2021 GREEK FILM EXPO October 1 – 10
After an absence from movie theaters for more than a year due to the pandemic, the Hellenic Film Society made a triumphant return with the New York Greek Film Expo, held at the Directors Guild Theater in Manhattan and the prestigious Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, NY. Sold-out screenings showed us that people are ready to return to movie theaters. Thank you to our sponsors, our loyal audience and our devoted volunteers, who made it all possible.
TO VIEW THE SCREENING SCHEDULE PLEASE CLICK HERE.
Directors Guild Theater
110 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019
Museum of the Moving Image
36-01 35th Ave, Astoria, NY 11106
Click here to see the souvenir program available at our screenings.
New York Greek Film Expo 2021 is made possible with support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF). Additional funding is provided by the Kallinikeion Foundation and Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
TAILOR
ΡΑΦΤΗΣ
Directed by Sonia Liza Kenterman
2020 / 100 minutes
In Greek, with English subtitles
Cast: Dimitris Imellos (Nikos); Tamila Koulieva (Olga); Thanasis Papageorgiou (Thanasis); Stathis Stamoulakatos (Kostas); Dafni Michopoulou (Victoria)
Changing trends in men’s fashion bring hard times to a master tailor. When the bank threatens to repossess his shop and his father is taken ill, he takes action with a wondrously strange tailor shop on wheels. Determined to survive, he reluctantly turns to sewing for women and manages to reinvent himself while bringing style to the brides of Athens.
Winner of two Hellenic Film Academy Awards and three Thessaloniki Film Festival Awards, including the ERT Award, the FIPRESCI Prize, and the Youth Jury Award.
Short film:
THE PARROT LADY
Directed by Michael Kalopaidis
2020 / 7 mins
An elderly homeless woman wanders through the streets of a seaside town, with three pet parrots tied to her fingers as her only companions. Animated.
THE AUDIENCE
Written and directed by Mariano Pensotti
2020 / 83 minutes / US Premiere
With English subtitles
Cast: Periklis Moustakis, Anna Kalaitzidou, Mary Mina
Onassis Stegi commissioned famed Argentine theater director Mariano Pensotti to create a film that is his own personal portrait of Athens. The result is this strikingly original film that follows the stories of 11 people who were part of the audience attending a play in the Exarchia neighborhood of Athens. Their stories are remarkably diverse, but at some point each person talks to another about the play, revealing the transformative power of theater as well as stories about their own personal lives.
Mature audiences only—nudity and adult situations
DIGGER
Directed and written by Georgis Grigorakis
2020 / 101 mins / New York Theatrical Premiere
In Greek, with English subtitles
Cast: Vangelis Mourikis (Nikitas), Argyris Pandazaras (Johnny), Sofia Kokkali (Mary)
A reclusive farmer in the lush backwoods of Northern Greece battles a giant mining corporation that is digging up the forest and threatening his property. But the greatest threat comes with the unexpected arrival of his estranged son, who appears after a 20-year separation to claim the family land.
Winner of 10 2021 Hellenic Film Academy Awards, including Best Feature Film, Best Director, and Best Actor (Mourikis)
Short film:
DEAR MOM
Written and directed by Caroline Vokas
2021 / 17 mins
An estranged daughter returns home to help her sister care for their terminally ill mother. Documentary.
GREEN SEA
ΠΡΑΣΙΝΗ ΘΑΛΑΣΣΑ
Directed by Angeliki Antoniou
2020 / 95 mins
In Greek, with English subtitles
Cast: Angeliki Papoulia (Anna), Yannis Tsortekis (Roula), Christos Kontogeorgis (Nikitas), Tasos Palatzidis (Kyriakos, the artist).
Anna has lost her memory but hasn’t forgotten how to cook. She gets a job in a working-class seaside taverna, where amid the aromas of old beloved recipes, she struggles to rediscover herself. Her dishes awaken memories for the regulars, who in turn help her reconnect to her past. The story takes an unexpected turn when her boss stumbles upon evidence about Anna’s true identity.
This film, directed, written, and starring women, is being co-presented by New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT).
“Green Sea is an exceptional offering not to be missed.” Greek News Los Angeles
Short film:
HARMONICA MAN (ΦΥΣΑΡΜΟΝΙΚΑ MAN)
Written and directed by Alexandros Skouras
2020 / 20 mins
A desperate father must make a difficult decision.
