Stella Grammenos-Dimadis Blog

Filmmaking Forum People love to be swept off their feet, to go into an environment where they've never been, to experience things they only ever dream about.  And filmmaking offers that potential. Peter Gruber Stella Dimadis, Chair, Public Filmmaking Forum So the greek Film Festival is in full swing in Melbourne and Sydney.  I'm excited to say the hard work that has gone in to organising the Greek Australian Short Film Festival, alongside Katerina Kotsonis and Jim Koutsoukos will all be unveiled tomorrow night, the 23rd of October in Melbourne and the 29th of October in Sydney.  There are two sessions this year, National Shorts and International Shorts.  There is an amazing array of films from both sections which are all vying for 'Best Film' with a cash prize of $1,000 each, the Greek Communities of Melbourne and New South Wales have provided for these.  I need to thank our sponsors, PWK Accounting Group and Icon Insurance Advisers who have both generously s

It was a wonderful evening at Deakin Edge last week for the My Deakin World Film Competition where students presented their short films on what it means to be at Deakin University.  Prizes were up for grabs and for me I was enthused to see the creativity that abounds when encouragement is given to students.  This is my introduction to Mr Aaron Sterns, who was the key note speaker of the evening. I have been pleasantly inspired tonight, by the Short Film, Silent Waltz to Play , and the Enthusiasts films thus far that we have all just watched. It's the words of Edward Young, an English poet of the 17 th century that come to mind; for it is our senses that " Take in at once the landscape of the world, At a small inlet, which a grain might close, And half create the wondrous world they see." Stories come from this place. Stories derive from our senses and are turned into novels, poems and as you have all witnessed today, films. Within one of my blogs, I had

Greek Cinema-Luton, a film by Michalis Konstantatos "Now more than ever we need to talk to each other, to listen to each other and understand how we see the world, and cinema is the best medium for doing this." Martin Scorcese There's something quite distinct that happens when you view so many films in one sitting.  A theme seems to surface,  or perhaps a symbol, or even a particular colour, whereby you could swear that the filmmakers were all working from a universal mindset.  The New Wave of Greek Cinema is dark, grey, troubled, full of turmoil and characters that are detached and uncomfortable in their chosen landscape, never at peace or at one with their surroundings.  There is a constant sadistic element to the New Wave of Greek Cinema and I wonder if the pain of the population during the crises has desensitised violence and procured sadism, validating it within the realm of cinema, for a hurt society needs to lash out somewhat.  At times, it goes beyond t

The Melbourne Art Fair No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist. Oscar Wilde With any sort of creative occupation it is imperative that art becomes a part of one's daily existence so as to feed that artistic streak within.  It doesn't matter what that occupation is, writer, poet, filmmaker, painter, dancer, actor and the list can go on.  What is important is the stimulation to further the creations that comes from confronting all art forms.  Inspiration will transpire, and with that in mind I visited the Melbourne Art Fair. It has been running for 25 years now and it covers a cross section of the region's art.  Galleries from all over the world can participate to show case their artists, and the art fair becomes a glimpse of the current state of the world, even for a moment. As a filmmaker I wanted to see what  artists are creating and why.  For me it is essential to understand the psyche behind these creations

Exercising the Creative Mind One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star. Friedrich Nietzsche The creative mind is truly unique.  There is no beginning or end to the possibilities that it can provide.  Images, stories, ideas, concepts, thoughts, are borne from this mind and it can exhaust itself to the point of collapse.  Stands to reason when there is so much of a thought process going on;  a bombardment of everything, constantly.  Nietzsche describes it as chaos.  I'm going to have to agree.  For the creative mind there may never be rest and while it is a precious thing to have, it can be also be destructive.  Withdrawal into this world, all alone can be a common escape, for it is the world that is ours, one that we can only see and one that we can only understand.  This though, is not conducive to long term productivity of the art form and in looking at successful creatives there is one stand alone act that they all employ to serve the

