Dublin Greek Film Festival 2017.

On October the 19^th 2017, Dublin will host its third annual Greek Film Festival. For four days, Dubliners will have the opportunity to watch features, short films and documentaries, by international acclaimed Greek directors but also emerging filmmakers.

The aim of the Festival is to promote Greek culture, through a variety of films and events and strengthen the links between Ireland and Greece. Together with a number of special events, it will take place in top cultural venues across Dublin.

The Festival is organized by a number of volunteers, but is the brainchild of Kiki Konstantinidou and Aleksandra Szymbara. Kiki, a former teacher in the Greek community’s school in Dublin, met Aleksandra while she was a pupil there.

Aleksandra’s background includes studies in culture and religion in her native Poland, plus work in various museums and other art festivals. She was already involved in a Polish Film Festival in Ireland, as marketing manager. 

Her partner is Greek, thus she developed an interest in Greek culture. Combined with her overall love for films and art, she decided to join Kiki in this project.

Kiki was always involved in various music festivals in her native Greece. After her Masters in Cultural Policy and Arts Management in U.C.D. in Dublin, she decided to organize a festival that would promote Greek culture in Ireland.

“I was constantly seeing events promoting other nations’ cinema and culture, so I thought to organize a Greek Film Festival,” describes Kiki. “In the beginning I attempted to organize it on my own, but it proved to be very difficult. Then I met Aleskandra and she agreed to be part of it”, she explains.

The first Dublin Greek Film Festival took place in April 2015, with “great difficulties, no support or funds,” as Kiki and Aleksandra had to invest out of their own pockets. Yet they were lucky, as they found support by many volunteers, plus a lot of the film directors showed understanding and did not ask for screening fees.

“Things have changed a bit nowadays, as we get a considerable amount of funding by the Dublin City Council, a media sponsor from Dublin City FM Radio and for the first time this year, we have the support of EOT (Greek Tourism Organization)”, says Kiki.

“The festival grows every year and we hope that it will become established in Dublin for the long term. We are delighted to see it bringing together Greeks from all over the country, but also Irish and viewers from many other nationalities”, she describes.

Kiki explains that they are trying to do something different each time, like bringing new producers and directors for the first time in Ireland. While creating an original Greek experience for their audience, so they can enjoy and become familiarized with the country’s culture.

“Every year we are striving to add more events related to Greece and its modern civilization, not only its film industry but its arts in general. Everyone is familiar with the Greek sun, sea, islands and beaches, but we are trying to introduce Dubliners to a different side of Greece’s reality,” Kiki says.

Aleksandra describes how organizing the festival is a big learning experience, but also very rewarding. “I am happy to see the festival growing and I hope it will continue to expand and reach more and more people living in Dublin and beyond”, she says.

“Many people know about ancient Greece's culture, but not about the modern one. We are giving people the opportunity to familiarize with it, plus learn about everyday life in Greece and the problems people are facing. It's especially important nowadays, when Europe is going through various crises”, Aleksandra concludes. 

You may find the program, venues and timetables of the festival’s screenings here.

Catalonia: Europe's newest country?

It has been a very dramatic weekend in Europe and the Iberian peninsula in particular last week. As the Catalans were voting for their independence, the Spanish government decided to crack down on the voters and peaceful protesters, with violence and force.

With almost 900 people injured and shameful pictures released by the media, one would wonder how all this was helping Mariano Rajoy's conservative government in its cause. Even if they were justified in their objections to the Catalan independence referendum, they have certainly lost people's support not only in Catalonia, but in the rest of Europe too.

Madrid claims-and rightly so- that the referendum was unconstitutional by law. But laws are not there not to be challenged and stay forever the same. If circumstances or the will and needs of the people are altered, then reforms or new realities have to be implemented.

The Spanish government, after years of economic crisis, high unemployment rates, corruption, lack of opportunities for its youth and austerity, showed little competence in dealing with people's needs. That gave the perfect platform for separatists to gain momentum and push for their cause, just like in other EU nations we've seen the rise of "radical" political parties and movements.

