The film focuses on the relationship between Christianity and Hellenism through the contributions of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and individual Patriarchs to the Greek language, education, and philosophy. It shows that, despite common misconceptions, Christianity was a major contributor to the survival of Ancient Greek culture, as intellectuals and institutions – many of them affiliated with the Patriarchate- adopted the aesthetic values of pagan literature and employed concepts of Platonic and Aristotelian philosophy to articulate Christian doctrine. This provided a cultural continuity that helped the survival of Greek thought and language, contributed to the Renaissance, and became a steady reference point for Greek and Orthodox communities in Greece and around the world.
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Director Biography – Nikos Dayandas
Born in Crete in 1975, Nikos studied Classical Archaeology (BA) at University College London, and Documentary Research (MA) at the University of the Arts, London. Since 2004, he has helmed acclaimed international documentary co-productions for National Geographic, ARTE, ZDF, AVRO, ERT, GFC, History TV, NFB Canada et.al., and co-directed seminal Greek docu-series “1821” and “The Journey of Food”. Recent work includes the multi-award-winning docudrama “Venizelos, the Struggle for Asia Minor”, and docu-series “The Art Code”. He is currently developing his debut feature fiction film, “A girl named Zeus”.
| Nikos Dayandas Director, Writer, Producer Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Key Cast |
