Building on decades of close ties between Greece and France, the French Institute of Greece is honouring the semester of the Greek Presidency of the Council of the European Union, highlighting the cultural relations between the two countries through a programme unprecedented in terms of extent and quality, entitled “Hellas-France Alliance 2014”. Forty years after the restoration of democracy in Greece, the event’s title alludes to an historic slogan widely heard in Greece during the 1970s.

Over 100 events throughout Greece – from Athens and Thessaloniki to Patras, Larissa, Kalamata and Messolonghi – and in many French cities, including Paris, Nanterre, Avignon and Caen, make up a rich cultural canvas, with the participation of dozens of Greek cultural agencies, including the National Theatre, the National Opera, the State Orchestras of Athens and Thessaloniki, and top French cultural institutions, including the Comédie-Française, the Avignon Festival, the Μusée de Cluny, the IRCAM Institute, the Collège de France.

Put together under the auspices of the Greek Presidency and the two countries’ Foreign Ministries, the programme offers both the Greek and French public the opportunity to participate in events that cover every area of the arts, from theatre to cinema, and from music to dance and the visual arts.

“Through this cultural collaboration, we will gain the opportunity to strengthen the relations between Greece and France even further, and to promote the common principles and values that link the two countries not only bilaterally, but also on a European and international scale, at a time of economic crisis,” stresses Greek Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos.

“The ‘Hellas-France Alliance 2014’ programme is the cultural expression of France’s solidarity at a time when Greece is going through a deep crisis. This programme reflects Greek-French cooperation and expresses the democratic principles that unite us,” underscores the Foreign Minister of the French Republic, Laurent Fabius.

As France’s Ambassador to Greece, Jean Loup Kuhn-Delforge, says, “Hellas-France Alliance 2014” is also aimed at bringing Greek artists closer to France, through events that point up the ongoing cooperation between agencies, artists and prominent figures of the two countries.

Download the complete Programme in pdf here (GR, FR)

For ongoing updates on the events, click here (GR, FR)