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In the Media
“Aube dorée” au Rex: fiction ou réalité?
October 17, 2019
La Grèce était à l’honneur jeudi dernier au Rex avec un ciné débat spécial sur le parti nationaliste «Aube dorée» autour de deux films présentés par leurs réalisateurs. Ainsi, « Aube dorée, une affaire personnelle » d’Angélique Kourounis, traite du parti néonazi hellène via ses obsessions, ses peurs. La réalisatrice, correspondante de Radio-France, et Charlie Hebdo, née en 1963, qui a grandi en France, renvoient aux heures les plus sombres de l’histoire européenne, aux déportations et au risque de les faire ressurgir. Le documentaire était précédé du court-métrage « Traces » réalisé par Thanassis Vassiliou, maître de conférence en études cinématographiques à l’Université de Poitiers, un court-métrage de fiction en forme de farce absurde sur le fonctionnement du parti nationaliste. Deux films différents par la forme mais très complémentaires, qui l’un comme l’autre mettent en évidence la violence incroyable du parti néonazi et l’habileté de ses dirigeants à distiller le doute, dans l’esprit des habitants d’un pays ravagé par la crise, mais aussi dans celui des spectateurs. Les deux réalisateurs ont mené avec les spectateurs un débat aussi riche qu’animé, qui s’est poursuivi autour d’un buffet gréco-chauvinois....
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Nationalities Papers – The Journal of Nationalism and Ethnicity / Sofia Typaldou
November 28, 2017
Article originally published on November 6 2017. In the spring of 2017, when I was interviewing Golden Dawn followers for a research project, some of the movement activists that I encountered refused to be interviewed because of “that film that just came out.” As I later learned, they were referring to the documentary by Angélique Kourounis Golden Dawn: A Personal Affair. When I watched it later on, I understood why. Kourounis offers a perceptive insight into one of the most well-known Western European far-right organizations. Her account is based on her years-long persistent following of Golden Dawn members. As a professional journalist, Kourounis makes it clear from the start that this film is her own partial account of Golden Dawn, because “if Golden Dawn comes to power, our only problem will be which wagon they will put us on.” Since 2012, Golden Dawn has been featured in at least one documentary per year. Konstantinos Georgousis’ The Cleaners (2012) follows Golden Dawn candidates in the center of Athens in the run-up to the 2012 election that catapulted the organization from the fringe to the center of Greek politics. Guy Stallaman and Kate Mata’s Into the Fire (2013) focuses on problems faced by migrants in Greece. Aris Chatzistefanou’s Fascism Inc., released in 2014, outlines economic factors that gave rise to fascism in the interwar period and highlights the similarities between today’s Greece and pre-war Germany and Italy. Finally, Marsia Tzivara’s Burning from the Inside (2015) shows the reaction of the Greek anti-fascist movement, especially in Berlin, to a rise of right-wing extremism. Following in the footsteps of these documentaries, Kourounis’ film completes the picture of how the far right made it to the Greek Parliament, a topic of an increasing scholarly interest since the Golden Dawn came in fifth with 7% of the vote in the 2012 general election. Yet, it is different from the previous films on this topic as it presents a sober overview of the factors that led to Golden Dawn’s staggering rise. Some of these factors have to do with devastating effects of austerity on the Greek economy – skyrocketing poverty levels, compressed wages, high unemployment rates – and on the Greeks’ pride as individuals and as a nation. The documentary outlines several institutional factors that contributed to Golden Dawn’s rise: the complacency of police; the ineffectiveness and partiality of the judicial system; the role of school education in the promotion of nationalism; and support for Golden Dawn’s ideology from members of the Orthodox clergy. Kourounis adds to this list another under-researched issue: the impact of Golden Dawn on the mainstream right-wing party New Democracy. Psephologist Ilias Nikolakopoulos stresses that Golden Dawn’s rhetoric centered on the Greek civil war was targeting the center-right New Democracy, the ruling party at the time, and not the left-wing opposition party Syriza as is widely perceived. The reason for this is that Golden Dawn could come second only if New Democracy failed in the subsequent general election. New Democracy, at the same time, responded to Golden Dawn’s criticism by shifting its rhetoric regarding immigration policy to the extreme right. The film discusses Golden Dawn’s populist strategies, such as its “social policies,” which involve the distribution of food, or blood donations exclusively for Greeks. Kourounis also shows how Golden Dawners use violence as a political strategy. She films