'My Rembetika Blues': Mary Zournazi's film on Australia's big screens

Mary Zournazi’s ‘My Rembetika Blues’ is a film about the power of music, and what makes us human. It is the type of music that was born in exile and on the streets. The film will be screened in Australia.

Jim Sclavunos and Mary Zournazi. Source: Sarah Lowe

Sydney-based filmmaker Mary Zournazi(*) takes us on a journey in Greek contemporary history and explores the reasons why Rembetica songs connect millions of people around the world.

Sydney-based filmmaker Mary Zournazi takes us on a journey in Greek’s contemporary history. It explores the reasons of why Rembetica connect millions people. Source: Mary Zournazi

A few years ago, Ms Zournazi gave us the documentary “Dogs of Democracy”.

There, the filmmaker presented us with stories of stray dogs of Athens and the people who take care of them. 

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'My Rembetika Blues΄Screenings in Australia

• June 3: Canberra, National Film & Sound Archive
• June 4: Brisbane, New Farm Cinema
• Jun 16: Classic Cinema Melbourne. Q&A with writer Christos Tsiolkas
• June 23: Ritz Randwick, Sydney
• July 20: Marrickville Library, Sydney
• July 27: The F Project, Warrnambool, Victoria
• There will be more screenings in Melbourne in November

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Now she made a film about the music of the sub-culture, the songs of people that they left out, songs that for decades were censored by politicians and army officials.

Τhe film takes us to several cities and locations starting from Constantinople and heading to Boston in the USA.

Mary Zournazi follows the mass migration of people in the early twentieth century and traces the journey of her forebears from Smyrna (Turkey) to Sydney (Australia).

There, she discovers something more than a family history. She finds out how music connects people during times of struggle and crises.

The director meets and talks to Costas Ferris, the director of the “Rebetiko” film. 

A film that Greek Australians loved and since then it has reshaped the way we think and talk about rebetiko songs. Ferris has re-introduced us to rebetika culture through the story of a brave but also vulnerable woman.

Greek musician Negros Tou Moria. From Mary Zournazi’s documentary ‘My Rembetika Blues’. Source: Mary Zournazi

But Ms. Zournazi believes that Greek Australians haven’t yet fully comprehended the stories behind the rembetika (sub)culture.

She meets and talks with a legend of rembetika music, Stelios Vamvakaris, the son of Markos Vamvakaris.

He shares his thoughts and his philosophy about rembetika and the role that they can play in human beings and the way we see the world.

The filmmaker introduces us to Negros Tou Moria, the popular Black, Greek, and Proud music maker and artist.

In the last decade, the Ghanaian-Greek rapper is carving out new territory and challenging stereotypes with rap music that is deeply rooted in the Greek language, culture, and rembetika songs.

From Kosta Ferris' film "Rembetiko. Source: Wikipedia

Ms. Zournazi says that by bringing together her own and other stories, the film looks at how the music evolves in Greece and around the world including the connection between the American Blues, Cajun music, and Hip Hop. 

“My Rembetika Blues provides an urgent and timely discussion of what makes us human”, she says.

Mary Zournazi aims to engage audiences in conversation through traditional and social media outlets and to open out a more humane public dialogue around the experience of forced migration and refugees to help promote different governmental and social policies as well as to raise awareness of communities around the world.

Greek Australian film maker Mary Zournazi. Source: Mary Zournazi

Press Play on the main photo and listen the interview with filmmaker Mary Zournazi. The film has already been screened in several cities in Australia 

NOTES: Ms. Zournazi's headshot was taken by Greek Australian photographer, Effy Alexakis. The photo of Ms. Zournazi with Jim Sclavunos is credited to Sarah Lowe 

(*) Mary Zournazi is an Australian filmmaker, author, and cultural philosopher. Her multi-awarding-winning documentary Dogs of Democracy (2017) was screened worldwide. She has published widely including several books on war, love, and peace including Keywords to War, Hope – New Philosophies for Change, Inventing Peace with the Oscar-nominated filmmaker Wim Wenders, and she has most recently published Justice & Love with the former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. She is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales, Sydney.