Have you ever wondered how the first Cretan arrived in Australia? Who were those brave people who began a journey into the unknown with no supplies, but with a tenacity for life?
Georgios Dokos arrived in Melbourne in 1848 searching for gold and so the history of the Cretan people in Australia began at that same moment. 175 years later we are telling this story.
In the documentary film, On the Other Side of the World, the history of the Cretans in Australia will be showcased.
The documentary is based to a large degree on the book that was published in 2009 by author and historian, Socrates Tsourdalakis, titled The Cretans of Oceania from the 19th Century. The documentary will also include new research from his second book titled The Cretan Pioneers of Australia that will be published in 2023.
Andriani Aggelidaki, a well-known senior journalist from Crete, travels to Australia searching for the Cretan story. She questions, she thinks, she searches. She meets Cretans who keep Crete alive. An entire Crete on the other side of the world. So in the documentary, the beginning of the history of the Cretans in Australia comes to light.
Andriani meets academics, historians, researchers in Greece and Australia. First, second and third generation Cretans, but also representatives of Crete who keep the “dialogue” with expatriates alive. These are the protagonists of the documentary.
Through human stories, as well as historical, in-depth testimonies, the documentary describe the great history of the migration of the Cretans to the land of Australia and of the migration of the Greeks in general.
According to a press release by the Cretan Federation of Australia & New Zealand, partners and entrepreneurs from Crete and Australia are rallying around the project.
This large project is funded by the Region of Crete and the financial assistance of the Cretan Federation of Australia & New Zealand. The documentary film will be produced by EyeQ Creative Media Productions.
The official screenings will take place in October in Iraklio and Crete and in November in Melbourne and Sydney. For more information at info@stinalliakritoukosmou.gr or at admin@cretan.com.au