high-ranking members’ insults on camera; its spokesman beating left-wing MPs on live TV and attacking reporters; its members assaulting a theater for putting on a play that they deem inappropriate; and activists’ aggression during public events such as in Meligalas, when one of them attacked Kourounis for filming. The filming was done in Athens in the spring of 2014, when Golden Dawn was preparing for both regional and European elections. By that time, dozens of Golden Dawn members and MPs, including its leader, Nikos Michaloliakos, had been arrested after the assassination of the musician Pavlos Fyssas in September 2013. Charges against them range from attempted murder and assault to a creation of a criminal organization. At the time of writing, the trial of 69 defendants is still ongoing. As Kourounis notes, the incarceration of its leaders was turned into an asset. At Golden Dawn’s pre-electoral gatherings, Mihaloliakos addresses his supporters from jail by telephone as a martyr and a hero. In presenting the story of Golden Dawn’s rise, Kourounis unravels different life-stories that are closely intertwined with the story of the party: the rise of a regional leader, a perspective of a female party member, a take on the events from an ex-member, comments from a non-ideological affiliated voter, words of a victim of the party’s, an interview with an anti-fascist, a take on the story by a foreigner. The documentary’s central figure is Harris, the organization’s local leader in the Alimos district, a wealthy suburb in southern Athens. Harris strives to show that he is an educated man who loves history, who has done charity work in Africa, who is a true patriot. However, in a twist of fate, Harris forgets that he is wearing a microphone at some point and is recorded instructing his companions that were going to be interviewed: “We are not racists, we are nationalists,” “History will judge the holocaust and will show what is real and what is not,” and “You will remain moderate, but without betraying our principles.” Harris was elected to the municipal council in May 2014. Since the time that Kourounis’ documentary was filmed, Golden Dawn has been established as the third largest political party in Greece. A high percentage of Greeks believe in Golden Dawn and mistrust “the system,” despite the fact that, in Kourounis’ words, “Golden Dawn never hid its ideas.” And Golden Dawn: A Personal Affair is one of the most comprehensive documentaries that recounts how this came to be. Sofia Tipaldou http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6165-7714...
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Victor Fraga / DirtyMovies.org (31/05/2016)
May 31, 2016
Review published on dirtymovies.org Can you be impartial when your family integrity is at stake? Documentary investigates the rise of the far-right in Greece, police complacency and the implications for foreigners and for liberal activists living in the Balkan nation. Partiality is central to journalism. Even if you have strong ideological convictions and political affiliations, you should report facts from an unbiased and neutral perspective – or at least to pretend to do so – for the sake of credibility. Journalist and filmmaker Angélique Kourounis entirely shuns this principle when doing the documentary Golden Dawn: a Personal Affair. She establishes in the beginning of the movie: “how can you stay impartial, when your husband is a Jew, one of your sons is gay, the other one is an anarchist and you are a left-wing feminist and the daughter of immigrants” – all of these groups are despised by the deeply racist Greek far-right party Golden Dawn, the subject of the movie. The extensive material, reaching a total of a 100 hours of video and audio, on which the film is based, is the byproduct of Kourounis’ survey and research into Greek far-right politics over the course of five years. The international media have often described Golden Dawn as a neo-Nazi and fascist party, though the group rejects these labels. Leading members have expressed admiration of the former Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas and of Hitler. They have also made use of Nazi symbolism, and their logo is strangely similar to a swastika. They are openly nationalistic and firm believers of Hellenism (a belief in Greek superiority: a party member cries out “Greece will cover the earth”), but they attempt to deny racism and xenophobia. A party member who was an aid volunteer in Africa explains the twisted rationale: “I like foreigners, I even help them, as long as they don’t come here”. Before the economic crisis, Golden Dawn was just a small cult, with less than 0.2% of the vote. They have since seized the opportunity to donate food and blood to the poor under one condition: they must prove that they are Greek by showing their ID. This apparent Samaritanism combined with an inflammatory nationalistic rhetoric catapulted Golden Dawn to parliament, where they currently