March 25th on ERTFLIX International
ERTFLIX International honors Greece’s national holiday on March 25th with a special tribute featuring outstanding Greek cinema films, series, and programs from the ERT Archive, as well as the commemorative concert “Hymn to Liberty”, performed by the ERT National Symphony Orchestra.
GREEK CINEMA
«Travelling Ghosts» | Comedy ,2022
A Greek director travels to Trieste to film a documentary about Rigas Feraios’ journey through Enlightenment-era Europe. While visiting the Greek Orthodox Cemetery with his crew, a group of ghosts—characters from the 18th century—are awakened by the noise and decide to take a bus ride into the city. Are these ghosts mere figments of his imagination, or are they “real”?
Starring: Giorgos Chorafas, Pinelopi Tsilika, Paolo Rossi, Aeneas Tsamatis, Nikos Georgakis, Theodora Tzimou, Giorgos Symeonidis, Laura Busani, Giannis Anastasakis, and more.
Screenplay:Thanos Anastopoulos, Stefano Dongetti
Director:Thanos Anastopoulos
«My Homeland’s Flag is Blue» | Documentary ,2016
Vourvoura, a mountain village in Arcadia, described by Goethe. Its people lived in harmony with nature, sustaining themselves with what they produced. A self-sufficient society whose only connection to the “outside world” was the school. There, children learned to read and sang songs about the great homeland that made them proud. After the war and Nazi occupation—during which the village paid a heavy price in blood—many emigrated. Some settled in Marousi, a picturesque suburb of Athens that would undergo a violent transformation into the country’s financial center and later host the 2004 Olympic Games. A showcase of national pride built on consumer frenzy and excessive borrowing. Tragedy soon followed: bankruptcy. Due to a lack of resources, the village school closed after 150 years of operation. The flag that once waved proudly at school celebrations now lies dormant in a drawer. The journey of some people, the journey of a nation.
Direction – Screenplay – Narration: Stelios Charalampopoulos
«Pente 5» | Historical Drama ,2023
Michalis and Myrsini, a young couple, dream of building a peaceful and happy life together. Meanwhile, the five elders of Samothrace decide to expel the island’s Turkish tax collector and align with the revolutionary spirit of the time. Three months of peace follow, yet the island braces for potential conflict. A group of key figures emerges, including the five elders, the Visvizi family, a chieftain from Samos, and a mysterious foreigner named Aran. By late August, Turkish ships surround Samothrace. Each protagonist faces the looming disaster as the great struggle for survival begins…
Screenplay – Direction: Vasilis Tsikaris
«The Proud Ones» | Drama ,1962
Shortly after the Greek War of Independence in a newly liberated land, Liakos Bournovas (Giannis Voglis) wishes to marry Fotini (Alexandra Ladikou), the sister of the powerful Panagis Notaras (Petros Fyssoun). Notaras, in turn, desires Liakos’ sister. When Fotini is kidnapped by the bandit Captain Arvanitis (Dimitris Ioakeimidis), Liakos rescues her. His pride prevents him from accepting the reward offered by Notaras. Equally proud, Notaras sends one of his men to ask for Liakos’ sister’s hand in marriage. She chooses to take her own life, and Liakos vows revenge. In the ensuing confrontation, Notaras is mortally wounded. As he lies dying, he confesses his love for Liakos’ sister and grants Liakos permission to marry Fotini.
Direction – Screenplay: Andreas Lambrinos
Starring: Giannis Voglis, Petros Fyssoun, Alexandra Ladikou, Dimitris Ioakeimidis
TV SERIES – TV SHOWS
«Manto Mavrogenous» | ERT Archive
Katia Dandoulaki stars in this tribute series about the revolutionary heroine of the Greek War of Independence. Based on Georgios Roussos’ 1959 novel, this 12-episode historical-biographical series aired from June 8 to September 7, 1983, and was rebroadcast 32 years later in 2015. Set in 1815, the story unfolds across Trieste, Odessa, Saint Petersburg, Vienna, and Greece. It explores the Greeks’ longing for liberation, the role of foreign powers, international diplomacy, and internal conflicts among Greeks. Central to the narrative is Manto Mavrogenous, with prominent figures such as the Ypsilantis brothers, Ioannis Kapodistrias, Chancellor Metternich, and the Filiki Eteria members Nikolaos Skoufas, Emmanuel Xanthos, and Athanasios Tsakalov playing significant roles.
Direction: Stamatis Chondrogiannis
Screenplay: Georgios Roussos
Starring: Katia Dandoulaki, Nikos Galanos, Giorgos Kotanidis, Kaiti Lampropoulou, Stavros Xenidis, Christos Parlas, Panos Chatzikoutselis, Timos Perlegas, Periklis Moustakis, Sotiris Tsogas, Dora Volonaki
«365 Moments» “Lord Byron and the Exodus of Messolonghi” | ERT Informative Program
This episode explores the role of Lord Byron and the historic Exodus of Messolonghi in the foundation of the modern Greek state. The renowned British writer, captivated by Greece, actively participates in the Revolution but loses his life after 100 dramatic days in Messolonghi. His death sparks a wave of European philhellenic support. A year later, the siege of Missolonghi ends in the heroic Exodus, intensifying international support and prompting intervention by the Great Powers in favor of Greece. Historians, researchers, and descendants of the heroes of the Exodus share insights.
Research: Sofia Papaioannou
CONCERT
«Hymn to Liberty» – Kalavryta | ERT National Symphony Orchestra
As part of the 200th-anniversary celebrations of the Greek War of Independence, the ERT National Symphony Orchestra performed the Hymn to Liberty by Dionysios Solomos, set to music by Nikolaos Mantzaros. The event, organized by the Region of Western Greece, featured orchestration, arrangement, and conducting by composer and maestro Alkis Baltas.
Nikolaos Halikiopoulos Mantzaros (1795–1872), composer of Greece’s National Anthem, was a close friend of Solomos. Deeply moved by the poem’s revolutionary and romantic spirit, he composed music for all 158 quatrains in 1823, aiming for the hymn to be sung by all revolutionaries. The performance featured the ERT National Symphony Orchestra alongside the Mixed Choir and Children’s Choir of the “Polyphonic Choir of Patras,” with mezzo-soprano Irini Karagianni reciting select excerpts from the Hymn to Liberty.
For more details, visit ERTFLIX International website.
