Thursday, July 16, 2020
11am-12noon EDT

Featuring Venia Vergou, Director Hellenic Film Commission, Greek Film Centre
Vasiliki Ch. Diagouma, Head, Communication & International Relations Department, EKOME, S.A. (National Centre of Audiovisual Media and Communication)
Giorgos Karnavas, Heretic Films
Fani Skartouli, Faliro House
Nikos Moustakas, Bad Crowd

Moderated by independent film producer and media attorney, George Stephanopoulos

A look at how filmmakers can take advantage of new financial incentives for on-location filming in Greece, while helping to boost the Greek economy.

Friday, July 17, 2020
1:30-2:30pm EDT

Featuring Steven Bernstein, cinematographer/director/screenwriter/author
Alex Pitoulis, commercial director

Moderated by independent film producer and media attorney, George Stephanopoulos

Filmmakers discuss Greece’s diverse locations and highly skilled cast and crew, including top artistic and technical personnel, production service companies, and post-production facilities.

1:30-2pm EDT (Part 1)

Featuring Zacharias Mavroeidis, writer/director of Defunct

Gain insights from the writer-director of Defunct, a centerpiece of the 2020 Greek Film Expo on Demand. The film won the Fischer Audience Award for Best Picture at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in 2019.

2-2:30pm EDT (Part 2)

Featuring Basile Doganis, writer/director of Meltem and lead actor Daphne Patakia

Learn how Doganis wrote and directed a story that skillfully intertwines the stories of the refugee situation in Greece with the story of a young woman coming to terms with her past. Meltem was shot on location on the Greek island of Lesbos.

1-1:30pm EDT (Part 1)

Featuring Stavros Pamballis, writer/director of Siege on Liperti Street and lead actor Daphne Alexander

Hear what inspired Pamballis in his feature film debut. Set in the divided city of Nicosia, Cyprus, this film tells the story of a family’s struggle to hold on to their home at any cost. Winner of five Best Picture Awards at the 2019 Thessaloniki International Film Festival, including the coveted FIPRESCI Prize (International Federation of Film Critics) and the People’s Choice Award.

1:30-2pm EDT (Part 2)

Featuring Giorgios Georgopoulos, writer/director of Not to Be Unpleasant, But We Need to Have a Serious Talk

Giorgios Georgopoulos is the founder of Multivision, an Athens-based production company that specializes in feature films, documentaries, commercials and music videos. He won the Best Screenplay Hellenic Film Academy Award in 2020 for Not to Be Unpleasant, But We Need to Have a Serious Talk, featured in this year’s Greek Film Expo on Demand. The film won the JP Costopoulos Foundation Award for Best Greek Film at the Thessaloniki International Greek Film Festival.

2:00-2:30pm EDT (Part 3)

Featuring Vardis Marinakis, writer/director of Zizotek

Vardis Marinakis’ debut feature film, Black Field, won international awards and was hailed by Variety as “undeniably handsome and delicately crafted.” His second film, Zizotek, featured in this year’s Greek Film Expo on Demand, is the winner of a Hellenic Film Academy Award. Learn how the director’s bicycle accident inspired the film’s ending.