Greece this month November 2015 by Embassy of Greece in the UK

Greece

This month

In this issue:

• • • •

EU- Turkey agree on immigration PM’s visit to Israel and Palestine World Travel Market 2015 Interview with Yorgos Lanthimos for the ‘Lobster’ • 8th London Greek film festival • Interview with the Director of Hel lenic Centre, A. Kalisperas • Stavros Niarchos Foundation

EU-Turkey Agree on Cutting Immigration flows into Europe Alexis Tsipras’ Statement about EU-Turkey Relations

A special EU-Turkey summit meeting in Brussels concluded in an agreement on Sunday (29.11), according to which Turkey will help stem the flow of migrants to Europe in return for 3 billion euros in cash, visa-free travel for Turks in Europe and renewed EU entry talks. In a joint statement, the 28 Heads of State or Government of the European Union, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council President Donald Tusk, agreed with Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, to activate the EU-Turkey joint Action Plan to deal with the refugee crisis created by the situation in Syria, to bring order into refugee flows and stem irregular migration. Key elements of the agreement include giving Turkey an additional 3 billion euros in conditional EU aid to create initiatives to keep the 2.2 million Syrian refugees in Turkey -rather than at1

tempt perilous crossings to the EU via the Greek islands-, “re-energizing” Turkey’s accession process to the EU within the existing negotiating framework and providing visa-free travel for Turks to Europe’s Schengen zone within a year, if Turkey manages to tighten its borders and reduce the migrant flows to Europe. The Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, in his address at the EU-Turkey summit welcomed the initiative for this meeting after 11 years and proposed the next meeting to be held on a Greek island. “It should be held at the EU-Turkey borders that need to become cooperation borders,” he underlined. Tsipras noted that Greece considers Turkey’s accession efforts as an opportunity to proceed with democratic reforms and pave the way for solving the Greek-Turkish differences and the Cyprus issue. The

Greek prime minister stressed that a condition for the accession process to advance is the Cyprus issue to be resolved. They have that chance now, after ten years, as (Cyprus President Nicos) Anastasiades and (Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa) Akinci have the desire for positive progress, said the prime minister.

Greek PM’s two day visit to Israel and Palestine Greece supports the creation of a Palestinian state based on the borders of 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Thursday, November 27, after meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The Greek PM noted that Greece’s position on the Palestinian issue was one of “principle” and independent of the country’s efforts to develop bilateral ties with Israel. Abbas referred to the “historic foundations” of Greek-Palestinian relations and appealed to Greeks to support the Palestinian people’s demand to live in dignity in their homeland, within their own independent state. Mr Tsipras stated that destabilisation and conflicts in the region are increasing and that the Palestinian issue was among the causes sparking destabilisation.”For this reason, it is necessary to take bold steps today and support any international initiative,” he said. In this framework, he added, Athens welcomed any effort made by President Abbas in this direction. Following the talks, it was announced that Greece and the Palestinian Authority are to form a joint ministerial commit-

A Pint of Greece

tee to strengthen relations and that Abbas will visit Athens on December 21 - 22. It is worthy of mention that during his first official visit to Israel, as part of his two-day visit to both countries, PM Alexis Tsipras held high level talks with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu (26.11), announcing for the upcoming months a series of intergovernmental discussions between the two countries and a three-way Greek-Israeli-Cypriot summit to discuss regional energy cooperation. The Greek PM said the talks between the two sides examined “the opportunities arising in the fields of energy in the Eastern Mediterranean” for cooperation “in research, drilling and transportation of natural gas to Europe” and the further enhancement of cooperation in areas such as tourism, economic relations, culture, research and technology. Tsipras expressed concern regarding the threat of jihadist terrorism and the need to encourage dialogue to end the conflict in Syria. On the Palestinian issue, he expressed concern about the escalation of violence, arguing that Athens wants to play a constructive role towards resolving the major problems at hand. Mr Tsipras concluded his visit to Israel and Palestine estine with Patriarch Theophilos III, during which the PM hailed the contribution of thePatriarchate of Jerusalem to interfaith dialogue at an especially critical time. Welcoming the PM, the Patriarch noted that his visit is especially important at this time when Christians in the region are facing difficulties and are looking to Greece for protection.

