14-23 March 2014
AKMI IVT SCHOLARSHIPS
The Thessaloniki Documentary Festival and AKMI Educational Group presented two scholarships to students enrolled at the Intercultural High School of Eastern Thessaloniki during a ceremony that took place on Thursday, 20 March 2014, in a friendly atmosphere at the premises of AKMI. The scholarships, awarded for the second time in the context of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, will give the opportunity to the two students to follow cinema, photography or journalism studies at AKMI Institute of Vocational Training.
The winners of the scholarships are Marinella Mekka and Gersy Aliya, both attending senior year at the 3rd Intercultural High School. Present at the presentation were the director of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Dimitri Eipides, AKMI director for Northern Greece Stavros Kapeliotis, the principal of the Intercultural High School, Domna Ioannidou, Spyros Vougias, as well as many students and teachers.
Mr Eipides congratulated the students for their excellent school performance and wished them the best of luck in their academic future. “The Festival offers those children a helping hand to escape the insecurity of immigration, in a country that is also feeling insecure about its future,” said Mr Eipides.
“Today marks the fruition of an effort that started in March 2010, in the context of the 12th edition of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. The initiative was conceived and supported by Spyros Vougias, then deputy minister for Citizen Protection. AKMI IVT helped to make this dream come true,” said Eleni Rammou, the Festival’s general coordinator.
Mr Kapeliotis said that the educational institution he represents naturally supported the Festival’s efforts. “We Greeks should always remember that we were in the shoes of those people once, trying to make a life for ourselves as immigrants in Germany, Australia and Canada,” said Mr Kapeliotis, adding that AKMI IVT will continue its scholarship programme for Intercultural High School students.
Mr Vougias expressed his wish that the two students submit, after graduation, their films for screening at the Thessaloniki Film Festival.
Ms Ioannidou congratulated Thessaloniki Documentary Festival and AKMI IVT for their commendable initiative, saying that “beneficience is the noblest way to earn the friendship of others” and adding: “I always think that we can open new paths for those children. They are exceptional young people, who have to try even harder because they come from different cultures and languages, while also facing social and financial difficulties. I hope they follow their hearts.”
“I am very happy, because I had been waiting for this distinction for a long time. I realize now that if you set goals, you can attain them. I would like to thank AKMI IVT and I hope they keep offering the chance of a better tomorrow to young people,” said scholarship winner Marinella Mekka. Gersy Aliya said they would both do their best “to rise up to the expectations of this distinction.”
