Eager film lovers came together on Tuesday, October 15 to enjoy the highly anticipated comedy Hear Who’s Talking at the opening night of this year’s 29th Greek Film Festival in Sydney.
Running from 15th to 27th October, the festival is hosted by the Greek Festival of Sydney and the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW (GOCNSW), and presented by Metaxa. The Greek Herald is a proud national media partner.
In what has become an annual landmark in Sydney’s Greek community cultural calendar, Palace Cinemas Norton Street was filled with festivalgoers who soaked up the vibrant opening night atmosphere and took photographs in front of a media wall.
Hear Who’s Talking, directed by Thodoris Niarchos and starring Meletis Ilias, set the perfect tone for the festival. Niarchos’ signature comedic style had the audience in stitches while also delivering a thoughtful message that resonated deeply with the audience.
Before the screening, Nia Karteris, Chair of the Greek Festival of Sydney, warmly welcomed the audience. She extended her gratitude to the Greek community and the wider public, as well as the festival’s sponsors and the organising committee, led by Events Coordinator, Chryssa Karagiannidou.
Ms Karteris also shared an exciting development for this year’s Film Festival, explaining how it will be housed in two homes as it screens its full program of feature films at its standard home of Palace Cinemas Norton Street, as well as the new location of Palace Cinemas Moore Park.
Harry Danalis, President of the GOCNSW, also addressed attendees and expressed pride in how this year’s Film Festival will hold the Australian premiere of Eva Nathena’s Murderess which is based on Alexandros Papadiamantis’ novel of the same name.
The Consul General of Greece in Sydney, Ioannis Mallikourtis, took the podium to commend the organisers for curating a diverse programme that promotes Greek contemporary culture and values, as well as the next generation through the upcoming 12th Student Greek Film Festival. He also touched on how the GOCNSW recently met with Greece’s Deputy Culture Minister Iason Fotilas and discussed future cooperation between the Greek government and the Film Festival.
The last speaker was National Ambassador, Manager for Spirits Platform at Metaxa, Mark Hickey. Mr Hickey spoke of the history of Metaxa since 1888. He also expressed pride in Metaxa’s partnership with the festival and said they look forward to a great future together.
Attendees received festival tote bags filled with sponsor goodies and gifts before sitting down to enjoy the highly regarded comedy. James Stevens from Mr Roses was also gifted a special Metaxa bottle in recognition of his support for the festival.
Full program details on the upcoming Film Festival, including how to buy tickets, can be found at https://greekfilmfestival.com.au/sydney
Full Event Details
- What: 29th Greek Film Festival Sydney
- When: 15-27 October 2024
- Where: Palace Cinema Norton St (99 Norton St, Leichardt, NSW 2040) and Palace Cinema Moore Park (122 Lang Rd, Moore Park NSW 2021).
- Tickets: https://greekfilmfestival.com.au/sydney
*All photos copyright The Greek Herald / Andriana Simos.
