Whenever you ask a language teacher how you can improve your speaking and listening skills in the target language one of the first things they will say is “watch movies in that language.” Think of how many people in the world learn English or at least improve it by watching movies or TV shows. Why can’t we just do the same thing with Greek?
Our School has partnered up with Hellenic Film Society USA to help promote this incredible connection between films and language. Greek cinema is undoubtedly wonderful to watch but it can also be a great way for a learner to hear the language being used in context. That’s why we have created a series of YouTube videos discussing how Greek movies can be used in and out of the Greek classroom to help a learner hear the language spoken in the most authentic way and even get to practise with it using the movie just like they would use a coursebook.
The golden era of Greek cinema has always been a great “teacher”
We could not imagine leaving out the golden era of Greek cinema, the 60s from a series like this. Our May video focuses on Tzeni Tzeni by Dinos Dimopoulos, the 1966 sophisticated Greek rom com with some of the most beloved Greek film stars, Tzeni Karezi, Andreas Barkoulis, Dionisis Papagiannopoulos and Lambros Konstantaras. In the video two of our teachers, Maria & Vasilis, give ideas for specific grammar phenomena that can be taught using this film, they discuss techniques to help you use the movie in class and they also analyze the important cultural references that a Greek student will grasp after watching Tzeni Tzeni and its authentic take on the Greek society of the 60s.
In Tzeni Tzeni, Greek politics, family feuds, Greek dances, and underlying anxieties about the position of women and sexual liberation all merge together with humor, love and a critique of Greek conservatism with the breathtaking island of Spetses in the background. The result is an unforgettable comedy that will bring a smile to your face, muffle you with a warm nostalgic feeling of Greek summers and teach you Greek when you are not even trying to learn it.
Help us choose the next Greek film
You can enjoy the interesting video discussion with specific examples and techniques on how to use Tzeni Tzeni in and out of the Greek classroom here. Also make sure you are following our Instagram page to help us choose the next Greek movie we will discuss.
—————————————————————————————————-
You can stream Tzeni Tzeni through Hellenic Film Society USA until May 31st. You can also watch the video discussion series on the HFS USA April films Little England (by Pantelis Voulgaris) and Little Greek Godfather (by Olga Malea) linked here.
And don’t forget! Greek cinema is alive and strong and can be a great way to learn Greek while having fun!
