Istorima

Michalis, Christos, and Sotiria share a common heritage — and a lasting fascination with the chilling stories told to them by the elders as they were growing up. Through their vivid narration, we are transported to Kozani in the 1960s, a time when light was scarce and supernatural beings seemed to l...

From a young age, Takis knew he wanted to spend his life close to nature—surrounded by trees, birds, flowers, and, of course… bears. In the village of Skliro, where he was born, he built a cabin at the edge of the forest, right next to the country’s largest bear habitat. This podcast is part of th...

During the Occupation, the backstage of the cinema was stacked with German weapons—left there as soldiers sat absorbed in the film. In the golden decades of postwar Greek cinema, people would celebrate Easter right in their seats, while Haris Theofilopoulos, the cinema’s owner, pedaled between theaters to fetch reels for simultaneous screenings. The story of the “Pantheon” cinema in Amaliada plays out like a film from another time. This podcast is part of the series “As If It Were Yesterday.” Narrator: Haris TheofilopoulosResearcher: Chrysoula LadeaPodcast Producer: Anna GiokaSound Design: Giorgos RamantanisSound Editing: Dimitris Karavasilis Istorima is the largest oral history ... Read more

In 1974, Evgenia Rakitzi joins her fiancé working on tankers. She discovered a new profession along with storms, exotic ports, challenges, dangers, and a wedding on board. Interviewee: Eugenia RakitziField Reporter: Antonia MarkovitiProducer: Maya FilippopoulouSound Designer: ...

On April 21, 1967, the door of Rinio and Chronis Missiou's home is knocked, and the Security forces invade. Chronis manages to escape, but Rinio is arrested and taken first to the Hippodrome and then to Gyaros, along with thousands of citizens who were deemed "dangerous" to the dictatorship. She spends...

The great love story of Rinio and Chronis Missiou, the legendary fighter and writer, and their shared journey through the turbulent years before the dictatorship. Narrator: Rinio MissiouInterview: Fennia Chala, Dimitris KolovosPodcast Creation: Maya FilipopoulouSound Design: Iasonas TheofanouSound...

For more than forty years, Zacharias Vrelianakis has been travelling around the world looking for vinyl records. His shop in an arcade in Monastiraki is frequented daily by fanatical collectors, passers-by, tourists, and small children, all united by their love of music. Interviewee:...

Anna grew up on Ikaria, enjoying the freedom and carefree spirit that an island offers. However, her life became more challenging during her teenage years when she realized that she was attracted to girls. Narration: Lazaretou Anna, Haris PagonidouResearcher: Xirou DespinaPodcast Creation:...

Journalist Georgia Lagou shares her experience from the war zone in Ukraine, from the besieged Odessa to the revelation of the massacre in Bucha. Narrator: Georgia LagouResearcher: Anastasia ChatzikyriakouPodcast Creation: Fenia ChalaSound Design: George RamantanisSound Editing: Giannis Anagnostatos Istorima is ...

Series: The Occupation through the Eyes of Its Children On the other side of the swamp, Sophia, Eleni, and Roxani—three girls of different ages—live in three different villages amphitheatrically surrounding Edessa. Growing up in places besieged by continuous and varied hostilities, each of them is ...

Istorima reversed series Beniamin is a young Pomak from Xanthi. During his school years, his heritage made him feel different from the other children. His mother, Emine, also felt different when she decided to stop wearing the headscarf, which brought her into conflict with her family. Through their...

A mother has been fighting for decades to save her drug-addicted daughter from death. Narrator: The narrator requested anonymityResearcher: Zoí AngelakopoulouPodcast Creation: Stavros VlahosSound Design: Alex RetsisSound Editing: Spyros LymperopoulosPhotographic Shots: Stefanos Bertakis Istorima ...

Christos Markou, an old Spatanean and passionate wine maker, remembers the old Spata, the work in the fields and vineyards, but above all he remembers the rhythm, the smells and the colors of the harvest season as he experienced it as a child. Narrator: Christos MarkouInterview: Fenia...

Dinos Papachristou narrates his life and his two great loves: cinema Attikon and football. A prolific scorer of the team Aititos Spaton, member of the team since its his birth, he looks back on the adventures on and off the court. Narrator: Dinos PapachristouInterview: Fenia...

Series: Stories of coming of age From Athens to New York and back. A series of unlikely coincidences, a near-death experience and a great love affair lead Vassilis Bourtsalas to run his own life. Narrator: Vassilis BourtsalasInterview-Script: Andreas PappasPodcast Creation: Andreas...

In 2009 Anna Ellis, a lawyer from Boston, during a road trip to Greece, accidentally visits the village of Zitsa, looking for a house for couch surfers. There she meets Kostas, her host, who owns the village bakery. The next 24 hours change her life forever. Narrator: Anna Ellis Researcher:...

Istorima is the largest project for recording and preserving oral histories of Greece. More than 1,000 young researchers find narrators listen, collect and preserve stories of people from all over Greece: Stories of their hometowns, stories of love, stories that changed Greece or defined it, modern or old stories. Stories that are not recorded in the history books and that could easily be lost in time. It was created by the journalist Sofia Papaioannou and the historian Katherine Fleming and is implemented with a founding grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), as part of its initiative to Restart and ... Read more