ERTFLIX International tribute to the Asia Minor Catastrophe
ERTFLIX International presents a special tribute in September to the Asia Minor Catastrophe, a pivotal event that reshaped the course of modern Greek history. Through documentaries, concerts, special broadcasts, and historical series from ERT’s valuable archives, the dramatic moments of Hellenism in the early 20th century are vividly brought to life.
Quai | Documentary (2022)
The film brings to life the vibrant culture that thrived before the destruction of Smyrna in 1922, shaped by the coexistence of diverse nations, peoples, languages, and mentalities, especially reflected along the famous quay, or “quai.”
Written and directed by Angelos Kovotsos
Refugee Greece | Documentary | 2002
A documentary that follows the journey of the Asia Minor refugees after the 1922 Catastrophe. The refugees speak about the immense challenges they faced during the first years of their settlement in Greece until they were able to integrate into Greek society.
Narrated by Giorgos Geogleris
Written and directed by Vangelis Serdaris
Splendid City – Refugee Settlements | Documentary Series (2021)
The episode of the documentary series SPLENDID CITY, titled “Refugee Settlements,” takes a stroll through the refugee neighborhoods of Athens and Piraeus, before they disappear from our collective memory forever. It follows the remaining physical traces, guided by the insights of historians and architects who shed light on the context of the era, as well as the invaluable testimonies of those who still remember them, lived through them, or heard stories about them. This episode tours the refugee neighborhoods of Athens and Piraeus, capturing the remnants and testimonies of those who remember these communities, highlighting their historical significance.
Written and directed by Marina Danezi
The Children of Niovi | Historical Series | | ERT Archive (2004)
A period drama series, produced in 2004, based on the novel of the same title by Tasos Anastasiadis. The plot of the series follows the family of the wealthy banker Michalis Anastasiadis from Salihli, Asia Minor, from the summer of 1917 until the Asia Minor Catastrophe, their arrival, and their settlement in Greece.
Written by: Kostas Koutsomytis, Vasilis Mavropoulos
Directed by: Kostas Koutsomytis
Loxandra | Series | ERT Archive (1979)
Loxandra lives in Constantinople in the mid-19th century. Orphaned as a child, she took on the responsibility of raising her younger siblings. At the age of thirty, through an arranged marriage, she marries Dimitros, an older widower, and sets up her new household in Makrychori, a suburb near Galata. Their life flows peacefully, as Loxandra, an exceptional cook, comes to love Dimitros’ children from his first marriage as if they were her own. As the years pass, the distant echoes of significant historical events and the persecution of the Greeks frequently disrupt their family’s tranquility.
Written by Christos Doxaras
Directed by Grigoris Grigoriou
Beloved Shows | ERT Archive | “Konstantinos Politis”
Freddy Germanos recalls the show with guest writer Konstantinos Politis. The man who participated as a sergeant in the Asia Minor battles recounts with emotion his experiences, describing dramatic documents recorded in his book “Asia Minor,” leaving his own mark on the threshold of History. Through the poignant testimonies of Konstantinos Politis, the longing for the liberation of the unredeemed Greek population, the tragic massacre of Smyrna, and its eventual liberation are described. The show is accompanied by rich archival material from the Asia Minor battles.
Hosted by Freddy Germanos
The Seeds of Smyrna | Musical Program with the Contemporary Music Orchestra & the ERT Choir (2023)
The “cinematic” journey from ‘smyrnaiiko’ to rebetiko and folk music is captured in the original musical performance “The Seeds of Smyrna” by Nikos Platyrachos.
A unique composition rooted in both Smyrniot songs and music, as well as their “seeding” in the interior after the Asia Minor catastrophe, evolving into rebetiko and laiko songs, and eventually into what is widely known as art song, a journey of approximately 40 years. An original composition that initially draws from the songs and music of Smyrna, and their “sowing” into the interior after the Asia Minor Catastrophe, evolving into rebetiko and folk music, and eventually culminating in what is broadly known as art music, spanning approximately 40 years. The concept of the performance was a cinematic journey through the timeline of these events, with an orchestration of a similar hue for a symphony orchestra.
Musical Direction: Nikos Platyrachos
Symphonic Rebetiko | Concert From Smyrna and Constantinople to Piraeus (2022)
100 years after the Asia Minor Catastrophe, the ERT Contemporary Music Orchestra, under the direction of its conductor Giorgos Aravidis, meets the refugee rebetiko composers in a musical journey from Constantinople and the coasts of Asia Minor to Piraeus with a symphonic sound.
After 1922, refugee musicians from Smyrna, Constantinople and other regions of the East and Pontus settled en masse in Piraeus, bringing with them melodies, dances, and culture. They met the then-marginal rebetes of the port, creatively blending their sound into a new music that transformed the folk culture of our country.
