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Hundreds turned out for the opening night in Sydney and Melbourne to see the Australian premiere of Roza of Smyrna

The 24th Delphi Bank Greek Film Festival is in full swing with cinephiles turning out in droves to both Sydney and Melbourne’s opening night.

This year Melbourne’s event was held on Wednesday across two venues, with nine hundred in attendance at The Astor and 350 at Palace Cinema Como, showing that the love for Greek cinema is alive and well.

Attendees were treated with true Greek hospitality, welcomed upon arrival with an offering of Skinos Mastiha and Tsilili Tsipouro by Tirnavos Imports.

Before the opening night film, Roza of Smyrna commenced speeches were delivered by director of the Greek Centre Jorge Menidis, Director of the Greek Film Festival Penny Kyprianou, Head of Delphi Bank Jim Sarris, and the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne Christina Simantiraki.

“It is a privilege to be a part of the Greek Film Festival, which in return brings so much joy and entertainment to our community,” Mr Sarris said.

“The entire 2017 programme is bursting with films exploring human connections and stories – which is something myself and my colleagues greatly value, as we too believe that lasting relationships with you, and our community, are worth investing in.”

After the film the party kept going, the atmosphere abuzz with live entertainment by band Agapi + Friends and a selection of canapes catered by Hellenic Republic.

Director of the festival, Ms Kyprianou was pleased with the turnout and is excited to share this year’s selections with attendees.

“We’re often asked what theme each year’s programme is – and as you browse through the films on offer this year – it’s abundantly clear that the notion of human connection is at the core of many of this year’s stories,” Ms Kyprianou told Neos Kosmos.

“With only 10 days to enjoy this year’s programme, we encourage you all to dive in and take as many risks as you can. We’ll be at The Astor for closing night on Sunday 22 October with the back by popular demand Cloudy Sunday (Ouzeri Tsitsanis) directed by Manousos Manousakis – followed by a live performance by Melbourne’s own Rebetiki. And like all Greek parties – refusing to call it a night – we host a special event for Clio Fanourakis’ Xamou, where the stunning island of Crete takes centrestage – right here on Sunday 19 November co-presented with the Pancretan Association of Melbourne.”

source:Neos Kosmos

People are taking advantage of the benefits of the newly introduced investor visa

When Greece introduced a new type of investor visa in 2013, which grants residency status to non-EU investors, even the most optimistic within the then government would have anticipated the programme’s success.

Designed to attract investors who would be willing to buy property worth more than €250,000, the programme has generated an income estimated to be over €1.1 billion, significantly altering the real estate market in Greece.

Daily newspaper Kathimerini reports that 2,014 residence permits have been granted to investors since 2013 – of which 464 were issued within the last 12 months. A further 2,948 residence permits have been granted to their family members. According to Enterprise Greece, the majority of these permits i.e. 850 were issued to investors from China, with Russian and Turkish investors following with 388 and 161 residence permits respectively. The top 10 is completed with Egypt (98 permits), Lebanon (85 permits), Ukraine (73 permits), Iraq (62 permits), Syria (48 permits), Jordan (46 permits) and Saudi Arabia (18 permits).

According to Kathimerini, the average cost per investor is around €550,000 to €600,000, which means that investors are mostly acquiring large properties and luxury holiday houses.

source:Neos Kosmos

There are already 25 students enrolled, studying music theory, history of Greek music and, of course, practical bouzouki playing

Born and raised in South Australia, musician and bouzouki player Con Dalagiorgos has officially opened the first bouzouki school in Australia, hoping to share his knowledge, experience and passion for Greek music.

“The idea to set up a school and teach bouzouki was playing in my mind for a while but it wasn’t until last year that I decided to set up a proper bouzouki school where people of all ages can come and learn how to play what I consider to be the most iconic musical instrument of our ancestors,” Dalagiorgos tells Neos Kosmos.

So far the idea has been well received and the school already has 25 students studying music theory, history of Greek music and, of course, practical bouzouki playing.

