Filming begins in March
In an outdoor studio, with lights, cameras and dozens of actors, the Thessaloniki. The White Tower, the Heptapyrgio, Agios Nikolaos the Orphan, but also areas such as the Upper Town, Stoa Modiano, Kapani, Tsinari or the port will be the natural setting to shoot a television series of about twenty-four episodes, which will be shown on one of the largest Greek TV channels, while it is also intended for international viewing.
It is the series entitled “Madre – Mana” which bears her signature Mimis Denisis and it is essentially the continuation of the works “Smyrni my beloved” and “Ki apo Smyrni… Saloniki”. “After the huge success of Izmir, you wonder what could be next. You say I better not play, I better not write, because what will be next? The “after” was given by the world and not by me”, said Mimi Denisi at the press conference she gave in Thessaloniki and referred to the repeated questions she received from viewers about what happened to the heroes of these stories. So, therefore, he decided to place them in Thessaloniki, which has always been a “mother” for the refugees – Asia Minor, Pontians, Thracians, Armenians, but also for the Jews who were expelled from Spain for five centuries. For this reason, the series bears this title, while another mother, Filio, is the central character, played by the actress herself.
“The play begins in 1943, with a woman who looks out of her window and sees the Jews leaving by force. She hears the word “madre”, which a little girl says to her mother who has fallen down, and at the same time she “hears” “mama, mamma, mamma”, which her daughter used to say to her in ’22. And there the work goes back to 1923, when the refugees come to Thessaloniki”, reveals Mrs. Denisi, talking about the first scene with the memories of her mother – Filios.
The case unfolds from 1923 to 1943, years that were pivotal for Greek society. After the destruction of Smyrna and the exchange of populations, the …Salonique of the Europeans, Salonico of the Jews, Selanik of the Turks, is a boiling cauldron. Multicultural, interesting and troubled, it is the ideal canvas for her story, as she explained. “The place where all the great movements of the Young Turks started, the Socialist Federation of Benaroya, which became the K.K.E, but also fascism with the 3E”, he added.
The aim of the series is to stimulate tourist interest, since it is going to show Thessaloniki, as well as Macedonia, as filming will take place in Veria, in the Jewish quarter of Barbutas and the synagogue, Tripotamos, but also in Drama, in its tobacco factory Spierer family.
“I wanted to say a very big thank you from the bottom of my heart to Mimi Denisi, because she is in the process of coming to take off what we tried to do for the extroversion of the city and we reached a good level. I also wanted to say a thumbs up to her for trying to turn the lights here, in this place, because it has dark corners, it has corners that will make you cry, but it also has corners that will give you hope,” she said, from her side. , the regional councilor in the Region of Central Macedonia – and former deputy regional governor of Thessaloniki – Voula Patoulidou.
“Veria – like Thessaloniki – was the crossroads of cultures and religions. Christians, Muslims and Jews lived in harmony for many years”, emphasized the mayor of Veria, Konstantinos Borgiazidis, saying that the stories of the two cities during the period covered by the film differ only in size. “The size of the Jewish community in Veria was clearly smaller, even though Veria hosts the oldest Jewish synagogue in Northern Greece, which is kept in excellent condition, as is the entire Jewish quarter in the wider area,” he said, according to APE BE.
The support of the entrepreneurs of Northern Greece was declared by the president of SEVE (Association of Exporters of Northern Greece) Simos Diamantidis, saying that for the entrepreneurs who will contribute to the film, tax deductions are provided. “Greek products abroad are known and preferred by foreigners because they have a long history. This film will highlight the recent history and make even more familiar to the general public the products that we produce here and export around the world,” he noted.
The series will feature a very large cast of about a hundred actors, among them are the same ones who played in the movie “Smirni my beloved”. At the same time, the production company is calling on actors, supporting actors, technicians and volunteers from the region, who want to participate in the film, to declare it.
