On Tuesday, October 22, the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia (GOCSA) launched the 2024 Greek Film Festival with the Premier of South Australia, the Honourable Peter Malinauskas MP, at the Palace Nova Cinemas in Prospect, Adelaide.
The near sold-out evening featured two screenings of the comedy Hear Who’s Talking featuring star Meletis Ilias, marking the beginning of a week celebrating Greek film.
GOCSA President, Peter Gardiakos, expressed his gratitude to the Premier and all cinema-goers for taking the time to be at the event and added the importance of maintaining the film festival as a core part of the community calendar.
“Film and cinema have the power to transport us to different worlds, evoke emotions, educate us with history that describes our rich Greek heritage and its influence on our lives. So, as we gather to watch these films over the next six days, let’s embrace the power of storytelling, allowing ourselves to foster a deep connection and appreciation of our Greek heritage,” Mr Gardiakos said.
Premier Malinauskas began by outlining that “across generations [and] for a long period of time, [the Greek community] have made a bigger contribution to the cultural community we have globally, almost more than any other culture in history. And that is something you should all have a degree of pride in.”
The Premier added, in a spirit of togetherness and looking ahead, that “…[W]hen we think about our history, it is appropriate to think about our future as well… I am aware, and have been paying a bit of attention recently to a significant decision that is before GOCSA and the community over the course of this weekend. It is not my place as Premier of South Australia to offer a view or to endorse a particular position. But can I say this. As a government, we are incredibly excited about the historic opportunity that is before the community, and I wish you all the very best in your deliberations and… the prospect of a single united Greek community representing the future of Greek/Hellenic culture in this state…”
Building on the Premier’s speech, the new Consul General of Greece in Adelaide Dr Alexandra Theodoropoulou expressed her pride in celebrating “another manifestation of the Greek Orthodox Community’s modern and contemporary face… expressing a cultural aspect of our community [which is] very important for the new generations…”
Attending the opening night were many members of the GOCSA community, cinephiles excited about the new offerings of Greek cinema, as well as distinguished guests including the Member for Adelaide, The Honourable Lucy Hood MP, representing the Minister for Small and Family Business, Consumer and Business Affairs, and the Arts, the Hon Andrea Michaels MP; the Honourable Chris Kourakis, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of SA; and Councillor Zoe Papafilopoulos, representing the Mayor of the City of West Torrens, Michael Coxon.
