EVENT IN HONOR OF KYRIAKI MALAMA
Thessaloniki’s own Kyriaki Malama, a filmmaker who has left a distinct mark on the documentary genre and whose tribute the Festival is hosting this year, was honored during a special event organized by the 13th TDF on March 13, 2011 in the packed Pavlos Zannas theater.
Festival director Dimitris Eipides talked about the excellence of Malama’s work, saying that it deserves to be fully appreciated by audiences. “As an artist, Kyriaki Malama is a wonderer. Her glance has captured human interest stories and has probed socially vulnerable groups. Her images have built an outstandingly rich socio-political capital that is of immense value to Greece. She is a perceptive filmmaker, noted for the immediacy of her films. The testimonies captured in her documentaries can be often surprising, and at times even shocking”, said Mr. Eipides.
Thessaloniki’s Deputy mayor for Culture, Education and Tourism, Spyros Pegas, presented an honorary plaque to the director, commenting that he felt happy and proud to be awarding the artist from Thessaloniki. “Both Mrs. Malama and the festival’s s award testify to the fact that Thessaloniki possesses human capital and artists who can express in universal terms their political and personal agonies”, said Mr. Pegas.
Receiving the plaque, Kyriaki Malama stressed that the TDF has been a venue of expression for her from the very beginning, in 1999. The filmmaker thanked Mr. Eipides, first as a viewer and second as a director. “Mr. Eipides, I wish to thank you for the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, which is clearly the most important cultural institution of the city. TDF has offered us the opportunity to watch the creations of local and international filmmakers, opening a window to the world. We have watched excellent films, in terms of both their artistic and thematic value”, said Mrs. Malama.
The filmmaker is noted for her human-centered focus, using her lens to raise the awareness about major political and social issues, seeking out the unseen side of things. Throughout her career, she has been collaborating with scriptwriter and producer Fani Toupaligi, who was also present at the honorary event. Taking the floor, Mrs. Toupaligi commented: “We wish to offer our thanks to the Festival, which has given us the chance to continue a work that started in 1998 and make sure it has a future”.
Kyriaki Malama has been a longtime partner of ERT 3, the third channel of Greek national TV. The general director of ERT 3, Kostas Bliatkas, described the work of the filmmaker as a “mirror that has allowed the Greek periphery to find its real face”. He went on to mention that this is another “piece of the puzzle in ERT’s effort to capture the rhythm of the Greek periphery”. In a symbolic gesture, Mr. Bliatkas presented Mrs. Malama with a painting by artist Elle Chrisidou.
Malama’s documentaries Vasko Karatza and Black Flag were screened following the award ceremony.
