It’s not New York City or Melbourne with hundreds of thousands of diaspora Greeks but beautiful Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland has had– for almost two decades now, a thriving presence of Greek films.
It started in 2001 when a team of a few local Greeks and interested Scots wrote to the Edinburgh Film House and asked for Greek films to be included in their international programming.
Fast forward a few years and these few film buffs have become a thriving community of Scottish-born Greeks, new Greek arrivals and an eclectic mix of people from various walks of life all connected by their passion for Greek Film.
The annual Edinburgh Greek Film Festival takes place every December and aims to introduce Scots to Greece through film, and simultaneously strengthen the city’s growing Greek community.
And they’ve done a remarkable job, bringing contemporary Greek films and filling the cinema to an almost 90% capacity at every screening.
The organizers are aiming to ensure the viability of their festival for the next two years with a Kickstarter campaign aiming to raise just over $4000.
Considering the amount of cultural ambassadorship such an event can do for Greece and the country’s image in a place like Scotland– it’s a small investment with a whole lot of return.
