Mou Lipis – translates from Greek to English as: You are missing from me.
Story: The remarkable courage, initiative, bravery and adaptation of Greeks in general, focussing on those Kytherians who came to Australia and had a significant impact on communities throughout the eastern seaboard particularly in regional, rural and remote areas through business enterprises such as Milk Bars, Cafe’s, Hospitality expanding to corporate, sport, politics, science, academia and military service. Conversely, the status of women on Kythera during this period would change dramatically for the better. Transforming from a status with little say or control to being the head of the family and empowering women and girls for the future. To quote Hugh Gilchrist: “ If there is a single word which summarises the lives of most Greeks in Australia early in the 20th century, it is Shop-Keeping.”
Narrative and structure: The film will contain interviews in both Greek and English, with respective subtitles and be interspersed with historical artefacts including 8mm footage, photographs, letters, journals and academic findings on the history of Kythera. The interviews are filmed in Australia and on Kythera and depict each person’s story of their life on Kythera and how they immersed themselves into Australian society on many levels.
Creative vision: Believed to be the first film focussing on Kytherian migration. The stories being told aim to provide the viewer with a sense of how life was on Kythera, what drove the chain migration phenomenon, why Kytherians chose in most cases, to live and raise a family in rural and remote regions of QLD, NSW and VIC. The legacy from their bravery is the much easier life of opportunities now for future generations including the unprecedented amount of in-kind money sent back to Kythera, highlighted in the film.
This story is a time capsule, capturing the filming of people and places, images and artefacts to show the incredible brave journey over time
