the Hellas Filmbox Berlin, the Greek film festival and Greek thematic material.
With the projection 56 of feature films, documentaries and short films, but with interesting specials, the festival, which takes place for the second year in the same area, will be completed on Sunday 22 January.
Among the chosen guests of the opening ceremony of the festival, which happened the day before yesterday in a climate of intense celebration, it was the great maker Kostas Gavras, who received an honorary award for his contribution to cinema, and in Greece, as well as the minister of Culture and Sport, Lydia Koniordou, who spoke to ana-MPA on the experience of the Hellas Filmbox Berlin, but also for some of the “happenings” of the cinematography in our country.
Tell us a little about the festival. What impressed you the most?
The Hellas FilmBox Festival is a very interesting juvenile initiative, which for the second year, this year shows a strikingly large number of new filmmakers, but also older, with a lot of movies and documentaries to be shown for the first time in the German public and film distributors who are interested in.
At the same time, also has a theatrical platform of contemporary Greek artists, which I plan to attend this afternoon. I wanted to have a personal experience from the project makes this youthful event, and to examine the possibility to build in the future, in the economic context of the ministry of Culture and Sport. We believe in the youthful creativity, and we want to support it any way we can.
Still, I wanted to attend the very moving ceremony of the great Greek director Costa Gavras, to whom we owe a lot to the free, indomitable spirit and great movies that gave and will give to the global family of friends to the movies.
What marks your presence there? Beyond the mastercalss of Ancient Drama performed, and a movement extroversion of the Greek cultural presence?
My presence just comes to show in practice and with my own two properties, of the minister and of the creator, the fact that we listen and we support these healthy, outward-oriented initiatives.
How you see the situation in Greece with regard to the cinema? There is something that you would like to share with us as to the steps support/ promotion of the Greek film industry, the products of which are distinguished repeatedly abroad in the last years?
The cinema of Greece has a very important presence, both within and outside borders. We still need to support the very positive steps that are already taking place, institutional and organisational, supervised by the ministry of operators. We are on the subject of the distribution of Greek films and the screening rooms.
Still need to move forward in the implementation of the FILM COMMISSION, which is the case in many countries. The implementation will have beneficial results for the economy in local communities, and the promotion of our country abroad, as well as a positive effect in the corresponding tourism. I think that things are now ripe to proceed with a serious dialogue, substantial cooperation and guided by the good of the place. In addition, the Greek Film Centre, in addition to its other activities, has already begun the very important development of educational programs for the disciplines of cinema, something that we believe should be continued and strengthened.
You would like to fill out something?
As we all know, our country is going through a very big test. However, the creators of all art forms continue to produce challenging, often heroic, circumstances. It is a form of resistance to what is imposed, is the belief that our culture, through the voices of older, and younger who continue the flame of creation will not stop, will not keep silent. The SPEAKING is listening to these voices, wants to support them, to link organizational initiatives to provide infrastructure where it can.
Still, the efforts of the archaeologists and of the respective Boards of Antiquities throughout the region, contribute and are still committed to a great work. Now that I can from the inside to see the extent of the archaeological project and the people who serve it, I really think that the Greeks should become partakers and feel that the unique cultural heritage, when we have the good fortune to be located in our neighborhood, can offer opportunities for growth with a mild form, development of tourism and all the businesses associated with this, promotion of unique products and of the magic landscape, connection with the education of our children and prospect in the future. It can be a lever for growth and dignity, in the awareness of the value of this place. It is a direction that shares and supports, and the European Union.
With the instruments we have, and we want to continue to support, to solve the difficulties where they are presented, and to disclose to the world the work takes place.
Source
L. Koniordou: we Want to support youthful creativity
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