South African Prime Minister congratulates the Greek community at the opening of the Greek Film Festival in Adelaide

South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas continued his strong support for the Greek Film Festival (GFF) in Adelaide, officially opening it for the second year in a row, expressing his view that it is the most important institution in the life of the state. cultural calendar.

Malinauskas attended the film festival’s opening gala on Tuesday evening (October 22) at the Palace Nova Cinemas on Prospect.

The opening night of the GFF, organized by the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia (GOCSA) as part of the Odyssey Festival, sold more than 240 tickets with meze and local wine ahead of a planned screening of Thodoris Niarchos’ comedy Hear Who’s Talking. .

The successful event marked the start of a six-day celebration of Greek cinema and GOCSA President Peter Guardiakos expressed his sincere joy to all the special guests and visitors who came to the opening.

He particularly praised the South African Prime Minister for taking the time to attend GFF for the second year in a row, and thanked all sponsors and media partners for their critical support of the Community’s cultural initiatives.

Malinauskas addressed the event, sharing his belief that the GFF is an important institution that shares Hellenic culture with the wider South Australian community.

He expressed hope for the creation of “one united Greek community representing the future of Hellenic culture in South Australia”.

“For a long time, the more than 40,000 people of Greek heritage in our state have brought so much color and life to our city. But more than that, your hard work has helped make South Australia what it is today,” the Prime Minister said.

Dr Alexandra Theodoropoulou, Consul General of Greece in Adelaide, said in her speech that “The Film Festival is another manifestation of the modern face of the Greek Orthodox community.”

“You are expressing the cultural aspect of our community and that is very important for new generations. I join the prime minister in saying, “Let’s celebrate this in unity,” the diplomat said.

The premiere was attended by a host of distinguished guests, including the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia, the Honorable Chris Kourakis; Ms Lucy Hood, State Member of Parliament for Adelaide, representing the Minister for Small and Families, Consumers, Business and the Arts, Andrea Michaels MP and West Torrens Councilor Zoe Papafilopoulos.