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal. “ Albert Pike. 5 th Greek Australian Short Film Festival As the submissions are coming in from International and National Filmmakers of Greek background and or from filmmakers that have made films that are thematically Greek in nature, it excites me to see the program slowly panning out for the 5 th Greek Australian Short Film Festival. The two sessions, International Films and National Films will be programmed in as part of the 21 st Greek Film Festival which will be screened in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Canberra. Submissions will close on the 15 th of August and these can come through the Without A Box Website, https://www.withoutabox.com/03film/03t_fin/03t_fin_fest_01dead.php?festview=&category_id=1509750 It has been great having these submissions come in and what's even more important is the

"I used to think as I looked out on the Hollywood night, 'There must be thousands of girls sitting alone like me dreaming of being a movie star.' But I'm not going to worry about them. I'm dreaming the hardest." Marilyn Monroe. This is my third time in Los Angeles and I've got to say I love this city.  It is not the just about the characters that roam, or the taxi drivers that seek to find me to keep me safe at all hours of the morning, or the buzz that is constant, like a never ending machine in my ear reminding me that I am in a place that is happening at a million hours per second.  It is about the small surprises that pop up to remind me again and again that I am existing in a moment that is truly special, that will embed in a memory to be brought up, that will always induce a giggle and a smile. Upon arriving I found myself at the most logical place to stay, Dream Suites Hotel, Hollywood.  I figured that if dreams can come true than this is th

Do Lectures 24 th April-27 th April, 2014 There was one statement that I kept with me as I embarked on the incredible journey to the 'Do Lectures', a series of lectures, a first for Australia, and notably a unique series of 20 speakers sharing their passion with 70 attendees. That statement was simply, “once you attend the 'Do Lectures', your life is never the same, and you will go away from the lectures a changed person”. I was curious to see how this was to happen and what changes were going to be stirred within me. The Do Lectures were conducted at Payne's Hut, within the Alpine region of Victoria; picturesque, unique, taming, and above all, reinvigorating.   We slept in tents, were fed gourmet food made by local produce and chefs, relaxed, listened and thought about journeys. Life long dreams that were made into tangible realities. I constantly thought about how I would change, and change I did. That change revolved aroun

I'd like to share the speech that I presented in opening the Art Exhibition at the Hellenic Museum on Sunday the 9th of March, 2014, in celebration of International Women's Day. A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.-Diane Mariechild. What started as a conversation between Varvara Ioannou and myself on how to promote women in the community for International Women's Day, gave rise to an idea that flourished to become the remarkable exhibition aptly titled TRANSFORMATION,. Metasximatismos. This revolves around the theme of CHANGE as specified for International Women's Day by the UN. Varvara Ioannou, founder for Food For Thought and 2006 Nominee for Telstra Business Woman of the Year Award and Elizabeth Gertsakis, an art historian and artist in her own right, have worked tirelessly to bind the event together bringing forth the many talents of the artists represented. The seven Greek Australian Women artis

"I'm drawn to filmmaking that can transport me.  Film can immerse you, put you there." Kathryn Bigelow 25.12 What began as a discussion with Antonios Baxevanidis on the wonderful writer Thanasis Papastergiou ended up throwing me on a journey of psychological exploration, in particular when I began to read CHRISTMAS, a short story by Thanasis Papastergiou.  What I encountered was a surreal story, very visual, on an ageing man confronted with loneliness on Christmas Day.  In order to fill his life with some semblance of normality, he prepares gifts, organises a luncheon for his family and attempts to connect with them.  Through the story the audience witnesses a man grappling with reality, emotional torment, illusion and the power of his ancestors on his state of mind.  This got me thinking about reality and I figured that in order to discover our reality, we much explore our illusions, thus began the adaptation of 'Christmas

Art in its perfection is not ostentatious; it lies hid, and works its effect, itself unseen.-Joshua Reynolds 1774 From the moment that my prep teacher gave me some crayons and butcher paper at the age of five, without a word of English to be able to communicate to her and say 'thank you' I immediately gained an understanding of the universal language of art. I found freedom. Whereas before I was constrained in being able to express myself I now had the tools to tell, what seemed to me to be the world, what I was seeing, feeling, noticing and appreciating. I was given wings in the true sense of the word. I began to fly and from that moment onwards I never stopped. Creating all forms of art for me is how I function, mentally and physically; it is my way to express myself in all aspects of life. Thus at five years of age my passion for the Arts was formed and has stayed with me ever since. It makes sense to note that when Winston Churchill was asked to cut a