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Elena Kountoura in World Travel Market

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same period last year, and a staggering 33.5 percent increase of travel receipts. During her three- day visit, Mrs Kountoura also attended the annual UN-

(London, 2-5.11.2015) ‘2015 has been another record year’ WTO & WTM Ministers’ Summit Greek tourism’s quantitative targets for 2016, opportunities for developing new products and destinations and expanding the tourist season were the main topics Alternate Tourism Minister Elena Kountoura focused on during her meetings with leading UK tour operators on the sidelines of the World Travel Market trade show that ran on November 2-5, in Excel London.

On the first day of this year’s trade show, during a networking event organized by the Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) and attended by UK tour operators, travel professionals, exhibitors and Greek media correspondents, Mrs Kountoura unveiled the government’s plans for the new season and focused on the ministry’s strategy to further promote Greece in the United Kingdom. According to the Minister, in the year to August, Greece saw a 25 % increase in arrivals from the UK, welcoming approximately 1.8 million British visitors compared to 1.4 million in the 3

and had the chance to exchange views with many of her counterparts, among which her British counterpart, Tracey Crouch, with whom she discussed the possibilities for a bilateral tourism cooperation between Greece and the UK. Mrs Kountoura also held private meetings with the Tourism Minister of Cyprus, Giorgos Lakkotrypis, the tourism Minister of Bulgaria, Nikolina Angelkova

and the Deputy Minister of Tourism of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Sheikh Khaled Bin Humood Al Khalifa, discussing ways of bilateral cooperation in the tourism and economic sectors. She was also guest speaker at the University of West London, where she gave a lecture to students of the Department of Tourism Management regarding “The Sustainable development and tourism by offering new products”. It is worthy of mention that during her visit to London, Mrs. Elena Kountoura also appeared on

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CNBC and CNN and spoke about the economic crisis, the prospects of Greek tourism industry and the critical issue of the refugee crisis. Regarding the latter, Mrs. Elena Kountoura, stated that it is a European problem, a global issue that needs to be faced the soonest possible. ‘’We have to find a solution for those people, because they are not numbers, they are souls, they are humans”. Talking to the famous TV show of Richard Quest, ‘Quest Means Business’’, Mrs. Elena Kountoura, pointed that ‘we all should act with solidarity spirit not only the Greek government but all the Europe as well’. Regarding the ‘problems’ created by the large number of refugees’ arrivals in tourist islands, the Minister stated that: ‘All the tourists acted really great, they brought clothes for the immigrants, they really supported our efforts to relocate them, in order to make their lives better. They are also supporting our islands and we do our best to make sure that refugees and migrants will have no impact on tourism’. On the prospects of Greek tourism industry, the Minister pointed that 2015 was another record year with more than 25 million visitors, choosing Greece for their holidays. ‘There is stability. They have to trust us because

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Greece is a very safe country… When it comes to British tourists, the arrivals are up 25% this year, as for the next season, they are already up 4%. So what I want, I want everybody to come and see my beautiful country. You should come and see my beautiful country, not only Athens, you should see the islands and discover our culture and history, and then you will decide to spend your holidays for the next 20 years in Greece, trust me’, Mrs Kountoura added.

Few Words about the Travel Market trade

World show

World Travel Market is the UK largest

event for the global travel trade, started in 1980 at London’s Olympia. WTM moved to ExCel London thirteen years ago, where business professionals, ministers and media people from all over the world, visit London every November to attend this specific event. Reed Exhibitions, leading organizer of exhibitions in the travel and tourism industry, is also WTM’s coordinator. This year, the numbers of WTM participants and visitors were increased at around 49.280 and 30.344 accordingly. Moreover, 2,768 representatives of the top international media attended the event.

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Yorgos Lanthimos: ‘The Lobster is a film mainly about love’ (Exclusive Interview )

Walking on the 3rd floor of The Soho Hotel where the Press Conference for the new film of the internationally acclaimed Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos took place, one could realise that no place could be more appropriate for such an interview. The Botero sculptures, the yellow walls and the somewhat psychedelic patterns of the edgy central London hotel corridors seem to have been taken straight out of Lanthimos’ surreal world. The director’s latest feature, ‘The Lobster’, which won the prestigious Jury Prize at the Festival de Cannes 2015, introduces us to a world in which all single people are transferred to ‘The Hotel’, where they are given 45 days to find their match for life. If they fail to do so, they spend the rest of their lives as an animal of their choice.

