Young participants from this year’s Greek Student Film Festival in Sydney received a small token of appreciation from Greece’s General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy on Saturday, December 9 during a special award ceremony.
The student festival was organised as part of the 2023 Greek Film Festival this year and was proudly presented by Bank of Sydney, the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW (GOCNSW) and the Greek Festival of Sydney.
For the first time ever, the student film festival was also held under the auspices of the General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The award ceremony was held at Clemton Park Public School in Sydney’s south west and despite the extreme heat, many students, their proud families, and official guests attended to witness as the young filmmakers received a Greek Revolution-themed board game sent over to Australia by the Greek government.
Official guests included the Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Yannis Mallikourtis; the First Secretary for Public Diplomacy at the Consulate of Greece in Sydney, Anastasia Christofilopoulou; the President of the GOCNSW, Harry Danalis; the Chair of the Greek Festival of Sydney, Nia Karteris; the Secretary of the GOCNSW, Michael Tsilimos; and the Head of School at the GOCNSW, Artemis Theodoris; among many others.
Mr Mallikourtis and Mr Danalis both gave speeches on the day, congratulating the students on their achievements at the Greek Student Film Festival and encouraging them to continue enhancing their Greek language skills.
A video message by the Greece’s Secretary General for Greeks Abroad, John Chrysoulakis was also played.
“Let us remember that the skills you have acquired through this competition extend beyond the realm of cinema. You have practiced teamwork, problem solving and team management. These life skills will serve you well in your future endeavours, whether in the film industry or in any other field you choose to pursue,” Mr Chrysoulakis told the students in his message.
“Your journey in filmmaking has just begun. Continue to nurture your passion, refine your act and let your unique voices echo through your work. You have the potential to shape the future of storytelling.”
After this video message and board game presentation, four young students also gave a small performance of a Greek Christmas carol, before everyone was invited to enjoy a meal together at the back of the school hall.
During this time, The Greek Herald managed to speak with Christopher Lampropoulos, one of the winners of the Greek Student Film Festival. The 17-year-old’s film starred his Greek grandfather Christopher Kaperonis and saw him reflect on his migration from Greece to Australia in the 1960s.
When we asked what it was like working together with his grandfather on the film, Christopher answered with a laugh, “it was very frustrating cause he’s stubborn like me.”
“But when he found out I won, he was very proud, he started crying,” Christopher added. “I mean I’m his only grandchild and I’m named after him so he was very proud.”
*All photos copyright The Greek Herald / Andriana Simos.
