“Z”: The Oscar-winning film banned in Greece

from ASSASSINS · host Australian Broadcasting Corporation

At the 1970 Academy Awards the movie "Z" won the Oscar for best foreign film.The film opens with this line: "Any similarity to actual persons and events is not coincidental. It is INTENTIONAL".You see, it was inspired by the real-life assassination of Greek athlete turned activist, Grigoris Lambrakis.Released just 6 years after his killing, the film was immediately banned in his homeland.Film podcaster and proud Greek Australian, Alexei Toliopoulos loves this movie and tells us why this classic film is still so important today.Host: Aslan PahariProducer: Hannah JoseAudio Engineer: Tegan NichollsVideo Producers: Dylan Behan, Tejas BhatSpecial thanks: Michael Osmond for archives researchSupervising Producer: Kyla SlavenExecutive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica RadburnTo binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end.

What this episode covers

At the 1970 Academy Awards the movie "Z" won the Oscar for best foreign film. The film opens with this line: "Any similarity to actual persons and events is not coincidental. It is INTENTIONAL". You see, it was inspired by the real-life assassination of Greek athlete turned activist, Grigoris Lambrakis. Released just 6 years after his killing, the film was immediately banned in his homeland. Film podcaster and proud Greek Australian, Alexei Toliopoulos loves this movie and tells us why this classic film is still so important today. Host: Aslan Pahari Producer: Hannah Jose Audio Engineer: Tegan Nicholls Video Producers: Dylan Behan, Tejas Bhat Special thanks: Michael Osmond for archives research Supervising Producer: Kyla Slaven Executive Producers: Joel Werner, Eric George, Jessica Radburn To binge even more great episodes of ASSASSINS with Aslan Pahari go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more stories of the world's most shocking assassinations — from the lone wolf hitman to the professional assassin, you'll hear how famous figures like Abraham Lincoln, Benazir Bhutto, Ramses III, Tupac and Gandhi met their end.

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“Z”: The Oscar-winning film banned in Greece

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This episode was published on February 25, 2026.

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