hold 17 seats, and are the third political in the country. They believe that the right-wing party New Democracy (the second largest in the country) has failed the nation, and that soon Golden Dawn will overtake them. Golden Dawn uses both verbal and physical violence in order to get their message across. Most of their members are loud and boisterous, and they have attacked and killed both Greeks and foreigners – most notoriously the anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas. Many of their members, including their leader Nikolaos Michaloliakos, were consequently arrested. Once again, Golden Dawn seized the opportunity and played the victim card, thereby energising their membership and increasing their popularity. The film makes some very concerning revelations: the Greek media has kept their silence and mostly refuse to denounce these violent crimes of Golden Dawn. The police are strangely complacent: they even arrested an Afghani victim instead of helping him claiming that the man was drunk. Korounis makes the bold assertion that Golden Dawn “lend a right hand” to the police by carrying out the dirty work that they do not want to perform. The movie also investigates the dark past of the party, when leading members proudly boasted pictures of Hitler. Many Nazi values are still compatible with the party, such as the racism, the hierarchical structure and the use of classic Goebbels’ tactics of deception in public discourse. Their modern members dismiss Nazism as German, but they are not afraid of translating the ideology and values to the Greek sphere. Despite setting out to be a “personal affair”, this movie fails to tell a personal story. Apart from the claim in the beginning of the movie, Korounis does not explain how the rise of Golden Dawn could affect her. We never learn where the director and her family live – even whether they are in Greece. Instead, the film feels like a straight-forward piece of investigative journalism. Perhaps not coincidentally, it was supported by Reporters Without Borders. Golden Dawn: A Personal Affair is currently being exhibited in film festivals across Europe and the world....
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in.gr (Angeliki Stellaki – 18/03/2016)
April 16, 2016
In one of the most talked about documentaries at the 18th Thessaloniki Film Festival, Angelique Kourounis tries to understand what is in the mind of the Golden Dawn supporter next door. And her report is shocking and worrying. “How can one be impartial in my place? My partner in life is Jewish, one of my sons is gay, the other is an anarchist and I am a left wing feminist, the daughter of immigrants. If Golden Dawn comes to power, our only problem will be which wagon to put us on.” From the start of the documentary, the director (and correspondent for several French media outlets, such as TV5 Monde), clarifies why -as the title of the documentary states; Golden Dawn isn’t just something to concern us all, but for her is also a “personal affair’. For years the journalist has been going to Golden Dawn demonstrations (Kourounis insists that we should be calling it a neo-Nazi party), entering the homes of supporters of the organization and attending local meetings, trying to determine how its members and voters think, and why support for the party has been growing. Among other things, she confirms the relationship of George Roupakias, the killer of Pavlos Fyssas, with the leadership of Golden Dawn (her camera records him multiple times at rallies), highlights the connection of Golden Dawn with Nazism, and the racist views hiding under the guise of “nationalism.” She also visits the houses of members and voters of Golden Dawn, talking to them, and trying to understand. From elderly people who have nothing to eat and go to soup kitchens “only for Greeks,” even though they declare themselves Left, to people who believe that Greece is exempt from political discourse and others who have in their libraries copies of “Mein Kampf” by Hitler, who declare that they have helped children in Africa, but argue that they should not come here “to dilute our colour.” Speaking after the screening of the documentary, Angelique Kourounis admitted that it was not at all easy to make, but notes that “personal resistance was necessary, because resistance is a way of life.” She insists that after the results of the German local elections -where the xenophobic Alternative for Germany (AfD) won unprecedented votes, “entering” the Regional Assemblies and the three federal states where polls were held – this resistance is necessary. She also says that she never lied about what she wanted to do. She never said she wanted to make a documentary for Golden Dawn, “I told them that I wanted to figure out what they think, and that is what I did,” she says. She notes that she would be lying if she said that she wasn’t afraid, but insists that “you cannot let fear defeat you, because then you lose.” [Translated from Greek]...
