‘We’re pretty ecstatic’: Opening night of Greek Film Festival welcomes 2000 people across Melbourne

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The Greek Film Festival kicked disconnected past nighttime with a motorboat lawsuit astatine Melbourne’s Astor Theatre, screening Kazantzakis’ Kapetan Mihalis story.

“I consciousness a existent consciousness of joyousness that [the festival] has started, and that we’re astir to bask twelve days of cinematic fun,” said Jorge Menidis, the Festival and Cultural Programs Director.

The Astor lobby was taken implicit by Greek Aussies anxious to travel backmost to 1889 Crete, pursuing Captain Mihalis arsenic helium led the struggle against Ottoman rule.

Movie-goers were treated to Spanakorizo and Pastitsio for meal arsenic they mingled. The motorboat hosted the afloat spectrum of the Greek Australian diaspora from Yiayia and Pappou to university students enjoying the evening.

National Union of Greek Australian Students (NUGAS) co-president Jamie Gallos was excited astir a solemnisation of modern cinema that still honours Greek history.

“Tonight we’re going to spell watch Captain Michael, which is simply a story written by Kazantzakis, interpreted, adapted successful a modern lens. This is fantastic … it’s reinvigorating Greek art,” helium said.

Festival Director Jorge Menidis was pleased with the turnout; “The Greek movie manufacture isn’t 1 of the giants of the cinema world, yet it still manages to pump retired capable absorbing films to bid a festival each the way successful Australia.”

The motorboat events were happening astatine Palace cinemas successful Pentridge, Balwyn and Como too with adjacent to 2000 radical successful attendance crossed Melbourne.

“According to the text messages I’m getting [those events] are going swimmingly arsenic well … it’s exciting,” Jorge added.

“We’ve already started thinking astir adjacent year.”

Writer and Director Alkinos Tsoulamidos was besides successful attendance, whose movie The Kink is showing astatine the Astor connected closing nighttime of the festival.

The Kink is acceptable successful suburban Melbourne, and it was important to Alkinos to contiguous it to a Melbourne Greek audience; “primarily my procreation of Greeks … we want to ταξινόμηση of find retired however comic this [movie] is. We think it’s funny, but you ne'er cognize what tin happen,” helium told Neos Kosmos.

Alkinos besides directed The Taverna which is screening during the festival. The movie is acceptable crossed 1 “chaotic” evening astatine a household tally Greek restaurant.

Launch attendees were sent location with goodie bags; Amygdalota, dried oregano and mati pendants amongst the gifts