Talk: Greece’s Gender Divide – The Hellenic Centre

Bringing together perspectives from law, film and media, Greece’s Gender Divide: Femicide Through the Lens examines how representations of violence against women can shape public understanding, political debate and even judicial outcomes.

The all-female panel brings together former Judge Betty Iliadou, Dr. Tonia Kazakopoulou and Dr. Afroditi Koulaxi to consider how media coverage centred on victimhood and emotional spectacle can distract from the wider political, legislative and structural failures surrounding femicide.

The discussion takes two landmark Greek films as its starting point: Mihalis Cacoyannis’ Stella (1955), whose heroine challenges the misogynistic conventions of her time, and Tonia Marketaki’s John the Violent (1973), which transforms a real-life murder into a radical feminist examination of violence and society. Using excerpts from both films, the speakers will explore how the gendered moral codes of the 1950s and 60s continue to resonate today.

Taking place on Thursday 19 November at 7pm, the event will also consider patriarchy, gender inequality and the ways violence against women continues to be justified and represented. The Q&A will be moderated by filmmaker and Garden Cinema Head Curator and Programmer Erifili Missiou, with the event presented in collaboration with The Garden Cinema.

Find out more here.