In 1995, and after having received three awards at archeological festivals abroad (France, Italy, and Belgium), the inspiration dawned on me to create a biennial Archaeological Film Festival in Greece. It soon took the proportions of a national issue in my mind as at the time Europe was buzzing with film festivals of an archeological character and content (France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, to name but a few), while Greece, the country most intertwined with the very concept of archeology, had nothing of the kind to present.

Thus, the First International Meeting of Archaeological Films of the Mediterranean Area-‘AGON’, took place in 1996, mainly thanks to the practical support of the journalist Lena Savidis (newspaper “TA NEA”) and the archaeologist Anna Lambrakis, publisher of the magazine “Archaeology and Arts”, setting up the basis for many other institutions, both cultural and non-cultural, taking part in the venture.

In the course of its 25 years of activity, AGON has evolved into an Institution not only of a Pan-Hellenic but also of an international acclaim. Proof of this is its collaboration with many important personalities and institutions from the field of culture and science, both in Greece and abroad, but also by the warm embrace of the public that has faithfully been following the events of the festival all these years.

This year, AGON is literally re-established with the collaboration of Dimitris Komninos, artistic director of urban non-profit company “Odyssey Cultural Events“, in cooperation with the Greek Film Archive and the Hellenic Department of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) by means of a grant by the Ministry of Culture.

The 11th International Archaeological Film Festival of AGON, will take place in Athens, on May 10-16, 2022.

The thematic of the festival is archeology in the broad sense of the word: Antiquity, Middle Ages, folk arts, traditions, industrial archeology, cultural heritage, the recording of every world that is by norm getting lost, in other words, the today that becomes the archeology of tomorrow, bringing in contact people, not only from Greece but also from all over the world, people-dreamers of a better life.

The dream of a universal state of people based on the concepts of freedom, equality and justice has lasted as long as the human existence. And while it may sound utopian, we insist it is not impossible. Therefore, we keep hoping. If not for us, we hope for the future man, the universal “we”.

That is why we are dedicating the 11th International Archaeological Film Festival AGON-2022 to the world-famous composer Mikis Theodorakis who, first among equals, envisioned the “Ecumenical Community”, condensing the vision of archaeological research to the laconic quote: “Man is a duty”.

 

Memi Spyratou
President of AGON Festival