The collection of essays presented in the volume “Migration in Cinema” which will be released in September of 2004 from Papazisis Publications consists of the third volume of the publications series of the Cinematographic Archive titled “The Testimony of the Cinematographic Image”. The annual conference organized under the aegis of the Cinematographic Archive has been firmly established as it constitutes the fertile ground for scientific and social stimulation and debate.
The meeting on “Migration in Cinema” coincided with the Greek presidency of the European Union during the first half of 2003. The meeting took advantage of one of the fundamental pillars of Greece’s priorities which was the creation of a unified European policy with regards to the phenomenon of migration. During this period our country handled a historical presidency in the midst of critical international and European developments and in an effort to address the problem of migration in a broader European context while at the same time avoiding raising social barriers that could enhance the communal dividing lines.
In this context, the “rendezvous” of film with immigration attracted the interest not only of the academic researchers, but also of members of the community. In this particular field, Greek film is a rich source for researchers, considering that the largest migrations of populations that marked Greek society took place during the 20th century, and constitute to date, a source for both Greek and foreign cinematography.
Therefore, the prerequisites for the planning of the conference and for the publication of the volume were the following: First and foremost, the different migratory patterns that were pivotal for contemporary Greek society and identity. (The migration of the Greeks to the West, the influx of same nationality refugees from countries with Hellenistic centers, internal migration, the modern migratory patterns of refugees from Eastern European countries, Asia and Africa). It was also considered necessary that all forms of cinematography of the aforementioned categories be included in the analyses of the panelists in order to allow for a comparative analysis between the variable genres of film pertaining to migration. Included were films of fiction, documentaries, newsreels and television shows that covered migration-related matters. Thus, the contributors of this volume, academicians as well as cinematographers, historians, political scientists and journalists, address the issues of migrants and refugees through the prism of social and political perspectives. It is in this context that the cinematographic image is reviewed in the handling of such an important matter for contemporary Greek history.
The collection of essays, Migration in Film, is divided into four sections. The first section “filming Migratory Patters” focused on fiction films centered around the migratory patterns of populations depicted in Greek and foreign cinema. The reports presented in the conference and included in the volume are here below noted:
Lefteris Xanthopoulos: “The Greek Diaspora in Cinema”
Vassilis Vamvakas: “The ‘migration’ of Greek film from the Commercial to the Political Stigma”
Giorgos Mbramos: “Απ’ το χίονι, Μιρουπαφσίμ, Από την άκρη της πόλης: Greece, the transition of a country that exported immigrants to a country that imports immigrants.”
Vassilis Kechagias: “Through the eyes of others: Foreign Films about Greek Immigrants”
Nikos Fenek-Michelides: “The Immigrants of Europe”
The second section, “documenting Migration”, includes essays that analyze the depiction of the migratory experience by Greek cinematographers in documentaries. Included in this section are:
Andreas Pagoulatos: “Immigration in Greek Documentaries”
Lakis Papathathis: Remembering the Letters from America”
Lina Ventoura: The Letters of Lambros Liaropoulos from the Charleroi: Reenacting the Life of the Greek miners in Belgium”
Stelios Kymionis: Modernism, Post-modernism and the Greek documentary: In search of collectiveness in the social identity of the migrant “George from Sotirianni” and the distinction of subjectivity in the identity of the repatriated “George from Heidelberg”
The third section, "Film as a historical source for the movement of populations”, includes texts that utilize the cinematographic image as a dependable witness and a historic source with regards to significant historical events of contemporary Greek life. Included in this sections are the essays of:
Georgios Polydorakis, The overseas migration of Greeks until 1940: Approaches through the study of primary sources of the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
George Serafimides: ‘The rooting’, ‘The refugee Communities’, ‘Greece of the Refugees’: Parameters of the installations of the 1922 refugees in Greece during the inter war period.”
Evgenia Mbournova: “ Στα Τουρκοβούνια και Στην Αθήνα με το Όνειρο : Parameters of Internal Migration.”
Ioannis Begos: “Between two homes (The damage of the Broken Mirror): The Expelled Greeks of Istanbul during the period 1964 – 1966.
Gavrillis Lambatos: “Step-mother Homeland (the political refugees of Tuscany): From History to the audiovisual representation.”
The fourth and final section of the publication, “Directors address the images of Migration”, includes personal essays, since they derive from film directors who were recently engaged in documentaries about refugees:
Rena Theologidou: “The communities of the Refugees”: A Travelogue from Asia Minor to Northern Greece”
Paul Neratzis, “The paths of the Refugees, request for Asylum – Greece, the country of the Refugees”
Maria Leonida, Refugees, Journey without end.”
Kiriakos Katzourakis “the Road to the West”
Through the plethora of approaches that derives from the essays, the volume under publication hopes to contribute to the compilation of a constructive base that will stimulate dialogue with regards to matters pertaining to migration and their audiovisual depictions, as well as the value of historical memory that the visual image has. It was in this same line of thought that guided the recent conference that the Film Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized, titled “Negotiations about War: Depictions of War in Greek Cinema”. The presentations of the conference will be the next publication in the series “The Testimony of the Cinematographic Image”.
February 17, 2011