IN THE STRANGE PURSUIT OF LAURA DURAND
Η ΑΝΑΖΗΤΗΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΛΩΡΑ ΝΤΟΥΡΑΝΤ
Written and directed by Dimitris Bavellas
2019 / 98 minutes
In Greek, with English subtitles
Cast: Makis Papadimitriou (Antonis Titsanis), Michalis Sarantis (Christos Fertakis), Anna Kalaitzidou (Laura Durand), Danis Katranidis (Vertigo), Ivonni Maltezou (Ms. Virginia)
Ranging from zany to poignant, this comic road movie blends various film genres and a lively 1980s indie rock soundtrack as it tells the story of two down-and-out musicians who embark on a search for a porn star of their youth who mysteriously disappeared several years ago.
Winner of seven film festival awards, including Grand Festival Award, Berkeley Video & Film Festival
Short film:
CAST-OUTS (ΣΤΟ ΓΥΨΟ)
Directed by Alexandros Romanos Lizardos, Aki Melahri
2020 / 16 mins
Three hapless convicts plan a bank robbery in this animated short.
THE MAN WITH THE ANSWERS
Written and directed by Stelios Kammitsis
2020 / 82 mins / New York Premiere
In Greek, English and German, with English subtitles
Cast: Vasilis Magouliotis (Victoras), Anton Weil (Mattias), Stella Fyrogeni (Angeliki), Anita Lorusso (Maid of Honor), Marc Pistono (Patrick), Chiara Ore Visca (Helga)
Following the death of his grandmother, the uptight, repressed Victoras, a former Olympic diving champion, heads for Germany to visit his estranged mother. On the ferry to Italy, he meets Mathias, a free-spirited German tourist. Together, the mismatched men hit the road where they develop a surprising relationship on their way to self-discovery and reconciliation.
Mature audiences only—breif nudity, adult situations
Short film:
VOUTA
Directed by Dimitris Zahos
2020 / 18 mins
A teenager escapes the grimness of his life by caring for his beloved pigeons.
MY NAME IS EFTYHIA
ΕΥΤΥΧΙΑ
Directed by Angelos Frantzis
2019 / 123 mins
In Greek, with English subtitles
Cast: Karyofyllia Karampeti (older Eftyhia); Katia Goulioni (younger Eftyhia), Pigmalion Dadakarides (Giorgos Papagiannopoulos), Dina Michailidou (Marioga), Thanos Tokakis (Loukas)
This award-winning biographical drama, starring Katia Goulioni, in another mesmerizing performance, tells the story of the indomitable Eftyhia Papagiannopoulou, who escaped the burning of Smyrna and went to Athens where she became a seminal figure in Greek popular music, the beloved lyricist of Greece.
Winner of eight 2020 Hellenic Film Academy Awards, including Best Film, Best Actor (Dadakarides), Best Supporting Actress (Goulioni), and Best Supporting Actor (Tokakis).
Sunday, October 3, 4 pm Directors Guild | |
Saturday, October 9, 7 pm Museum of the Moving Image | |
ADDED DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND Sunday, October 10, 1 pm Museum of the Moving Image | |
SENIOR CITIZEN
ΠΟΛΙΤΗΣ ΤΡΙΤΗΣ ΗΛΙΚΙΑΣ
Directed by Marinos Kartikkis
2020 / 84 mins
In Greek with English subtitles
Cast: Antonis Katsaris (Theoharis), Marina Argyridou (Evgenia), Lenia Sorocou (Athena), Yiola Klitou (Litsa), Christiana Larkou (Artemis)
A lonely senior citizen spends his nights on the benches in the outpatient department of a Nicosia hospital. Every morning, he returns home where his only companions are his cat and his memories. One night he is discovered by a nurse, who tries to learn more about him. Initially, he is skeptical of her attention, but gradually a relationship of trust begins to build between the two. Will that be enough to ease his loneliness?
Winner of 10 film festival awards, including Audience Award (Cyprus Film Days International Festival), Best Film (International Film Festival of Crete), Best Feature Film (Rome Prisma Independent Film Awards; Stockholm Independent Film Festival, Dhaka International Film Festival)
AWARD WINNERS – 2021 GREEK FILM EXPO