A film competition can give young people a reason to create. For brothers Vasili and Dimitri Manikas, it also became a way to help others.
As teenagers, the brothers led a team in a Greek America Foundation film and photography festival in Toronto. Their short film, Thymos, followed a newcomer to Canada from Greece whose life had been disrupted by the financial crisis.
From a story to a contribution
With family and friends supporting the production, the brothers brought the film to the screen and then organized a fundraising showing. Admission proceeds went to GAF’s Project Hope for Greece. Together, they raised $4,000 to help charities serving people in need in Greece.
Their connection to the Foundation continued. By 2016, the brothers were students at the University of Toronto. When GAF founder Gregory Pappas was producing the short film Eleftheromania in their city, they joined the production as volunteers, spending two days on set.
Giving young people a place to begin
When the Greek America Foundation creates opportunities for young people to share their talents, we hope those experiences will stay with them. Vasili and Dimitri took a film competition and made it their own: gathering family and friends, telling a story about displacement, and inviting an audience to help people in Greece.
Their initiative reflects something we value deeply at GAF: young people have something to contribute long before they have established careers or the means to make a large gift. The brothers brought imagination, persistence, and a willingness to bring others along. Through their film, a community in Canada found another way to stand beside people in Greece.
Have a creative idea that could support GAF? Get in touch.