“Efthimis Filippou, my co-writer, and I have a tendency to push every theme to certain extremes in order to ask questions concerning the absurdity of our everyday lives, our behaviour, the way we organise our society and we express”, Mr Lanthimos explained. “However, ‘The Lobster’ is not necessarily dystopian; it takes place in present time, but in a world where the rules are different”, he added. Even more so than his previous films (Kinetta, Dogtooth and Alps) did, ‘The Lobster’ focuses on personal relationships. Mr Lanthimos pointed that “you can see the film in whichever way you want. We construct a story but we’re always very careful to allow the viewers to engage with the film in their own way, depending on their personality, background, education and experiences”. However, he adds that there are some specif5

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ic questions the film aims to urge viewers to think about while and post watching ‘the Lobster’. “Can we be happy when we are alone or single, why are we brought up believing that there is only one way to happiness, does true love exist, how can you identify it, what are you prepared to do for it once you’ve found it” are, according to the director, some of the inquiries that will pop in the viewer’s mind while watching the satirical drama. Although Mr Lanthimos argued that ‘The Lobster’ is a film mainly about love, it is definitely not your typical romantic comedy, not only due to the occasional absurdity embedded in the storyline, but also due to its harshness at times and to the sacrifices that its characters are required to make for their significant others. After all, is it truly romantic or not at all? “ ‘The Lobster’ is definitely romantic- as well; it might seem absurd or cynical or dark at times, but only someone truly romantic could pose the aforementioned questions that this film does”, the Greek director underlined. His latest award-winning movie is his first in the English language. “We initially wrote the screenplay in Greek and then had the first draft translated into English”, the director notes. Mr Lanthimos, who moved to London four years ago, does not exclude the possibility of moving back to Greece in the future, if a project requires him to do so, but admits that his immediate future projects will not be in Greek. “Working in English provides us with more opportunities as well as substantial financial support. The working environment here is more structured, there are different, not as flexible, rules you need to follow. While working in Greece, it felt like working with your friends but at the same time, we had very few means to make a film”, he adds.

Making a movie in the English language also allowed him to attract an international cast of famous foreign actors, such as Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Lea Seydoux, John 6

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Reilly, Olivia Colman and Ben Whishaw while also featuring his wife, Ariane Labed and the leading actress of previous films ‘Dogtooth’ and ‘Alps’, Aggeliki Papoulia. “The casting process was a matter of thinking about which actors I would like to work with. I am fortunate enough to have a body of work; they were aware of it, appreciated it and knew what they were coming into. Working with all of them was excellent because they are all very talented and were extremely committed and enthusiastic about the material”, said the intriguing director. “I think it’s a very interesting mix of people that inhabit this world”, he continues, “hopefully, that as well enhances its complexity”. Although the world that himself and his co-writer Efthimis Filippou created did not leave them with a lot of space for the actors’ improvised parts to end up in the final cut of the feature, Yorgos Lanthimos points that it did help the actors to “feel more comfortable in ‘The Lobster’ world and with their characters”. The entire film was shot in Ireland- “the place was ideal; the hotel, the forest around it and the sea created an idyllic scenery and yet the building has a prison-like feel to it, thus all of the elements we were looking for”.

The 42-year-old director’s work has so far earned him, among others, 3 awards in the Festival de Cannes (‘Dogtooth’, ‘The Lobster’) and one Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film (‘Dogtooth’), at the 83rd Academy Awards. Has his success and the expectations that follow it influenced him professionally? “Trying to steer clear of what is expected of you is definitely an effort”, Mr Lanthimos admits. “For me, it is all about the potential of the material, which I consider only from a creative perspective instead of thinking whether the movie will be commercial or not. I try to trust my instinct when it comes to work; to not do the exact same thing as before but maintain a continuity. We have a voice and we try to further explore it with every project, instead of doing something completely different every time.” Being the most critically acclaimed Greek director of his time, on the impact that his success must have had on Greek cinema, 7

