As part of the prestigious 30th Greek Film Festival of Sydney, Billy Cotsis is presenting a new film based on his many adventures in Latin America.
Cotsis has journeyed to South and Latin America for weeks and months at a time, ostensibly to explore Greek communities that have thrived since the 1800s. The film visits seven countries, showcasing multi-generational Greek speakers, businesses, churches, and cultural traditions. It highlights how Greeks preserve their heritage and language in distant lands.
The film reveals shared values between Greeks and the Americas, such as a love of food and adventure, all while celebrating the region’s stunning landscapes.
The feature documentary includes music from the extraordinary talents of George Ellis, Tassos Bouzouki and Minas Midis. All three have provided soundtracks for Cotsis’ documentaries in the past, though Mr Ellis is fresh from scoring a soundtrack album for a recent Bruce Beresford Hollywood film.
Cotsis has travelled extensively since his student days as he closes in on 100 countries visited. Most of these visits have resulted in articles, videos or documentaries about Greek communities. Some of these include the Greko of Calabria, the Greeks of Tunisia and the Greeks of the Middle East. His adventures always turn out to be educational, cultural learning experiences and opportunities to forge new friendships that last for decades.
Having neglected the Americas, his first visit to Brazil and Argentina only came in early 2020, just before COVID-19.
“My talented friend Mame from my London residency years lives in Buenos Aires; she designs my book covers. Hence it was an incentive to catch up. From there I went to Rio where I met a Greek-speaking Brasileira, Ana Marcia. She really helped me fall in love with Brazil. I’m grateful to her, and because of Ana I was able to connect with the community that year, from the Church to businesses. Her support ensured I met many more Greek speakers on other visits,” Cotsis said.
Cotsis visits Brazil annually to rekindle friendships and expand his Greek connections. Having been six times, his Portuguese is described as “average,” and in a nation with few English speakers, it is the Greek language which allows him to feel at home. In many ways, Brazil is “all Greek to Billy.”
True to form, he is treated as part of the family in many places, whether at the Greek churches in Rio and other parts of the Americas, or at O Grego in Copacabana. “I feel like I’m home. We laugh, dance, smash plates, play tavli and hang out after hours.”
In 2024, Cotsis journeyed to 14 countries in the Americas, intending only to write articles and a new book, yet a visit to a Greek-speaking home in Santiago gave him an idea to visually record the visits.
“I was invited to journalist Veronica Rabb Saitis’ home to meet her family. Three generations of Greeks. I thought, far out, I better record some of this. Nice people, good story; the mother is a Greek from Bolivia. I also met the Greek Consul Manolis Andreasson in Santiago. An interesting and fascinating man who has lived in several nearby nations, and he delivers lectures on Greek history. I thought, ‘we need to be telling the world about these Greek communities’,” he said.
To Cotsis, there are countless stories of people, their triumphs and struggles, that need to be told. He hopes the film provides an entry point to the world they live in.
“In Caracas, Father Evangelos, originally from Colombia, made me feel welcome; the entire community did. I told him I was missing playing football. He immediately contacted Greek and non-Greek footballers in Caracas and by the evening, Father had lent me his sports shoes and we all played football. I scored a goal against Father! It was my favourite night in the Americas, truly special. We even ate at the Greek taverna next to the pitch. I had attended huge salsa parties, Greek events, beach parties, I even joined human rights protests in Brazil, yet this act of fulfilling my wish – it’s hard to explain how happy I was.”
The filmmaker continues: “I generally have a bike to get around, visiting neighbourhoods. I get to sample a bit of the local ways wherever I travel. We in Australia can whinge about plenty, yet most people in the Americas crack on with life. Many towns, villages and favelas struggle. Sometimes there is political upheaval.”
For the purpose of the feature film, Chile, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Panama and Cuba are covered. The challenge, he says, was deciding what to leave out. Hence a part two is being prepared for 2026.
The film was pieced together in Newtown’s Luna Studio with Tim Star. “Tim helped make sense of a film that initially had no structure. Had it not been for the Greek Festival of Sydney and their encouragement to make the film, it is likely I may not have made the film the way it has finally been constructed. I was basically creating a series of mini docos. The way the film is set now shows the type of journey I took, getting around the Americas, and you can see a bit of overlap with the communities – Greek eateries, churches and damn good people! Most live near coastal regions.”
The screening will be the World Premiere, with plans to release the film internationally after additional footage from Billy’s next Brazilian trip is included.
The film should leave the audience with two things: it’s all Greek to Billy, and there are Hellenes almost everywhere. Cotsis has been to an estimated 40 Greek communities worldwide. In his words, he has yet to truly scratch the surface.
The World Premiere of “The Greeks of South America” will be held on Thursday, October 16 at 6.30pm at Palace Cinemas Norton Street. Buy tickets here.
*Billy Cotsis is the author of Aristotle Roberto Carlos Smithopoulos, partially set in Brasil and Colombia
