The film «Concrete» is in its early stages and deals with the life and identity of the third generation of Greeks in Australia.
The protagonist is Angelos, who questions his identity and is torn between family traditions, which require the whole family to celebrate Easter together, and his desire to pursue rave music and the lifestyle that goes with it.
Through a series of surreal interactions with the landscape, the young man recognizes that his two seemingly contradictory identities are shaped and influenced by each other.
Behind the camera are two young filmmakers, Renee Kypriotis and Ari Kwasner-Catsi, two Greek-Australians who want to bring this story to life and share their own struggles in connecting with their Greek identity. They also hope to find connections with the wider Greek community in Australia.
«I think we draw heavily on our personal experiences, at least I do,» Kyprioti told Neos Kosmos. «This comes from being removed from your culture, and that's where I draw elements from my personal experience, in a way. It's because I never really felt Greek, because I don't speak Greek and because I'm third generation... As the generations pass, you don't feel very close to your culture.».
Kyprioti says her parents grew up surrounded by the Greek way of life and suffered racism because of it. So when it was time to raise their own children, including Renee, they left out many Greek traditions.
«They didn't feel they could become Greek when they grew up, and that's what we want to show in the film, the generation gap with Angelos» parents,’ he says. It is clear that there is a noticeable gap between Greek parents and their children today, even though both generations were born in Australia.
The second generation grew up with immigrant parents and thus retained many of the elements associated with being Greek, such as language and religion.
Today, younger Greek Australians seem to be more connected to values and cultural elements such as food. The second generation had to combine Greek traditions with the Australian way of life. This was difficult for many, so rejecting their Greek identity became a common phenomenon.
Ari Kwasner-Catsi says that it was important to show this in the film, namely the disconnect from Greek identity, but also how the third generation has reconnected with it.
«One point we should mention—and it's important for the film, looking at the relationships between different generations—is that when Greek immigrants first arrived, they tried to hold on to their traditions,» he comments, continuing: «This tired the second generation, our parents, who tried to break away from being the children of immigrants. In our case, however, it is interesting that we are trying to bring it back, because we have not been pressured by the expectations our parents felt.».
We see many children born here with Greek ancestry saying they are Greek and calling themselves Greek-Australians, even though some are not as close to their roots as others. Perhaps they feel the need to be part of something bigger, or maybe it sounds nicer to be Greek-Australian. The third generation has adopted the Greek identity.
«It is easier to identify with a more specific culture than to say I am Australian. Because what is an Australian? What does it mean? It means different things to different people. Saying that I am Greek often makes me feel more Australian because now I know how I am connected to Australian history,» says Aris.
Renee and Aris plan to start filming in October and want to include other Greek artists, including musicians and fashion designers, so that the film has strong ties to the Greek community.
They are also looking for potential investors.
If you would like to help with the film in any way, please email Reene (rne.e@outlook.com) or Aris (me@arikc.com).
