Presented by the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia (GOCSA), the 2023 Greek Film Festival was officially opened with a gala event on Tuesday, October 24, by the Premier of South Australia, Peter Malinauskas, at the Palace Nova Cinemas in Prospect, Adelaide.
The evening event, which sold 240 tickets and featured meze and local wine, was followed by two screenings of Asimina Proedrou’s award-winning drama Behind the Haystacks and marked the beginning of the 6-day Film Festival that aims to celebrate the Greek culture.
GOCSA President, Peter Gardiakos, expressed his gratitude to the Premier for taking the time to be at
the event and thanked him and the State Government for their ongoing support.
In his speech, Mr Georganas said that Greek cinema provided migrants of the 60s and 70s a way to stay connected to their homeland.
“We all recall, those that are my age, going to Thebarton theatre every single Saturday night and watching either a drama that dealt with a migration story or a comedy,” Mr Georganas said.
“That was the thing that connected us physically to Greece. That’s what we saw visually of our parents’
homeland. None of us have been there, none of us knew what it was like and that gave us a bit of a
reality.”
Addressing the attendees, the Premier referred to his family’s Lithuanian and Hungarian background and discussed about the importance of preserving one’s culture and language.
“The passing on of Hellenism and Hellenic culture is something you’ve done exceedingly well and it’s
something you should be proud of, but it’s also worthy of further investment,” Mr Malinauskas said.
The SA Premier added: “I have been very excited to hear, in recent months, about the prospect of a degree of unity existing among the broader Greek community throughout the state. I, for one, as Premier of the State, am excited to hear about that. I think it takes a degree of courage to work forward and focus on the future.”
Attending the opening night were representatives of local government, members, sponsors and
cinephiles, as well as distinguished guests including the Honourable Chief Justice Chris Kourakis; State Member for Adelaide Ms Lucy Hood MP; Federal Member for Adelaide, Mr Steve Georganas MP and the Consul General of Greece to Adelaide, Mr George Psiachas.
