World Poetry Day: Celebrating Fanfaras, Greece’s Renowned Film Poet

Today is World Poetry Day (March 21, 2025), and a Facebook post reminds us of beloved verses from Greek cinema. The initial inspiration for this melodic celebration comes from poet Michail Mitra, who in 1997 proposed to the Writers’ Association that Greece celebrate poetry on a specific day, as many other countries do. The aim of World Poetry Day is to promote reading, writing, publishing, and teaching poetry worldwide. According to UNESCO’s original declaration, it seeks to provide new recognition and impetus to national, regional, and international poetry movements. In honor of the occasion, Finos Film released a video tribute to Fanfaras, the iconic poet behind ‘Wake Up Vassilis,’ highlighting his contributions to Greek film.