The Megaron presents once again the first three historical documentaries by Maria Iliou, covering the period from 1821 to 1940 and tracing the history of Athens. The next three documentaries, covering 1940–2021, will follow shortly, completing the six-part series devoted to the city.
What was life in Athens like after the first Olympic Games of 1896? Why did Athenians go to fight in so many wars: the Greco-Turkish War of 1897, the Balkan Wars of 1912–1913, World War I in 1917, and the Asia Minor Campaign from 1919 to 1922? How did Athens transform into a Greece that was continuously expanding, during the years of the Megali Idea and the National Schism, evolving from the Belle Époque Athens to the new Athens of the 1920s?
Through previously unknown archival material, drawings, engravings, photographs discovered and restored in the United States, Europe, and Greece, along with sounds, period music, and testimonies, filmmaker Maria Iliou, historian and consultant Alexander Kitroeff, and their collaborators bring to life the story of Athens in a period when Athenians faced constant departures for the front and the passions of the national schism, which brought fear and violence to the city. At the same time, whenever they could, they sought escape at the beaches of Neo Faliro, which were enjoying great popularity, and at the musical theater of Theofrastus Sakellaridis, while the first automobiles appeared on the streets. Following the Asia Minor Catastrophe, peaceful Athens was filled with refugees, completely transforming the city.
This documentary is presented at the Megaron for the first time; it was originally screened in 2023 at the Benaki Museum.
DOCUMENTARY SPONSORS
The Jaharis Family Foundation
The Hatsopoulos Foundation
The Pindaros Foundation
The Moschaclaidis Foundation
KIKPE – Public Benefit Foundation for Social and Cultural Work
Anonymous Donor
PRODUCTION
Proteas & Proteus NY INC
