Society & Economy

Greek tragedy : Grrr! Europe!

How do we live in Europe? What do we really know about our ´fellow countrymen´? With its partners, Franco-German channel ARTE inaugurated an ambitious collection of twenty documentaries which explore the lives of various inhabitants of the European Union. Be they squatters, ministers, farmers or holidaymakers, they were followed by young film-makers from their country equipped only with a basic digital camera. These are entertaining portraits which both arouse our curiosity and encourage reflection, sometimes with a provocative and ironic tone.

Philip fights to reclaim the land of his ancestors in GreeceÂ…
Back in Greece after an absence, Philip Noel-Baker asked for a loan to transform his home into a family-run guest house. But in 1984, the Greek government confiscated everything which was not part of the house (namely a 5,000-hectare forest) using the reasoning that his ancestor had bought the land from a Turk who had been chased off his land. Since then, Philip has been trying to recover his property, which does not make him too popular with the neighbors. Can he make peace with the local community, and will he win his case?