GFF24: MAGNA GRAECIA - THE GRECO OF CALABRIA

Two Greek Aussie filmmakers set off on a tour to find the last remaining Greko speakers, deep, deep in Calabria. The two find something unexpected, hope…. Hope that language and culture survive as young Greko speakers have valiantly taken up the campaign to speak Greko as more and more Greko elders pass away. Basil and Billy explore seven towns, learning about the stories of the Greko, the decline of Hellenism in Magna Graecia and how a small, close knit group of youngsters are determined to save the language from the jaws of extermination. Calabria was once dominated by Hellenism, where one could not move freely through the entire south of the Italian Peninsula without being able to speak Greek. At their peak, 1,500 Orthodox monasteries and churches adorned Magna Graecia – Greater Greece, The unification of Italy in the 1800s and the imposition of the dialect of Tuscany as modern Italian accelerated the decline of the Greko language, which many looked down upon as an uncouth language in the poorest parts of Italy. The documentary will hopefully inspire you to visit these towns and learn about the ancient and Byzantine Greko language.