Nick Christoforou (Interview 1) | Oral History Archive | HHFGCA

Nick Christoforou (Interview 1)

Interviewer(s):

Theo Xenophontos

Project:

Film as Mediator: Cultivating a Cypriot Canadian Community Audiovisual Media Archive

INTERVIEW LOCATION:

Toronto, ON

LANGUAGE:

English

DATE:

July 31, 2023

Interview Summary:

Nick Christoforou was born in Nicosia, Cyprus in 1964. In 1970, he migrated to Canada with his family for educational and economic reasons. In 1998, he directed the television documentary, Cyprus at the Crossroads.

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Date and Location

July 31, 2023

Toronto, ON

Interviewee(s)

Nick Christoforou (Interview 1)

Interviewer(s)

Theo Xenophontos

Languages

English

Reference ID

FAMREF016A

Project

Film as Mediator: Cultivating a Cypriot Canadian Community Audiovisual Media Archive

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Categories

Associational Life

Canadian Society

Culture and Tradition

Working Life

Education

Historical Events

Homeland Activism

Migration

Tags

Australia

Cypriot Canadian 1974 Protests

Cypriot Canadian Economic Relations

Cypriot Canadian Identity

Cypriot Community of Toronto Inc.

Cyprus 1974

Dance

English Learning

EOKA

Greek Community of Toronto Inc.

Greek School

Language

Postsecondary Education

Pre-1974 Migration

Religion

Traditions

UK

USA

Decades Referenced

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2020s

Locations Referenced

Cyprus; Nicosia; Nicosia International Airport; Ledra Palace; UN Buffer Zone; Kyrenia; Varosha (Famagusta District); Famagusta; Palodeia (Limassol District); Nikos Evagorou Military Base (Palodeia); Limassol; Northern Cyprus; Turkey; Canada; Toronto; Cypriot Community Centre (Thorncliffe); Nathan Phillips Square; York University; Centennial College; Annunciation of the Virgin Mary (Panagia) Greek Orthodox Cathedral; St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church; St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church; Scarborough; Whitby; Oshawa; The United States of America; Ohio; New York City; Port Elizabeth, South Africa; Australia; The United Kingdom; Russia; Ukraine

Occupation(s)

He currently works as a writer, director, and producer at CP24. In the past, he was a writer, director, and producer at OMNI-TV.

Parents Occupation(s)

His father was a math teacher for the TDSB and a Greek school teacher.

Names Referenced

Nikos (Nick) Avramidis; Nikos Evagorou; Lellos Demetriades; Semi Bora; Kate Bush

[00:00:13] Early memories of Cyprus and of family

[00:01:33] His uncle's involvement with EOKA

[00:02:47] Familial migration due to education & economics

[00:07:25] Differences in adjustment amongst family

[00:11:56] Language as a form of connection to Cyprus

[00:14:58] Cypriot government commemorating his uncle

[00:17:16] Memories of 1974

[00:23:39] Directing Cyprus at the Crossroads (1998)

[00:38:00] Anxiety about the reopening of Varosha

[00:40:48] Background on his television industry career

[00:44:27] Communication with family

[00:45:36] Importance of photos and his student short film

[00:46:16] Ambivalence about the link between film & culture

[00:49:28] How photographs document the times

[00:50:02] The divide between being Cypriot and Canadian

[00:52:28] The importance of maintaining Cypriot identity

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