Two-day event aimed at the need for extroversion of Greek cinema

The complete program of the two-day meeting of representatives of the cinema that will take place on 29 and 30 September at the House of Letters and Arts.

The effort is supported by the Hellenic Film Academy and aims at the extroversion of Greek cinema, which for years has been doing well at festivals abroad where it has distinguished itself. A more recent example is the case of Giorgos Zois' short film "Ending Titles" which was awarded at the Venice festival. Zois and his producer Maria Drandaki are among the presenters of the event and will present the development process of the first feature film of the former, «Stage Fright».

The philosophy of the two-day conference with the general title "Riding the Greek wave" ("Riding the Greek Wave") are the meetings and exchanges of ideas and experiences between Greek and foreign representatives of the cinema.

On Saturday, he presents the show "17. 37΄Πειραιάς – The Mouth»

Greece and Argentina meet in a port. On a journey through time. Six faces, each with their own history and memories, with his partings and dreams. Dominant theme, the waiting. Their weapons, the song and the dance. Tango and zeibeki, ball and tzakarera. Carnival and demonstration. Pictures of him 30, of 70 and his 2012. Everything sweetly tangles and unites them.

This is how the theatrical production that culminates the actions of the Tango Acropolis Festival unfolds on Saturday 8 September entitled "17. 37"Piraeus - La Boca" at the Badminton Theatre.

"It is a theatrical performance with a lot of dancing where Greeks and Argentinians participate", says Pemy Zouni who directs and stars in the production. "I would essentially say that it is a meeting of the cultures of two countries that may be far away, but they have, many common elements. The course of Greece and Argentina in the 20th century shows many similarities. Comprehensive regimes, forbidden songs ( zeibekiko and tango), tendency to flee and cities full of immigrants. They are two countries with big hearts and unruly minds..."

The "soul" of the show are the tangeros, the community of Greeks and Argentinians who live in our country and love tango and Argentinian culture. From the end of April, the small group of core performers of the show prepares the play. A woman in a harbor waits for her lover who is a sailor to return. Based on a story of waiting, many different separation stories, of love, of dreams and hope unfold in parallel.

The direction is by Pemis Zounis and the texts are by Stelios Hatziadamidis. Assistant director is Pella Makrodimitri. They are playing: Pemy Zounis, Elena and Luis Mestre, Panis Kalofolias, Dimitris Nikolaidis, Marianna Cutulas. Marios Strofalis participates (accordion), Costas Vlachopoulos (harmonica) and the Quilombo percussion group.

What will the viewer take away from the show?; "A sweetness of things he knows and loves, and from stories he may have recognized. Memories "touch". And seeing the harbor can, for example, may come to your mind "The minor of the dawn" with the voice of Sotiria Bellou..."

There is a case for repeating the performance; "We are in discussions with Buenos Aires", Pemy Zouni answers. "I would also like the show to be staged in Thessaloniki. All possibilities are open…”

Saturday 8 September
Badminton Theatre
«17. 37΄Πειραιάς – The Mouth»

Mark Haddon's novel live from the England National

A 15-year-old autistic boy, mathematical genius, decides to discover the killer of his neighbor's dog and in the course of his investigation unravels the disorders of "normal" people while at the same time confronting his own demons through his personal view of reality.
All this in "Who Killed the Dog at Midnight;» by Mark Haddon. A touching one, tender and humorous portrait book of young Christopher's life, which has sold more than two million copies worldwide and is a reference text for anyone trying to understand the conditions and manifestations of autism. Award-winning author Simon Stephens brings the novel to the stage of England's National Theater in a performance that can be watched live by Athenians on 6 September (at 21.00) on the screen of the Athens Concert Hall (Alexandra Trianti Hall).

The play "Who Killed the Dog at Midnight;" is the first of the broadcasts of this year's series from the National Theater of England, which the Concert Hall offers for the third year in a row to the Athenian audience in collaboration with the British Embassy and the British Council. The show is directed by Marianne Elliott and stars Luke Trendaway.

Discussion begins between the Acropolis Museum and the British Museum

"Stray" fragments of the Parthenon, from its sculptural decoration mainly, which are in the British Museum may return to Greece _if not in their entirety, but at least some of them _ as long as cooperation is achieved, which he proposed at the last UNESCO session last June, the Acropolis Museum.

The issue was raised for the first time and is of course independent of Greece's constant and ongoing request for the reunification of the Parthenon Sculptures. In this particular case, the president of the Acropolis Museum, professor Mr. Dimitris Pandermalis proposed the special request for a first reunification of "stray" fragments, which are in the British Museum with the sculptures exhibited in Athens.

In the intentions of the Acropolis Museum like this, is the invitation in the autumn of representatives of the British Museum, in order to see the exhibition of the Parthenon Sculptures together in order to form their own opinion about the possibility of re-positioning fragments found in the British Museum in the places from which they are missing. The main argument of the Greek side is, that the recovery of the overall image of a sculpture, even with the addition of a small broken marble is a matter, first of all, scientific ethics.

But what kind of fragments are these?; For example the back part of the upper torso of Poseidon from the west pediment of the Parthenon (the front part is exhibited in the Acropolis Museum).

 Part of the leg of a Lapithidos being seized by a Centaur from the 12th south pediment of the temple (the composition is preserved almost entirely in the Acropolis Museum).

