On Wednesday, 3 December 2025, in recognition of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Nikiforeio 1st Junior High School of Kalymnos and the Environmental Education Association YDNA successfully organised two events:
– A screening of the documentary “Until the Sea” by director and producer Markos Gastin, held at the school’s amphitheatre “Nikolaos Kypraios”.
– A presentation of the book of the same title by physician and author Lefteris Bakas.
Markos Gastin is no stranger to Kalymnos. Around twenty years ago, his documentary “Marseille, Distant Daughter” received the State Documentary Award, featuring several protagonists with roots from Kalymnos. He has directed numerous acclaimed social documentaries, is a founding member of the Hellenic Documentary Association (Hellas Doc), and is also a member of both the Hellenic and the European Film Academies.
Dr. Lefteris Bakas was among the first to specialise in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the KAT Trauma Rehabilitation Centre, where he worked until 2017. From 1994, he served as Coordinating Director of the Rehabilitation Clinic, accumulating 40 years of experience treating individuals with serious mobility impairments. In his career, he handled more than 6,000 cases of spinal cord injury, including divers affected by decompression sickness.
Students of Kalymnos had the unique opportunity to watch the award-winning documentary and engage in discussion with the director, Markos Gastin, and one of the film’s protagonists, Dr. Bakas.
In the evening, at the Cultural, History and Arts Centre, the public learned more about the making of the documentary and the writing of the book. Attendees watched selected film excerpts, heard readings from the book, and were informed by Dr. Bakas about the stages of rehabilitation for individuals with mobility injuries.
A discussion followed, shedding light on the state of care for persons with disabilities in both the public and private sectors. Despite the significant progress of medical science in recent decades, society — each one of us, essentially — still struggles to embrace persons with disabilities as equal members.
This reality was aptly captured in the author’s phrase: “It is not the impairment that makes you disabled, but society.”
Greetings were delivered by:
– Deputy Mayor Giannis Theofilidis,
– Principal of the 1st Junior High School Dionysis Trikoilis,
– Representative of YDNA Vasilis Kalogerakis,
while a written greeting was sent by Petros Spanos, President of the Board of CINE-Education.
Acknowledgements
The organisers expressed their gratitude to:
– The creators of the film and book, Markos Gastin and Lefteris Bakas
– The principals and teachers of the schools that collaborated for the midday screening
– The institutions supporting the event: the Reading Society “Ai Mousai”, the CINE-Education group, the Medical Association of Kalymnos “Skevos Zervos”, and the Parents & Friends Association of Persons with Disabilities “St. Panteleimon”
– The Municipality of Kalymnos for providing the venue and audiovisual equipment
– Teachers Michalis Makryllos, for his vivid narration, and Mike Roussos, for essential technical support
– The event sponsors: Blue Star Ferries and educator Anna Maggou
Co-organisers:
Nikiforeio 1st Junior High School of Kalymnos
Environmental Education Association YDNA