“Our youngest student is an eight-year-old boy and the eldest member of our team is a 61-year-old man. The school is now open and we welcome anyone who has a real passion and willingness to dedicate their time in learning not only how to play a musical instrument, but to immerse themselves in the history of Greek music as well as the life and work of some of the most iconic representatives of Greek music who left us an indisputably valuable cultural and musical heritage in the past few decades,” says Dalagiorgos whose family originates from Kozani and the island of Kalymnos.

According to the 54-year-old artist, his love for this particular music instrument started at the age of five and he has dedicated his life to it, playing with his band and keeping the musical heritage alive.

“I saw my friend playing one day and I immediately thought to myself ‘this is what I want to do’.
“I haven’t looked back since and to this day I still enjoy performing but, when I come across young children who have a passion to learn and ask to watch YouTube videos of old rembetes playing the bouzouki, I feel so blessed and hopeful that I can finally introduce the instrument and share my very own love for Greek music with my students,” says Dalagiorgos who, with music teacher and performer Tsambika De George, is working tirelessly towards one common goal: to keep Greek music alive.

“There are a few events that we have been invited to perform at, starting with the Odyssey Festival, presented by the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia this month.
“The bouzouki is an institution for our heritage and as musicians and Greek Australians we ought to do everything in our power to keep the sound alive for the generations to come. We owe it to our children, we owe it to the Greek iconic musicians of that era, and most importantly we owe it to Greece.
“At our school, students are introduced to the prominent Greek musicians of the past, they learn the history of Greek music and above all, they learn how to perform like Greeks; how to engage and develop rapport with the crowd so that they can all enjoy and have a good time.
“Above all, students learn how to spread kefi and play from their hearts,” he concludes.

For more information and enquiries, visit facebook.com/Con-Dalagiorgos-School-of-Music or call 0411 185 166.

source:Neos  Kosmos

Greek-French artist Alexis Arabia is introducing the rest of the world to the concept of κέφι

For a non-Greek person, the word κέφι (kefi) is hard to translate as there is no direct English equivalent, with most dictionaries generally describing it as the spirit of joy and an overpowering emotion filled with passion and enthusiasm.

For Greeks though, κέφι encompasses a whole overwhelming soul and body experience that’s expressed through laughing, dancing and singing; it’s the connection with other people and a way to deal with pain and hardships whilst achieving a carefree moment of ultimate happiness.

For many Greeks or those who have had the opportunity to find themselves in Greece, κέφι is even linked to the custom of smashing plates at a Greek ταβέρνα on a warm summer night.

After all, who doesn’t remember the 1964 British-Greek comedy-drama film adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’ novel ‘Zorba the Greek’, produced and directed by Cypriot Michalis Cacoyiannis starring Anthony Quinn as the title character, in which a middle aged Greek with a real lust for life, disturbs the joyless existence of an aimless English writer who visits the Greek island of Crete and experiences how the Greeks deal with pain, loss, failure and hardship whilst he discovers the earthy pleasures this small country has to offer.

“You’ve got everything, except one thing; madness,” says Zorba to his English friend in one of the movie scenes.

“A man needs a little madness. Every day cut the rope and be free.”

Although hard to define, κέφι takes many forms, but is usually associated with the expression of positive emotion and is thought out to be the secret to temper the tribulations of life and the Greeks’ own cynical and sceptical nature.

In other words, κέφι is the desire to take the pain away and turn it into joy.

Inspired by his recent trip to Greece, Greek-French comedian Alexis Arabia, whose maternal family originates from Messolonghi, in Western Greece, decided to visit his mother’s homeland with a camera on hand and interview people asking them one very simple question.

“What does the word κέφι mean to you?”

“My aim was to introduce and bring the meaning of this unique word to the French people first and hopefully to the rest of the world,” says the 26-year-old artist who studied International Commerce but subsequently changed career paths as he was determined to follow his dream and become a comedian.

“There is not enough of a Greek element in France as it is in the U.S.A. and Australia, but through the videos on YouTube and my comedy show, I wanted to literally ‘spread the word’ so that everyone can feel joyful and happy and adopt the philosophy of experiencing κέφι in their lives.

The four-minute-long video was shot in Messolonghi and Paris last summer and also features Greek-French journalist and entertainer Nikos Aliagas.

“I loved going around interviewing every-day people about this almost culturally embedded idea of staying positive and euphoric, even during the most challenging and difficult times and I also interviewed Nikos Aliagas who is a true representative of our culture,” says Alexis.

