The 2006 Antipodes Greek Film Festival will launch in Melbourne on Wednesday, 20 September with director Nikos Perakis’ Sirens in the Aegean, the smash-hit satire which took over 1.3 million admissions in Greece alone. A sequel to Perakis’ cult 1984 comedy Loafing and Camouflage (which will also screen at this year’s Festival) Sirens in the Aegean follows a group of soldiers, assigned to guard a small island, whose lives descend into turmoil when they encounter a mysterious Turkish yacht with three beautiful women.

Presented by the Greek Community of Melbourne in conjunction with Palace Cinemas, this year’s line-up again boasts a tantalising array of contemporary and classic Greek cinema, which showcases the sensitive, yet flamboyant nature of one of the world’s most passionate cultures.

The programmes’ Contemporary Greek Cinema Section presents a celluloid potpourri which highlights emerging filmmakers such as Angelos Frantzis whose fantasy thriller A Dog’s Dream delivers a slice of magic realism, whilst Layia Yiourgou and Eleni Alexandraki’s respective romantic features Liubi and The Woman Who Missed Home, evoke love in all its passion. The buoyant comedy Chariton’s Choir, winner of the Audience Award at the 2005 Thessaloniki Film Festival, celebrates the joy of living with a robust central performance from Georges Corraface who delighted 2004 Festival audiences with his star turn in A Touch of Spice. Actor/Director Andonis Kafetzopoulos’ comedy Woman Is... A Tough Person will also entertain with its energetic look at an executive whose life is spinning out of control, whilst veteran filmmaker Antonis Papadopoulos’ ironic drama Hazardous and Unhealthy takes an insightful look at the power of myths and hero-worship.

The Festival’s Family Films Section includes the masterful dramas Fading Light and the award-winning The Canary Yellow Bicycle, which both depict the influence teachers can have on the lives of their pupils. Also within this Section is The Little Dolphins, from cinematic maestro Dinos Demopoulos, acknowledged as one of the country’s greatest directors who, in what was to be the last film of his distinguished career, revisits a recurring theme, the sea.

Three films from the 60’s Golden Age of Greek Cinema form the Classics Section; the social comedy Moderna Stahtopouta starring the late, great star of Greek stage and screen, Aliki Vougiouklaki, the drama Nomas 4000 from director Yannis Dalianidis and the Festival’s closing night film, I Soferina, a delicious comedy from the late veteran director Alekos Sakellarios which also stars Aliki Vougiouklaki in one of her most popular performances.

Also Included in the 2006 programme is a rare homage to director Michael Cacoyannis, whose genius is revisited through his critically acclaimed trilogy of ancient Greek tragedies starring screen legend Irene Papas; Electra, The Trojan Women (co-starring Katherine Hepburn, Vanessa Redgrave and Geneviève Bujold) and Iphigenia The 2006 Antipodes Greek Film Festival will take place in Melbourne from Wednesday 20 September until Sunday 8 October at Palace Cinema Como.

To download the full Festival Programme, visit the official website at: www.greekfilmfestival.com.au