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he pointed that “there is not much financial support from the Greek state. Hence, I think it has made filmmakers realise that even low-budget films can become known and acknowledged around the world.” He categorically denied the possibility of embarking on a project about the ongoing financial crisis in Greece, underlining that he is “not fond of representing reality”. However, ‘The Lobster’ did not lack Greek references; while in ‘The City’, the characters mention the Greek islands and the only songs that are featured with lyrics are Greek. ‘Τι είναι αυτό που το λένε αγάπη’ (What is that which is called love)’ was the most appropriate song that I could find for the final scene of ‘The Lobster’. Even though it is a Greek song, it is sung by an Italian; I was very fond of that as through her accent, it connects to the multicultural cast of the film, as well. I believe that even people who cannot understand the lyrics will be able to emotionally ‘travel’ through this song, al though I also liked the fact that only Greek speakers will be able to understand the meaning of the words.” Finally, why did he choose Colin Farrell’s character, David, to wish to become a lobster? “The idea of the lobster came from the initial ending of the film which featured him eventually transforming into a lobster and his ex-wife eating one, which would leave the audience contemplating on whether it was him or not”, Lanthimos laughingly says. “Besides this, it did feel appropriate forDavid, for the reasons that he cites in the movie”. We urge you to rush to the cinema to find out which these reasons were and to enjoy Yorgos Lanthimos’ overwhelming latest feature, ‘The Lobster’. As for us, we will be looking forward to his upcoming projects, a few of which he is currently working on.

The interview was given to the member of our Newsletter for the November issue, Iliana Magra.

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Exclusive Interview with the Director of the Hellenic Centre in UK, Agatha Kalisperas: ‘Our aim is to promote the Hellenic culture’

Situated in the heart of central London, Hellenism in the UK lives and breathes under the roof of a very impressive neoclassical building. “The purpose of the Hellenic Centre is to promote the Greek culture in England in order to maintain it, which is why we had to be in Central London”, the director of the Hellenic Centre institution in London, Mrs Agatha Kalisperas notes, in an exclusive interview for the November issue of ‘Greece this Month’.

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priot governments, the events that are held aim to promote the Hellenic culture through lectures, exhibitions, music concerts, parties and, most importantly through Greek lessons, as Mrs Kalisperas further explains. In order to maintain the Hellenic aspect in all events, the Centre gives exceptional Greek/ Greek Cypriot artists or professors the freedom to exhibit anything they wish, while their non-Greek counterparts need to present a body work relating to modern or ancient Greece or Cyprus. “We want to include a Hellenic element in everything we do but our events are open to all, which is why most are in English. All lectures and exhibitions are of very high standards as we associate with universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Kings College and UCL. We receive proposals from academics, musicians and artists, but, as we cannot accommodate everyone, we only choose the very best”, the director underlines.

Due to the Centre being a non- governmental organization, and independent from both Greek and Cy 9

Moreover, the Centre offers in Greek language courses that are organized and being held there. More than 300 adult students from 36 different nationalities are being taught Modern Greek at all levels, from beginners to exam levels. “Japanese, Nigerian, Turks, Australians and second or third generation Greeks/ Greek Cypriots are just a few of the people that take Greek lessons in the Centre. Taught by 11 amazing teachers, accountants, bankers, people with properties in Greece or those who would like to do so, others who are in relationships with or married to Greeks, all come here to gain the best Greek lan

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guage lisperas

education”, Mrs proudly

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Kasays.

Despite all of the great work being done, the Centre is facing great financing difficulties. ‘Keeping the Centre running is a struggle. The building itself, for example, requires half a million pounds per year. The 20 member societies only contribute 250£ per society per year, while most individual members became life members when the Centre was first created in 1994. If they weren’t using the Centre as a conference centre, they wouldn’t even raise half the income they do now. Nonetheless, many events are free to the public and Mrs Kalisperas argues that “this happens because our goal is to promote Hellenic culture to students, to community members, to non-Greekswe want as many as possible to come”. “We need to approach the youth it is somewhat difficult to do so, but we are trying to reach them by advertising our events in schools, universities and Embassies”, she adds The director of the Centre beams with joy when she talks about the work that has taken place in the Centre the last 20 years. What are her hopes for the future? “Managing to keep the Centre going is an achievement. I wish to continue what we’re doing, to spread the word about the Hellenic Centre, to survive as we’ve done so far”.

The interview was given to our Newsletter team member, Iliana Magra.

8th annual London Greek Film Festival

The Meeting point for Greek cinema in the UK The 8th annual London Greek Film Festival was held at Camden’s Theatro Technis from 19 to 25 October 2015.

