOURNE SCREENINGS:
GOD’S PAINTING (Fri 20th October at 9:15pm)
Dimitris returns to Greece after his mother’s death, planning to place his disabled sister in an institution so that he can live out his love affair with his girlfriend and future fiance Stella.
But life has a different plan in store for him . In the paternal home, surprises await him. Surprises that will completely overturn his personal life and his view of the world.
The Psychologist who supports both Dimitri and Theodora gets involved not only in their life but also in their hearts, and the plot continues…
Comic incidents, blackmail, intrigues and love will compose a merry-go-round of revelations and unusual situations that will be difficult to untangle.
LANGUAGE: Greek with English subtitles
IMAN (Fri 20th October at 7:00pm)
Abdallah, an Arab Muslim civil engineer has to come to terms with his own responsibility in the collapse of a building, which causes the death of 7 people.
Having been radicalized, Iman and Leila, are sent to Cyprus on a secret mission.
Michelle, a lonely teenage girl, falls for Angelos, a domineering young man with racist ideals.
Three stories, each involving characters whose actions may mean the difference between life and death, are defined by their search for redemption from their past, their guilt, their loneliness.
VOICES IN DEEP (Fri 20th October at 7:30pm)
In the aftermath of Greece’s refugee crisis that started in 2015, Tarek and Zaeed are orphaned refugees.
Unable to secure public housing, Tarek pays for food and board by prostituting himself to his abusive pimp Masi, but when a local refugee girl is murdered, the younger brother Zaeed decides to get them out any way he can.
Meanwhile, Bobby, an Australian volunteer worker once dedicated to saving the lives of refugees is holed up in a motel room.
Her recurring traumas of a tragedy at sea have left her emotionally crippled. She must sell her illegally harvested shellfish before she gets on a plane back to Australia.
But when Bobby’s black-market buyer goes missing, she must find a way to offload the shellfish before they turn foul.
As tensions rise, Bobby flashes strangers, a compulsive and primitive expression of her post-traumatic anxiety.