“Κέφι is a philosophy; it is a small sparkle that doesn’t last eternally but gifts us the true state of happiness even if it’s for a moment or a night. It’s a feeling we want to share with each other,” says Nikos Aliagas on the video.

“Κέφι is the desire to simply prolong your existence, by removing the stress and struggles of everyday life.”

Since uploading the video, the overall response has been nothing but positive and Alexis has been inundated with messages from all over the world.

“The feedback on this particular video has been incredible and the comments and shares on social media have been overwhelming. The majority of French people cherish the Greeks. I experience this love on a daily basis through my followers on social media who write messages of support and love for the country,” says Alexis revealing that most people watch the video and then find the strength to confide in him about their sorrows and thank him for putting a smile on their faces with his heart-warming four-minute gesture.

“I sincerely hope that the video we have made will make all Greeks feel proud of their heritage and will spread joy to the rest of the world,” concludes Alexis.

You can watch the video here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=_fUThbi_FCc

Source: Neos Kosmos

The Greek Film Festival is one of the oldest film festivals in Australia, and it turns 24 this year. Being staged nationally, the Palace Cinemas Adelaide component features five films in five sessions over four days of eclectic Greek cinema at Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas from 12-15 October (presented nationally by Delphi Bank).

Adelaide’s opening night gala is being held on Thursday 12 October at Palace Nova Cinemas. Greek cinema lovers will feel the vibe at the launch with the opening blockbuster film Roza of Smyrna, a ‘Greco-Turkish Romeo and Juliet’ based on the novel Ismael and Roza by Giannis Gianellis and featuring two original songs by Haris Alexiou.

As we prepare for the film event of the year, here’s a quick look at this year’s films.

Roza of Smyrna by George Kordellas (2016)
(Opening night) Thursday 12 October at 6.00pm

A captivating film, Roza of Smyrna brings the story of an enigmatic old woman Rosa from Izmir who lives for decades with the weight of a well-kept secret. An avid collector of Greek objects in Asia Minor, Dimitris, prepares an exhibition in a renowned museum in Athens on Culture of Nationalities who cohabited in Izmir before the genocide. In a trip to Izmir with the curator of the museum and his girlfriend Rita, he accidentally finds in a small antique shop a Greek wedding dress that is stained with blood. An old photograph, a wedding dress soiled with blood and a letter, become the reason to retract their story from the past.

The Other Me by Sotiris Tsafoulias (2016)
Friday 13 October at 6.30pm

A professor of criminology tries to solve five completely unrelated murders whose only link is quotes from Pythagoras. Alongside him on this journey is a maths professor. Will they manage to solve this mystery? An intense thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat!

The Bachelor by Antonis Sotiropoulos (2016)
Saturday 14 October at 6.30pm

A mistake made by the bride rejoins 4 old friends of disaster and a father in law! 5 guys go to Thassaloniki to tear everything down. A father in law gets in a hearse in order to kill a love in the making. An ex-girlfriend dances tango with her memories as a partner. A cancelled wedding and a relationship that starts with the brides vail floating at the wind of independence.

Xamou by Clio Fanouraki (2016)
Saturday 14 October at 9.00pm

A love letter to the island of Crete, this gentle Mediterranean pick-me-up posits a back-to-the-land solution to Greece’s economic crisis and boasts breathtaking cinematography, haunting, original music and mouth-watering food and wine.

Cloudy Sunday by Manousos Manousakis (2015)
Sunday 15 Οctober at 7.00pm

During World War II in Greece, under the submission of Germans, one Christian, Giorgos, falls in love with a Jewish lady named Estrea, something completely forbidden. Can they and their families overcome all the obstacles, along with racial discriminations and hardship? The story mainly takes place in an ouzeri, in which Tsitsanis works, one of the greatest Greek composers, librettists and singers of the 20th century.

Tickets to the opening night gala are $35.00 and includes the opening night event with mezedes and wine. Session ticket prices for other screenings are: adults $19.50, concession $16.50.