More than 55 films and 11 online short films were screened this year, with the awards ceremony, the so- called ‘Odysseus Awards’, to have been taken place on Saturday 24 October, at Camden’s Theatro Technis, where among the awarded films for ‘Best Concept for Fiction Feature’ was the ‘Lovestruck’ (‘Από Έρωτα’), a film directed by the famous Greek actor, producer and director Thodoris Atheridis, starring himself and the noted Greek actress Smaragda Karudi. The aforementioned ceremony was hosted by the Greek correspondent for the Greek TV station Skai, Thanasis Gavos and attended by several actors, screenwriters, filmmakers and performers as well as members of the staff of the Greek Embassy in London. 10

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The closing ceremony included two very interesting and informative workshops, ‘Filming in Greece’ and an introduction to the ‘Acting Code’ method, founded by Christos Prossylis and London Cosmotheatre. Itisworthyofmentionthat TheLondonGreek Film Festival, an independent Film Festival which was launched on 2008 by the aforementioned director Christos Prossylis and London’s Cosmocinema, is one of the most prestigious Greek events in the UK and represents the creative face of Greek culture every year.

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The basic aim of the Festival is to become the “international meeting point for Greek film from around the world and to promote modern Greek cinema in all its aspects”. In the Festival, the old interrelates with the contemporary film world and enhances several networking opportunities. Stay tuned for the 9th annual London Greek Film Festival, which will be held for the first time during springtime, on 15-21 May 2016. The call for film and script subscriptions has already begun! For further information: http:// w w w.londongreekf ilmfestival.com/

Stavros Niarchos Foundation in the UK:

Interview with co-President, A. Dracopoulos The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (www. SNF.org) is an international philanthropic institution, which awards grants to nonprofit organizations worldwide. The four areas the SNF is funding are Arts & Culture, Education, Social Welfare as well as Health & Sports. The SNF has implemented more than 190 grants in Great Britain.

“SNF’s work in Great Britain includes collaborations with many renowned academic and cultural institutions to support also a variety of Hellenism-related projects including, The Manchester Museum, University of Oxford, Almeida Theatre, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA), Chatham House, University College London,

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The British Library, Ashmolean Museum, The Courtauld Insti tute of Art, The Whitechapel Gallery, The Royal Institution of Great Britain, etc.”, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation co-President, Mr Andreas Dracopoulos said in an exclusive interview for ‘Greece this Month’. Despite the fact that the SNF has an open application policy, there are two fundamental criteria, which every organisation has to meet in order to receive an SNF grant. “The potential of a project to impart a broad, lasting, and positive social impact, and an organization’s ability to display clear evidence of

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Youth Trust for educational activities utilizing the Stavros S. Niarchos tall ship. Furthermore, SNF has supported educational programs at the New Design Museum, the creation of the Home of Horseracing National Heritage Centre at the Home of Horseracing Trust, the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital, the national initiative of the British Heart Foundation to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation training in schools, medical research at Cancer Research UK, and many humanitarian initiatives of Oxfam GB.

“ The Foundation has also established scholarships and fellowships for qualified Greek students and young professionals at a number of UK institutions, including Chatham House, LAMDA, and The Courtlauld Institute of Art.

strong leadership and sound management. If an applicant fulfils these basic criteria, we then proceed to an in-depth evaluation of the organization’s specific program or project, focusing on its potential to deliver impactful outcomes that reach as large a segment of society as possible.” ‘‘In doing so, we aim to help young Greeks acquire essential, competitive skills that Mr Dracopoulos underlines that over the would allow them to seek employment opyears, the SNF has supported many im- portunities abroad, or in Greece, should pactful projects in Great Britain, while it they choose to return there. We also hope has offered infrastructural support to Cha- that Greek students benefiting from optham House, to Winchester College for portunities abroad will seek to mobilize rethe Warden’s Stables Museum to exhibit sources and assist others to access similar its collection of classical antiquities, to the opportunities’’, Mr Dracopoulos concludes. Mary Rose Museum and Ship Hall for the Follow us : Facebook: A Pint of Greece creation of the SNF Learning Centre, the Greek Embassy in UK Cutty Sark Trust to support the Cutty Sark Twitter: @GreeceinUK Conservation Project, and to the Tall Ships 12