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Euronews (Giorgos Mitropoulos – 16/3/2016)
April 16, 2016
18th Thessaloniki Film Festival: Golden Dawn under the microscope of Angelique Kourounis Angelique Kourounis’ “Golden Dawn: A Personal Affair” has provoked several discussions at this year’s documentary film festival, capturing in sharp detail the phenomenon of Golden Dawn in Greece through interviews with supporters and party leaders. Her intention in this, her third film is to show us what is in the mind of the Golden Dawn supporter next door, and to show us that the monster of fascism is growing more gigantic daily every day in front of our eyes. It helps us to realize that this is indeed a personal affair that affects all of us. The director and journalist-correspondent for several French media outlets has been following for years not only marches and party rallies, but also speeches, recording everything with the camera, but also with her phone if necessary, with the agreement of the party. The documentary, among other things, shows the relationship of George Roupakias, the killer of Pavlos Fyssas, with the leadership of the party and shows the close relationship of Golden Dawn with Nazism. It shows the manipulation of the middle classes, who are unable to make ends meet because of the crisis, as well as recording Golden Dawn’s assault squads and the relationship of the organization with the police, but also to criminal activity. So why is this a personal affair for her, and why is she risking this confrontation with fascism? “My partner in life is Jewish, one of my sons is gay and the other an anarchist and I am a left wing feminist, the daughter of immigrants. If Golden Dawn comes to power our only problem will be which wagon to put us on” she explains in our interview. See what Angelique Kourounis told us in the video below: [Original text and video in Greek]...
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Exostispress (Greece – 16/3/2016)
April 16, 2016
By Sotiria Papantoniou Golden Dawn: A Personal Affair – What’s in the mind of the neo-Nazi next door? Angélique Kourounis’ documentary about the existence and the rise of nationalist party Golden Dawn is indeed a personal affair, but one which affects us all as citizens of the country and as citizens of the world. From the outset, the title of the film clearly indicates that the barrier of absolute objectivity is broken, as the director and journalist/creator relates the phenomenon to a personal level, but of course without denying its social dimensions. The main question the film sets out to answer is what attracts supporters of the party – from the unemployed youth to the affluent middle aged – to this sometimes politically weak party. Clearly, the project explores in depth the recent and rapid rise of the party in formal politics, as well as the attitude of the media and the authorities towards the party, with certain revelations that even the very informed may be unaware of. Initially, it should be noted that the documentary brings together evidence that could be likened to a comprehensive political reportage. From the beginning to the end of the film the commentary of the creator is omnipresent, and her voice often explains the image and the unfolding events being shown. At the same time, the voice over is followed by the evocative theme music; and documentary evidence that demonstrates its journalistic basis. In several places this type of journalistic explanation seems redundant – the images are highly revealing, they do not need any further clarification. On the other hand, the commentary together with the images helps the viewer from the first moment to create a picture of the aggressiveness of the Golden Dawn, so that in many places throughout the movie viewers can laugh and feel mutual indignation at the illogical words and actions of its followers. Indeed, the images are very strong, as they involve as well as material that has already been disclosed by television channels, additional material that is disclosed for the first time. The director has been able to investigate the far-right Party for many years, since the beginning of the crisis in Greece up until the current day, and there are references to their initial appearance, when members did not hesitate to express clearly their neo-Nazi core and their fascist ideology. Material from that period shows the party leader giving a speech in front of a flag with a Nazi swastika, and the testimony of a former member of the organization confirms its racist ideology, which led to physical attacks on people with contrasting views. Today, the party functionaries know much better how to protect themselves. Alongside the historical background, we watch the attitude of the authorities towards the phenomenon of Golden Dawn. Perhaps unsurprisingly to most, the police, courts, clergy and executive seem to react positively or even in a friendly way to the organization, maybe as a result of passive inertia, and without a sincere and coordinated effort at repression. Certainly there are exceptions, which, however, prove the rule; priests involved in the blessing of