Docu-drama on Rebetiko legend Roza Eskenazi filmed
The turbulent yet famously creative and colourful life of Roza Eskenazi, an incomparable performer of Rebetiko and Asia Minor music in a handful of languages and whose career spanned much of the 20th century, is the subject of a docu-drama being shot in Thessaloniki by an Israeli film crew over the recent period. Entitled "My Sweet Canary", the film stars Israeli actress Yasmin Levy (in the photo), who is also known for her renditions of songs in Ladino, the heavily Spanish-influenced language of Thessaloniki's landmark Sephardic Jewish community. The docu-drama is directed by 32-year-old Haifa native Roy Sher, who spoke about the production on Wednesday in Thessaloniki. Sher said he discovered Rebetiko music and the works of Eskenazi, who died in 1980 near Corinth, in a small tavern in Jerusalem in 2004. Greek state broadcaster ERT is a co-producer of the 90-minute film, which is expected to be released in roughly six months. ANA-MPA photo / N. ARVANITIDIS