Where: CBD, Rundle Street, Adelaide For more call (08) 8125 9312 or go to palacecinemas.com.au

Source: Neos Kosmos

Άκρως ενδιαφέρουσα η Έκθεση παραδοσιακών αμφιέσεων, πολεμικών στολών και εξαρτήσεων, σημαιών και άλλων στοιχείων από την αρχαία εποχή μέχρι σήμερα. Η διαχρονική συνέχεια του Ελληνικού Έθνους στην Μακεδονία γίνεται φανερή από τα εκθέμετα, τα βιβλία και την αγάπη του Προέδρου και του Διοικητικού Συμβουλίου του Συλλόγου. Συγχαρητήρια !

Πηγή:https://www.facebook.com/socrates.sidiropoulos/media_set?set=a.10213161907939575.1073741906.1151291018&type=3

Panathinaikos and PAOK secured positive results in their first-leg games for the third qualifying round of the Europe League on Thursday, while Panionios suffered a reverse it can overcome in the return game.

Panathinaikos defeated Qabala from Azerbaijan 1-0, the team that had dumped it out of the same competition two years ago. This was the first win in a European game for Panathinaikos after seven matches.

In front of full stands at the Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium the Greens deserved a higher score given the number of chances they created. Eventually they scored from the penalty spot, as Guillermo Molins’ goal on the 37th minute was the first for Panathinaikos after three European games when the Greens were scoreless.

Robin Lod hit the woodwork twice and his colleagues missed numerous chances to add to the Greens’ tally on the night, while the Greek defense held firm for a clean sheet that could prove precious.

PAOK escaped with a 1-1 draw from Kiev as Olimpik Donetsk outplayed the Greeks (who actually had no Greeks on the pitch until the 81st minute) but was unable to transform that into a home win.

Pedro Henrique scored for PAOK through a spectacular shot four minutes after coming on as a substitute on the 55th minute, to equalize Stanislav’s Bilenkyi’s opener on the 49th minute.

The players of coach Aleksandar Stanojevic were obviously unprepared for the game, but were fortunate enough not to concede any more than once on the night.

Panionios lost 1-0 at Maccabi Tel Aviv although it played quite well in the humid conditions of Israel.

Facing its host without Masoud Shojaei and Ehsan Hajsafi, as the Iranian players are not allowed by their government to visit Israel, the Nea Smyrni team held on till the 48th minute, when a solo effort by Vidar Orn Kjartansson found the back of the net.

The chances that fell to Giorgos Masouras and Lazaros Lambrou went to waste, but Panionios showed it can overturn the deficit in a week’s time at home.

All return games will take place on August 3.

source:ekathimerini.com

Ben Mohamed scored a precious brace for Olympiakos in Belgrade to lead the Reds to a 3-1 win over Partizan for the third qualifying round of the Champions League on Tuesday, while AEK lost 2-0 at home to a superior CSKA Moscow. The results render next week’s return games largely academical.

Ben scored his first for Olympiakos just five minutes after kick-off following a great one-two with Marko Marin.

Partizan equalized four minutes later as Leandre Tawamba’s shot was parried by Olympiakos keeper Stefanos Kapino, but the ball went in off Tawamba’s body.

Ben restored Olympiakos’s lead 10 minutes after the interval with a spectacular solo effort that ended in a curving left-footed effort from outside the area for 2-1.

Then a great through-ball from the left by Diogo Figueiras in injury time found Emmanuel Emenike with only the goalkeeper to beat, and he sealed victory for the Greeks.

Partizan was far from hospitable for Olympiakos, with bangers and objects hurled against the Olympiakos players, and Greek swearing chants directed at the Reds as Partizan fans made the most of their twinning with PAOK supporters, and the two sets of players had a tussle at half-time on the way to the locker rooms.

AEK wished to combine the news of obtaining the construction permit to build a new soccer ground at Nea Filadelfia – the long-anticipated “Aghia Sofia” stadium – with a good result against CSKA, but this appeared impossible on the night.

Playing in front of some 35,000 AEK fans, and 200 visiting supporters, AEK had a decent start to the game putting some pressure on the Russians, but as the time went on CSKA dominated game.

After hitting the cross bar on the 28th it opened the score on the last minute of the first half as Alan Djagoev headed the ball home from a corner kick from the right.

