The Greek Festival of Sydney, proudly supported by Bank of Sydney, and in collaboration with the Hellenic Australian Lawyers Association of NSW, will present a special tribute documentary for the high esteemed lawyer of Nelson Mandela, titled ‘George Bizos ICON.’
The touching story of a teenage refugee from Greece (1927-2020), George Bizos, who became a relentless human-rights lawyer in the crucible of a violent racist regime in South Africa, will be screened at Palace Cinema Norton on Sunday, October 22 at 4pm. The screening will be attended by George Bizos’ son Alexi Bizos and the documentary director Jane Lipman, and it will be followed by a Q&A.
Over decades, George Bizos represented revolutionaries including Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko, Chris Hani, and many others in the brutal search for the truth within a dramatic political chess game, and a negotiated end to apartheid. A champion of Constitutionalism in South Africa, George Bizos was key in its creation.
With populism on the rise, this film follows him through his life speaking truth to power, advocating legal rights for the poor, and holding perpetrators of violence and corruption to account, including the Marikana Massacre of thirty-four miners (2012) and recent reopened inquests of activists murdered. He was key in the drafting of the law that created the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) representing families and victims there. The film juxtaposes the personal and political sides of George’s life showing the tapestry of his lived experience and his motivation in his work.
At the same time, Bizos did not forget his roots and apart from his life-long struggle to change South Africa, he was key in pioneering SAHETI School in Johannesburg, now with over 1200 learners, embracing a wider definition of Hellenism, opening its doors to all and “those who want to partake of our learning.”
The documentary uses public and never-before seen archives of Bizos in action, his family’s 8mm and still archive, as well as interviews with notables, colleagues and family members. The film flows in a semi-chronological way, engaging the viewer to the end.
The screening of the film is supported by the Australian alumni of Witwatersrand University of Johannesburg. For more information, please visit https://greekfilmfestival.com.au/sydney
Event Details:
- WHAT: George Bizos Icon – Documentary
- WHEN: 22 October 2023 at 4:00 pm
- WHERE: Palace Norton Street, Leichhardt (99 Norton Street, Leichhardt, NSW 2040)
- BOOK: https://tinyurl.com/ynnj3faj