the new offices of the party; police officers that did not intervene while witnessing violence against immigrants; a government that takes action belatedly, a court that acquits and releases offenders. And here arises an important question which the film seeks to answer; Are there any causes leading people to support a party that, to put it mildly, smells of fascism? Certainly, the financial crisis, the perversion of the ideals of home and family, xenophobia, unemployment and poverty are meaningful reasons, as evidenced by interviews and the observation of party supporters, but also scientists, journalists and researchers. Of course, whether or not this response can be justified is another story. In conclusion, the documentary explores in depth the organization, its ideology, the “logic” of its voters and the reasons for the party’s rise, which clearly we have to look at, regardless of political beliefs. Maybe more of us should be watching how many of those who, fearful of the bleak future of the country, have placed their hopes in Golden Dawn, in a party that declares its solidarity with the distribution of food and donations – of course only to Greek citizens, but behind its glittering façade hides something rotten and dangerous. Let’s not forget, moreover, that it continues to be the third biggest party in the Greek parliament. It becomes our duty, then, to reflect on our own responsibility for our tolerance for the incubation of this phenomenon. Because Golden Dawn is a personal matter for us all. [Translated from Greek]...
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CINEPIVATES (Greece – 16/03/2016)
April 1, 2016
Angelique Kourounis, with courage and patience, has for years been following the activities of the Golden Dawn party. The assault squads, demonstrations, what happens in their local meetings, and especially what is in the mind of the Golden Dawner next door. The director notes that the neo-Nazi party took advantage of the crisis to attract the frustrated and those on the edge of poverty, organizing soup kitchens “for Greeks” or donations “for Greeks’. In the process she succeeds in highlighting the leadership strategy of the organization, which wants to hide its racist character and insists that “we are not racists, we are nationalists.” The revelations are shocking and concerning. Kourouni may insist that Golden Dawn is a “personal affair” for her (as her partner is Jewish, one son is gay and the other an anarchist, while she is a left wing feminist), but they certainly should concern everyone. English translation from the original (in Greek)...
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MOVE IT / A.K. (Greece – 16/03/2016)
April 1, 2016
The journalist Angelique Kourounis (best known for her work in French in mediums such as Charlie Hebdo, TV5 Monde, Group Radio France), and a Greek resident since 1985, presented at this year’s Documentary Festival of Thessaloniki the film “Golden Dawn: A Personal Affair” dealing with the rise of the Greek fascist party. With regard to what motivated her to make this documentary, she said: “I have had an obsession with the fascist movements and totalitarian regimes for years. I grew up in a family where it was my grandmother who started the stone throwing against the Italians in Kalymnos, whilst my father in law was a member of the French resistance; he preferred to take up arms rather than to wear the yellow star. My partner is Jewish, my son is gay. I am a feminist, and a daughter of immigrants. When I returned to Greece I immediately became interested in the case of Golden Dawn. I could not understand how it is that this so-called political party existed, and how a well-known newspaper could circulate with racist headlines. I could not understand how in Greece, which paid such a heavy price during the Occupation, that this party could exist openly since 1996. I also wanted to understand how Golden Dawners think, but also why there are two categories amongst their supporters: those who genuinely espouse GD beliefs, and those who voted for them because of the crisis. “ Asked about the political developments in Europe and the rise of far-right parties, the director replied: “I work in the magazine Charlie Hebdo, and from the beginning we knew that if these people and those that think like them seize power, exile and persecution would follow for some categories of the population, which is why we started collecting signatures for a ban of the French nationalist party. I am worried about the rise of the far right because they are a threat to democracy, which perhaps is not the best system, but it is what we have. There is no counterweight to the extreme right, on the contrary we see their ideas being adopted by Europe, with no one reacting. On the refugee issue, we have adopted extremist views and we’re losing the concepts of asylum, human rights and equality, which should be the basis of Europe. In 2017 in the second round of presidential elections in France we will probably have as frontrunner rivals Le Pen and Hollande. In this case, the vote should be “No to Le Pen. “ English translation from the original (in Greek)...