The goal damaged the self-confidence of AEK and CSKA added the second goal 11 minutes into the second half. It was another corner kick which was this time turned in by Pontus Wernbloom, practically taking the two-leg tie beyond AEK.

source:ekathimerini.com

For the first time, conjoined twins Abby and Erin Delaney can sleep in separate beds.

The 10-month-old girls from North Carolina were born connected at the head, an extremely rare condition. Following months of planning and preparation, the pair underwent a successful 11-hour separation surgery last week at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, according to the hospital.

“Separating conjoined twins is a very complex surgery followed by a long and complicated recovery, but we are very hopeful for a positive outcome,” Jesse Taylor, a plastic surgeon who co-led the operation with neurosurgeon Gregory Heuer, said on Tuesday in a statement from the hospital.

“Erin and Abby are now recovering in our Pediatric Intensive Care Unit under close monitoring by our expert teams.”

With identical twins, an embryo splits in two early in a pregnancy; but with conjoined twins, the embryo does not separate all the way and the twins remain connected, according to the University of Maryland Medical Centre. Conjoined twins are uncommon, occurring once in about every 200,000 births – and craniopagus twins, those who are connected at the head, are the rarest form, accounting for about 2 per cent of conjoined twins, according to the medical centre.

The severity of the condition depends on how and where the conjoined twins are connected. One expert said that most craniopagus twins do not survive.

Abby and Erin’s parents, Riley and Heather Delaney, learned that their girls were conjoined early last year when Heather Delaney was about 11 weeks pregnant.

Although it was too soon to know whether the twins would be able to be separated, Heather Delaney started travelling from North Carolina to Pennsylvania for her prenatal care. Eventually, she moved into a hospital facility in Philadelphia for mothers carrying babies with complex congenital conditions, according to the hospital.

On July 24, 2016, Abby and Erin were delivered by C-section 10 weeks prematurely, each weighing about under a kilo, the hospital said in a statement.

Doctors there worked on a comprehensive plan to try to separate them.

Alan R. Cohen, chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, said that he could not comment on the Delaneys’ case specifically but that separating craniopagus twins “can be a high-risk surgery.”

Cohen said surgeries are done at major medical centrers where teams of neurosurgeons, plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists and critical-care physicians spend months studying patients’ brain scans and, often, 3-D models “to try to find the safest way to make the disconnection.”

“Depending on where the heads are joined and how much they are fused, that determines the complexity of the operation,” Cohen said. He added that “the most feared complication of the surgery is how to manage the shared blood vessels – particularly the veins that drain the brain – because usually one twin gets the good veins and the other doesn’t.”

There are also ethical considerations with separation surgery, Cohen said. He said that the twins may not survive the intervention, or sometimes one twin survives and the other does not or is in poor neurological condition.

He said “success” means the surgeons are able to separate the twins, but “in terms of the long-term prognosis, it’s usually a long road ahead for the family and the medical team caring for them.”

The night before the Delaneys’ surgery on June 6, someone posted on a Facebook page set up for the twins.

“The girls have a big procedure tomorrow,” the post read. “We ask for as many prayers as you can spare. It will be a long day for us.”

For days after, the messages asked others to “bear with us” and “keep praying for us.”

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia said about 30 doctors, nurses and other medical personnel worked to separate the twins – a first for the hospital. The hospital said it has separated 22 other pairs of conjoined twins over the past 60 years but never a pair of craniopagus twins.

The surgery was meticulously orchestrated: Surgical equipment was colour-coded with green and purple tape – one colour assigned to each patient. The medical team worked essentially on one body – and then once the girls were separated – the team split to care for two.

“During the separation surgery, our team first meticulously separated the infants’ shared blood vessels and dura, the tough protective membrane surrounding both brains, then moved on to separate the sagittal sinus, the most difficult portion of the operation,” Heuer, the neurosurgeon, said in the statement. “Finally, we divided our team into two halves, one for each of the girls, and finished the reconstruction portion of the surgery.”

The hospital said the twins will likely have additional surgeries but plans to send them home later this year.

“When we go home, it’s going to be a big party,” Heather Delaney said in a statement from the hospital. “Welcome home, baby shower, first birthday.“

source:smh.com.au