Twelve quality Greek films will be coming to New York City early in November when the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce presents the New York City Greek Film Festival.
November 2 through 8, the festival will run at the Cinema Village, 22 East 12 Street, just east of Fifth Avenue, in Manhattan. November 9 through 15, the festival will be at the CineMart Cinema, 106-03 Metropolitan Avenue, in Forest Hills Queens. Performances will start daily at 1 p.m. and run into the evening. Films will have English subtitles.
Chamber president John Stratakis has announced that 100 percent of the net proceeds from the festival will be donated to an appropriate fund designated to assist the victims of the recent tragic fires in Greece.
"We will be showing films that represent some of the best work done in Greece over the past few years," said festival programmer Dan Georgakas. "We have a wide variety of strong films, ranging from comedies to dramas. We will also be screening three outstanding documentaries."
The festival films include the two biggest box office hits in the history of Greek movies. These are the much acclaimed "A Touch of Spice" ("Politiki Kouzina") and "Brides" ("Nyfes") by master director Pandelis Voulgaris. "Chariton's Choir," a best picture award winner at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, will also be shown.
Well known actor-director Renos Haralambidis will be coming to New York to personally present his latest film "The Heart of the Beast," a hilarious look at the foibles of contemporary Greece. Also making a personal appearance at the festival will be Cypriot director Christos Siopachas who will present his film "Red Thursday." This will be the first time that a film from Cyprus will play a commercial venue in New York City.
Among the other films to be shown are: "Back Door," a coming of age story about a 13 year old boy coming to grips with the unexpected death of his father; "Dust," about a journalist obsessed with discovering his father's true role in the Greek civil war; "Hostage," a controversial film about an Albanian who hijacks a bus in northern Greece, taking seven passengers hostage; and "The Wake," about two estranged brothers, one a police officer and the other a priest, who are brought together again when one of them commits a crime.
Three award winning documentaries complete the roster of films. "Buzz," the only film in English, presents the story of Greek-Armenian Hollywood screenwriter A. I. Bezzerides. Director Valerie Kontakos will present her film "Who's On First?" which deals with what happened when Greek American professionals intervened in the creation of the national baseball team of Greece in the 2004 Olympics. "Song of Life," a moving film about how the residents of Zakynthos saved the island's Jews from harm during the German Occupation, completes the roster. Screenings of this film will be accompanied by a presentation by Marcia Haddad Ikonomopoulos, president of Friends of Greek Jewry.
Detailed descriptions of all films as well as screening schedules will be available on the Chamber website: www.hellenicamerican.cc
"This is the new Greek cinema that will be on view," said festival coordinator James DeMetro. "This event will offer New Yorkers the all too rare opportunity to see Greek films and experience how exciting and talented moviemakers are changing the face of Greek cinema.”