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ekathimerini.com (Greece – 03/03/2016)
March 4, 2016
Local offerings at the 18th Thessaloniki doc fest Angelique Kourounis’s latest documentary on Golden Dawn, Greece’s infamous neo-Nazi party, has an inevitable existential quality: “My partner in life is a Jew, one of my sons is gay, another is an anarchist and I am a left-wing feminist as well as a daughter of immigrants. If Golden Dawn comes to power our only problem will be which wagon they will put us on,” Kourounis says in the press announcement for “Golden Dawn: A Personal Affair.” Based on a series of interviews conducted over the course of five years, the director, a veteran news correspondent for Greece and the Balkans, sets out to decipher the motives and agendas behind GD supporters. She soon finds out it’s not a straightforward exercise. “Golden Dawn: A Personal Affair” will be screened at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (TDF) starting March 11, as part of the Greek program, which this year features 72 feature and short films. Twenty-two of these productions have been included in the different sections of the International Program, while 50 are part of the Greek Panorama. True to form, this year’s crop raises a wide range of critical subjects including politics, human rights, the environment, art, as well as intriguing human interest stories. “Ludlow, Greek Americans in the Colorado Coal War” by director Leonidas Vardaros draws on interviews and archival material to document the role of about 500 Greeks, mostly Cretans, in the landmark labor uprising against coal mining companies in south Colorado between 1913-14. The confrontation culminated in a bloody clampdown in April 1914, known as the Ludlow Massacre, after the Colorado national guard raided a tent colony inhabited by more than 1,200 miners and their families, leaving an estimated 20 people dead. In “The Longest Run,” director Marianna Economou follows two underage immigrants detained in a Greek jail pending trial on charges of illegal trafficking. With unparalleled access to the juvenile prison and courtroom, Economou exposes the cases of young people who are forced by criminal rings to smuggle undocumented migrants into Europe. Other films in the Greek section include Haris Raftogiannis’s “True Blue,” which follows an elderly couple on Icaria, the idiosyncratic eastern Aegean island whose under-10,000 residents live famously long and healthful lives, and “Next Stop: Utopia,” by Apostolos Karakasis, about the efforts of a group of fired workers at a building materials factory in Thessaloniki to turn the closed-down business into a cooperative. The festival, now in its 18th year, runs March 11-20, at Thessaloniki’s port warehouse complex and the Olympion movie theater. For more on the festival, log on to www.filmfestival.gr....
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Jewniverse (online – 01/03/2016)
March 1, 2016
How One Greek Woman is Exposing Trump’s Fascist Kindred Spirits Five years ago, when journalist and filmmaker Angélique Kourounis began trailing Greece’s far-right Golden Dawn party, it wasn’t simply because she wanted to expose the political organization’s neo-Nazi and fascist beliefs—they do that on their own. Kourounis covered them because, for her, it was personal. “My partner in life is a Jew,” Kourounis explains at the beginning of Golden Dawn: A Personal Affair, her new documentary. “One of my sons is gay, another is an anarchist, and I’m a left-wing feminist and daughter of immigrants.” Though Golden Dawn publicly rejects the accusation that they are neo-Nazis and fascists their own Literature claims, “We are the faithful soldiers of the National Socialist ideal and nothing else.” Indeed, party members march down the street in all black, shouting racist slurs; they attack, and sometimes murder, immigrants and political opponents; they, like the Nazis, champion the ethnic Greek, proudly donating blood and food–but only if the recipients are assured to be Greek citizens. Golden Dawn’s popularity has risen in recent years, gaining them seats in the Greek parliament, and making a film like Kourounis’ feel very vital. “If Golden Dawn comes to power,” Kourounis says, “our only problem will be which wagon they put us on.”...
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