It’s this time of the year!

Hello dear friends! After a lovely, lovely and warm weekend here in London, here we are again with the cloudiness! Never mind though, I think it’s important to always look on the bright side of things! (I’m sorry, Monty Python!) Be it with friends or doing something extraordinary, life is all about enjoying it to the fullest. I think that this week was great for me, because I got to volunteer at the London Greek Film Festival!

I could probably talk to you about the Festival for quite a while! I could tell you all about the great films and directors that I have come in contact with, since I started volunteering in 2014, I could tell you all about the fun we have (including the copious amounts of wine we drink during the screenings), but still you’d miss a lot! I have to mention though that getting the whole thing organised is the director’s part. He is an amazing person and the fact that he built and maintains the Festival is a huge deal for me. Last year we celebrated the tenth anniversary, so the fact that this Festival is still live and kicking is nothing short of amazing.

The films are quite interesting. The Festival screens all kinds of films; documentaries, fiction feature, short fiction, experimental and video art. The selection is eclectic, but above all, they are all independent productions. I have seen people passionate about their art, I have watched films that give you something to think about, I have also watched films that were dreadful. The main point is that I get to enjoy every single moment of it. One of the best films I’ve watched is last year’s “Katherine of Alexandria”.

This year we had some excellent entries, like the beautiful documentary “Lend an Ear”, about the Deaf community in Greece or the one about Mikis Theodorakis. From what I hear (and these are credible sources, people), there are some strong contenders for best film and best director. Apart from the films though, it is an opportunity to meet other people from Greece and all over the world and create lasting friendships.

The backstage is also very interesting. Like last year, I had the opportunity to give two awards (I kind of feel like Natalie Portman at the moment!) and even write the actual awards. Let’s hope that next year, I will not have difficult names to pronounce! This year we also have a mascot, our lovely Socrates, that despite our efforts didn’t fly! We also did a wine and brandy night that resulted in a hangover morning at the office for me. All the people working for the Festival are some of the best people I’ve met in my life; from the director himself to the journalist presenting the Awards ceremony, to the owners of Theatro Technis, that make this event truly memorable, they are all a part why I volunteer every year and I quite love doing so! I’d like to thank Christos, Thanasis and Aris and hope to see them next year as well. For those of you interested on what independent Greek cinema has to offer this is just for you! You will find great opportunities for networking, films offering a truly international mindset, films you will enjoy and probably meet me! So, I really hope to see you next May for the 12^th London Greek Film Festival!!

London Greek Film Festival website

A big thanks for the photo from last year’s festival, taken from the official facebook page