If there could be any solution to avoid such developments, it should definitely not involve violence. But dialogue, debate and deeper collaboration between the Madrid and the regional governments, plus between all of them and the citizens of Spain.

It is fair to say that the Catalan government seized an opportunity to push for its agenda, which is based on financial control and power. Just like Britain always wanted special treatment within the EU and was complaining about its budget or how much it contributed into it, the Catalan government seemed to be in disagreement with Madrid over how much it pays.

But when you belong in a state-federal or not-plus you are one of its richest regions, you always support the poorer ones. That is the case for every country. Take Finland for example. Its southern regions are much richer and developed than the northern ones and they keep supporting them financially.

Such differences in the distribution of wealth and inequality, can be blamed on lack of resources or infrastructure in the poor regions, corruption or mismanagement. But if only each rich region wanted to break away from the poorer ones. We would not have a Europe of nations, but we would go back to a feudal, divided and fragmented continent.

The difference with Spain is, that while from the outside looks a homogeneous country, in reality it is a multi-ethnic society, that has never had a proper debate and soul searching on its identity. From the imperial days to the dictatorship of Franco, the peoples of Spain as it seems, never had a dialogue on how to co-exist or manage their affairs.

And that perhaps is why the EU, remained so quiet during these days. If Belgium, the U.K. or Spain, some of the union's oldest member states, cannot function as a federation, how can Europe succeed in creating a far bigger, more diverse integrated society and government?

Perhaps we could learn by the mistakes of Spain to avoid repeating them and succeeding in creating a united Europe. But this country existed in its current form for centuries and if it has failed to convince the Basques or the Catalans to accept their dual identity, what chances does Europe have?

Another major failure of the government in Madrid, is its lack of mobilization of the Catalan people who want to stay in the Spanish union. They seemed to believe that a violent crackdown of the voters would solve the problem, relying on the fact that the Spanish constitution prohibits such referendums.

But it backfired on them. Maybe it would be better if they allowed the democratic process to take place, yet become active in it by encouraging the majority of the people who want to remain in Spain to go to the voting stations and cast their votes against independence.

Only around 42% of the electorate has voted and from them 90% supported independence. If the other 58% was motivated to take part, maybe the outcome would be different. In addition, it could have started a positive campaign to convince the Catalan electorate, rather than arresting its elected officials.

It is regrettable that the people of Spain, have been caught in a vicious internal power struggle of the local and central governments of their region. It is also sad to see that nationalism is rising in Europe in all forms.

From Brexit, to Scottish and Catalan independence bids, the rise of the far Right and euro-skeptic political parties, xenophobia, anti-immigrant or refugee sentiments of fear, the crisis in Europe does not seem to subside.

When will Europeans be able to feel comfortable in determining ourselves with multiple identities? One could be Catalan, Spanish and European, or Corsican, French and European. Instead of seeking constant fragmentation, perhaps we could just allow giving more freedoms and autonomy to people and regions, while maintaining a central form of government that will coordinate, not dictate all of them.

The developments in Catalonia will no doubt affect the rest of Europe and the EU. Apart from any economic, social and identity turmoil or instability that will most likely spill over to other Spanish regions with the same aspirations, many other parts of Europe may soon be inspired to follow suit. Or simply lose the appetite for European integration, seeing the failures of the Spanish government.

Yet we need to remind ourselves of what happens with fragmentation. We could see the "Balkanization" of the Iberian peninsula, which could cause instability for the region and Europe itself, in a period that we are only coming out of a harsh economic crisis. It could take decades for Spain and Catalonia to settle their differences, even if the crisis does not escalate in an all out conflict.

That could push the euro-zone recovery further back, with consequences that will be felt in all other member states. Therefore Europe must support and encourage the Madrid and Barcelona governments to settle their differences once and for all.

Perhaps a radical and total rethinking of the way Europe and its nations are being governed is necessary, to avoid further and ongoing similar crises of happening in the future. It is time to stop burring our heads in the sand.