Greek Documentary Association

… was built up in May 2013 “by professionals of all disciplines – directors, producers, screenwriters, cinematographers, editors … – with a common passion for Creative Documentary…” with the vision “From the start, we sought to support the Documentary as a distinct form of filmmaking in Greece and to work for its further recognition and promotion internationally, by Organizing spezialized educational events/ Developing ways and means for the promotion and distribution of documentaries/ Building collaborations with similar organizations, international festivals and markets/ Fighting for the recognition and standing that the Greek Creative Documentary deserves from state authorities” – quoted from the website of the association, https://en.hellasdoc.gr.

In June same year, 2013, the public broadcaster ERT was closed and this raised a lot of protests, also from the Association. On this site we brought a text sent to us by filmmaker Marianna Economou, I quote again “…

“We, the creators of documentaries, united citizens and peoples, will fight for the immediate re opening of ERT, so that Greek creativity and culture reaches every house. We will fight the bill that the government announced as it continues and even strengthens the interference of the political parties and their control of public television. We will make propositions for necessary reforms in order for this voice to acquire its important educational, cultural and ethnic role, especially during these difficult times that we are traversing.

We are the only country in the world that has a black out on the public television screen and where the radio waves are silenced. Let’s fight, so that these media become the essential means, guardians and catalysts for the promotion of education and culture.” The whole text is here: https://filmkommentaren.dk/greek-documentary-association-protest/. ERT exists today, don´t know for how long time there was “black screen”!.

The Association has around 200 members today, it organizes documentary events, is active at the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival and arranges its own small festival for new Greek documentaries and projects in development. I was invited to come to Athens to do two masterclasses, one was for makers, who wanted to know more about how to prepare projects, pitch (writing, showing via a teaser/trailer, talking) where I had the pleasure to make a case study together with talented Ukrainian/Greek Vera Iona Papadopoulou and her work-in-progress “Nova Opera – The Art of War” AND do a presentation (the second day) of the narrative diversity of the documentary genre of today showing clips from Denmark, Sweden, Eastern Europe including Georgia. Not with the same countries but with the same INSPIRATION goal as 25 years ago (!), where I was invited to do the same but with more days. It was indeed a wonderful come back to friends from the documentary scene in Greece – including memories from numerous visits organized by Kostas Spyropoulos in the periods 2009-12 and 2013-17, through Storydoc.

… and you are treated well in Greece. That’s what I chose as a photo taken by a waiter with the cell phone of Marianna Economou, who is the one in yellow on the left side of the table. On FB there are other photos with introductions.