Positive Stories: Blue Flag 2024 & more

“Blue Flag” 2024: Greece ranks 2nd in the world with 652 awarded sites

Six hundred and twenty-five Greek coasts, eighteen marinas and nine tourist boats won the international “Blue Flag” quality award this year. In our country there is a steady upward trend with an increase in the number of awarded coasts every year, with the number of awards again exceeding 600, and in the total of 52 countries participating in the Program, Greece holds 15% of the internationally awarded coasts. The prefecture of Halkidiki was the first prefecture in Greece, with 104 flags, and the Region of Crete retains the first place with 146 flags. The International Committee awarded 4,252 coasts, 733 marinas and 141 tourist boats around the world.

Discover the Greek coasts, marinas and tourist boats awarded the “Blue Flag” https://www.blueflag.gr/sites/default/files/page-files/akteslist2024gr-eng03.pdf

Important distinction for the Salt Museum

Congratulations to the Salt Museum in Messolonghi for winning the “Portimão Museum Prize for Welcome, Inclusion and Belonging”, in the framework of the “European Museum of the Year Award”. At the Salt Museum, visitors have the opportunity to learn about everything related to salt from its first appearance on the planet to the present day and by providing a variety of educational and cultural activities, the museum brings together members of the community and fosters a shared sense of history, industrial heritage and environmental sustainability. It is a highly welcoming, dynamic and engaging place that makes visitors feel at home.

Browse the Salt Museum digitally https://saltmuseum.gr/en/ and read more about the award https://europeanforum.museum/news/the-winners-of-emya2024-are-announced

Summer cultural and educational programs for young Greek-Americans in Greece

“Greek Culture and Civilization” is the title of the summer program that will take place from July 20 to 30 in Northern Greece and will host forty young Greek Americans. The program includes a variety of educational and cultural activities, including visits to historical sites, museums and biotechnology groups, as well as interactive sessions such as Greek cooking lessons and dance classes. Also, a Summer School program on “Greek Culture and Civilization from Antiquity to Modern Times” will take place in Mystras, Laconia, from 25 July to 7 August. The program is open to twenty-five U.S. citizens and includes daily lectures and tours covering ancient, Byzantine, and modern Greek culture.

The Enigma of Keros: audience award at the Oregon International Film Festival

The Enigma of Keros, a documentary produced by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), won the Audience Award at the Oregon International Archaeological Film Festival. The documentary chronicles the excavation on the island of Keros, conducted by the British School at Athens and the University of Cambridge, under the direction of Lord Colin Renfrew and Dr. Michael Boyd in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Cyclades. Lord Colin Renfrew has dedicated his multi-level research to solving the riddle that has puzzled the world’s scientific community for decades: on this small and uninhabited island in the Cyclades, hundreds of fragments of broken Cycladic figurines have been found, but they do not fit together. According to Professor Renfrew, Keros is the first marine sanctuary on the entire planet. The documentary has also received the awards for best documentary film and directing at the London Greek Film Festival, and the award for best educational film at the Agon Archaeological Festival.

Watch the documentary https://www.ertflix.gr/en/series/ser.125834-to-ainigma-tis-keroy and read more https://www.amna.gr/en/article/822655/The-Enigma-of-Keros-wins-Audience-Favorite-award-at-intnl-festival-in-Oregon

77th Cannes Film Festival: 2nd prize for the Greek film “The Chaos She Left Behind” at the official competition section for the best student short films

Nikos Kolioukos’ short film “The Chaos She Left Behind” has won the second prize in La Cinef, the Cannes Film Festival’s competition section of students’ films, which presents the best student short films of the world. A story about love and dependence, about all the things we love and the things we want to leave behind. 18 student films participated in the Official Competition section of La Cinef and were selected from among 2,263 films from 555 film schools around the world.

“My monuments… on improvised Dress”

An innovative cultural project entitled: “My monuments… on improvised Dress” ” was organized at the ancient theatre of Philippi, on International Museum Day, Saturday May 18, 2024. The event presented the result of the work of groups of students who created their own garment with leftover fabrics and other scrap materials, inspired by historical monuments of the region. Each student group chose a monument and rendered its characteristics on the fabric. The students experimented, designed, dared and transformed materials and ideas into art, work and lifestyle. They portrayed the monument they chose and they composed a poem or wrote a short text in the first person, about how the monument felt at a time in its history and how it feels today, thus honoring International Museum Day. Read more about the art event: https://www.facebook.com/Kavala.gov.gr/posts/pfbid031LoLHyvs7RinUE9UTXN6QFVDYGHf4KbVhNfrTtmK8Uj3UeZY4UPPtvGc5SSfY9sfl