Part of the chest of a warrior depicted on the frieze, as well as other stray fragments of sculptured heads, hands or feet. Of course, there are also some very small fragments.
Of course, many discussions will need to be held in order to have a positive outcome, but the beginning was made and indeed with a positive sign.

In any case, the willingness of the British side to cooperate on such a delicate issue is highly welcomed. It is also noted that according to the standard practice applicable to the Intergovernmental Commission of UNESCO, the two sides negotiated on the sidelines of the Meeting a relevant "Recommendation" draft (Recommendation), which was unanimously adopted by the Commission.

In addition to this, the representative of the British Ministry of Culture Mrs. Bower positively assessed the Greek proposal for a 3D digital scan of the Parthenon frieze in terms of its parts that are in the British Museum. The digital scanning of the stones found in the Acropolis Museum is already being completed in the autumn - it started about a year ago - and at the end the digital composition of the entire frieze will be done in order to obtain "more accurate scientific knowledge", as Mrs. Bauer mentioned.

The same, however, in Greece's constant request for the return of the Sculptors, which was presented at the meeting by the general director of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Education and Culture Mrs. Maria Andreadaki – Vlazakis and professor Mr. Pandermali repeated the familiar arguments of the British side, that this matter falls under the exclusive supervision and management of the Board of Governors of the British Museum.

As for the fragments of the Acropolis, however, it should be noted that they have already started to be returned to Greece. We recall the marble part of the corner capital, which was in the possession of a Dutch privateer, who had taken it as a souvenir on a visit in his decade’ 50. Another large fragment from the north frieze of the Parthenon depicting a man's head and part of a boat supported by him, which was returned by the Vatican (it was in the Etruscan Museum of the Vatican).

One foot man, fragment of the north frieze returned by the University of Heidelberg. And even on loan from the Salina Museum of Palermo, Italy, found for a few months in the Acropolis Museum a fragment of the relief decoration of the Parthenon in which the extreme right leg and the fringes of the garment of the goddess Artemis are depicted. Fragments of the Parthenon frieze can be found in many European cities: Paris, Vienna, Copenhagen, Munich and Würzburg.

Very often, however, the political leadership of the Ministry of Culture had expressed the country's willingness to provide "in return" in the event of a donation or long-term loan, even of fragments of the Parthenon sculptures, and to cooperate in the organization of exhibitions in foreign museums by lending antiquities..

A problem that has not been solved yet is the embargo of the Greek Ministry of Culture (current Secretariat) to the British Museum. A tactic, which was adopted in the 80s by Melina Merkouri, perfectly understandable and useful for that time, when the request for the return of the Sculptures was first raised, but not necessarily today.

Times have changed, people too, even the means of claim, so that now the embargo creates problems instead of acting as a bargaining chip. The impossibility of official cooperation with the British Museum "forbids" even direct discussion between the two parties, makes communication difficult, exchange of views and communication, let alone the organization of joint exhibitions or other cultural activities. Something that does not apply to private Greek museums, which do not follow this line.

However, the development of relations is now imperative and this is of course not related to the request for the return of the Sculptors, which will always remain in the forefront until satisfied.

At altitude 900 meters – Dated from 1.600 up to 1.400 B.C.

Minoan building, dating from 1.600 up to 1.400 B.C. brought to light by the archaeological hoe at the site of Gaidourofas, in East Ierapetra, in altitude 900 meters.

The first indications, according to archaeologists, they speak of an important building, which with the so far features resulting from the excavation, it could be classified as a mansion.

And the British archaeologist Arthur Evans when he passed by the point 1898, he noted in his diary that he found that in the area - and despite the embankments- there were architectural elements that testified to the presence of a Minoan building.

During this year's first two-week excavation period, archaeologists managed to excavate, down to the floor, the interior of two rooms.

The building – according to archaeologists- he saves all his embankments, it has not been subjected to subsequent circulation and the main thing, the occupants left it after its destruction without taking with them the objects that were inside it.

The causes of destruction and the reasons for the building's abandonment have not yet been clarified and further evidence is expected to emerge as the excavation progresses., according to them.

Yet, as they emphasize, archaeologists such mansions exist in other parts of Crete but so far they have only been recorded and excavated in lowland areas, at an altitude of up to 400 meters, where they are traditionally associated with agricultural cultivation.

On the contrary, the building in the East is much higher, and is the second building to be excavated at such a high altitude after the one in Zominthos by Yiannis and Efi Sakelarakis.
The excavation is carried out as part of a five-year research program implemented and financed by the University of Athens, with the financial support of institutions from Greece and abroad, led by the Prehistoric Archeology lecturer at the Department of History and Archeology Yiannis Papadatos, and Gerapetri archaeologist Kostis Halikias as deputy director, PhD from the University of Heidelberg.

"With this excavation we are trying to understand the importance of the mountains for the Minoan economy, i.e. the natural resources and wealth-producing sources that the Minoans exploited at these altitudes, emphasizes the head of the excavation, Yiannis Papadatos.

Mr. Papadatos emphasized that "the second goal is to begin to understand what was happening in Minoan Ierapetra where the evidence is minimal. Despite the timeless importance of the Ierapetra plain, we have not the slightest idea about the location of the Minoan settlement, and we do not know whether there was any kind of administrative or even palatial center, such as those excavated at neighboring sites, in Gournia, in Makri Gialos and Myrtos.

» Yi’ this and we are looking for indirect evidence in the mountains hoping that the excavation in the East will provide us with it".