It could be argued that the whole of Greek tragedy and all the satire springing from Aristophanes is nothing if not moral propaganda. Its aim is to get you thinking.
That’s why you should have a proper gander at The 2022 Greek Film Festival which returns to Leichhardt’s Palace Norton Street Cinema 13 to 23 October to celebrate the best of contemporary and classic Greek cinema.
A couple of highlights: An unforgettable film about amnesia, APPLES is an enigmatic story about a memory loss epidemic, and of one afflicted person in particular.
Aris, has no recollection of his past, and so physicians counting out a cure, set a series of tasks to help build a new identity. From riding bikes to dancing to sexual encounters, he is asked to document completion of these tasks by taking a Polaroid photo, a memento of each step of the therapy.
A meticulous housekeeper and competent cook with a penchant for apples, Aris is diligent in the tasks set but is reticent in encounters of intimacy.
Aris Servitalis, last seen in Man of God, is strikingly still as Aris, as if memory loss has instilled a quantum of calm.
APPLES is a meditation on memory and mourning, the importance of remembrance, of true healing over quack remedies.
BROADWAY is the ironically named criminal endeavour film that chronicles Nelly’s escape from her controlling mother. Mum was a ballerina, so, mockingly, Nelly dances in a strip club, where she meets Markos, a thuggish charismatic gangster, who soon becomes her protector and lover. He brings her into Broadway, an abandoned entertainment complex in Athens squatted by a small community of dancers, tramps, thieves and a captive monkey.
From here they run a pretty successful pickpocket racket that incorporates a street performance component.
When Markos gets arrested and imprisoned, a mysterious newcomer, wanted dead by Athens’ most dangerous underworld figure, will take an unexpectedly important and trans formative place in the gang.
What: The 2022 Greek Film Festival Sydney
When: Thursday 13 October – Sunday 23 October, 2022
Where: Palace Norton Street, 99 Norton Street, Leichhardt, NSW 2040
Website: www.greekfilmfestival.com.au
Facebook: www.facebook.com/GreekFilmFestival