Here We Go Again: Lights, Camera, Opa!

Ramsey Seikaly

Los Angeles -- The Los Angeles Greek Film Festival opens tomorrow with the "Other Woman" which we introduced in a recent entry.  Now the real work begins.  Tomorrow we will be attending the opening night Gala and will be reporting on the goings and comings for this Eighth Annual Greek Film Festival. 


Enlightening, diverse and innovative! Is the theme which opens Wednesday, June 4, with Nick Cassavetes’ hit romantic comedy “The Other Woman.” The five days of screenings, red carpet events, receptions, and industry panels at the Closing Night Gala on Sunday, June 8, at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood will conclude the five day film fest with  Yorgos Tsemberopoulos’ revenge drama “The Enemy Within”.

This year’s LAGFF welcomes 29 features, documentaries and short films to the program including 2 world premieres, 14 US premieres and 11 films presented to Los Angeles audiences that have not been shown in the city before. For the first time ever over a third of the programming is by women filmmakers. 

The Opening Night event also includes a performance by Billboard chart topper and Australian singing sensation Vassy, a dinner reception and music and dancing outside under the stars. 

The Pabst Brewing Company and Hostess Brands present Closing Night galas, Earth Friendly Products and G.P. Kolovos and Associates co-present Opening Night gala, with festival artist-in-residence Gus Sverkos and Goodtime Events providing the music on both nights. West Coast Investors presents the Opening Night after-party. 
 
World Premieres include Yiannis V. Lapatas’ documentary”Passage Into History.” Passage follows as people from all over the world gather in Nemea, Greece, for the revival of the Nemean Games. They come to take a leap into the past, run in the Stadium, and be crowned with wild celery; and Konstantinos Mousoulis’ short romantic thriller “Birthday Surprise” about a wealthy criminal who returns home drunk on his birthday only to find an attractive young woman waiting for him as his present, or is she?... 
 
Female filmmakers are well represented with several first feature bows including the Los Angeles premieres of Elina Psikou’s drama, winner 2014 first time director nod at 2014 Hellenic Film Academy, “The Eternal Return of Antonis Paraskevas” (“I aionia epistrofi tou Antoni Paraskeva”); Greek filmmaker Christina Koutsospyrou and English filmmaker Aran Hughes first feature documentary hybrid “To The Wolf” (“Sto Lyko”) that shadows the life of two impoverished shepherd families in western Greece and their struggle to survive; and the US premiere of Alexandra Anthony’s emotionally intriguing documentary “Lost In the Bewilderness”, a twenty year journey following the abduction of her cousin at age five by his mother from Greece and the family’s odyssey to reconnect after he is found. 

As we work it we will keep you updated on the latest happenings from podcast to vodcast we have it covered.  It is independent cultural fests such as this innovative film showcase that is becoming the norm rather than the exception.  We we talk of a global village it is not to difficult to imagine what it would be like.  Just glimpse at the schedule below and you'll see what we are saying.  See you at the Egyptian...oh and yes they do sell popcorn.  Just don't spill any.  Bad form.

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Thursday, June 5 20148th Annual Los Angeles Greek Film FestivalAs Greece is still grappling with the aftermath of an unprecedented crisis, the upheaval of Greek society is represented in much of the current Greek Cinema, leading its artists beyond the known and the safe. This year’s films reflect the continued search for answers and solutions while pointing out the absurdity of the status quo. Social, personal, identities, borders, morals, values, are all entities to be discussed, questioned and rediscovered. What makes this year’s programming even more special are two key trends that make their presence felt: The strong participation of female filmmakers whose works we are proud to include this year, and the many submissions of first time-directors; almost half of our films are by first-time-at-the-helm efforts of young filmmakers, illuminating the way to a brighter future.

Thursday, June 5, 5:30 pm
RIGLER THEATRE AT THE EGYPTIANBLOCK 12
(Oikopedo 12)
Cyprus/Greece, 2013, 94 min, LA Premiere

Director/Writer/Producer: Kyriacos Tofarides
Writer: Panos Stathoyannis
Production Companies: Avra Productions, Tanweer Alliances, Cyrpus Broadcasting Corporation, OTE TV, AMP Filmworks, Media Studios, Seahorse Films, Soundpath Studios
Production Designer: Liza Tsoulupa
Cinematographer: Yorgos Frentzos
Editor: Stylianos Constantinou
Music: Marios Takoushis
Cast: Costas Demetriou, Carmen Ruggeri, Michalis Marinos, Yannis Tsimetselis, Neetu Chandra, Irene Constantinou, Zoe Kyprianou
Print Source: Avra Productions, Kyriacos Tofarides, avrafilm@gmail.com

* 2013 Cyprus Film Days IFF – Special Jury Award
* 2013 European Film Awards – Selection

As a result of the notorious financial crisis, a dysfunctional family needs to go live in their father’s tiny house, whereas he has chosen to spend the rest of his life in the wilderness. But things change when the Cypriot politicians set their eyes on Costantas’ house and his land.

Surrealism, social satire, and magical realism in a political, allegorical comedy: Here’s the film that I had in mind. – Kyriacos Tofarides

Kyriacos Tofarides is a producer and a director. In 2008, he produced ‘The Last Homecoming’, which won the award for Best Feature Film at the London Greek Film Festival.

KISS ME LOWER
(Fila me pio kato)
Germany, 2012, 15 min, US Premiere

Director/Writer: Eleni Katsoni
Writer: Eva Strasser
Producer: Franziska Koch
Cast: Lara Beckmann, Daniel Roesner, Alkmini Theodoridou
Print Source: Monika Bremen, IFS Internationale Film Schule, festivals@filmschule.de

Thanks to her aunt’s magical eggplant, the unhappy Marissa ends up in a world where all is an app, including sex. And yet, love is not even Googleable.

* International Film Festival Cyprus 2012 (Best International Short Film)
* Cologne Design Award 2012 – Special mention.

BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
USA, 2014, 6 min, World Premiere

Director/Writer: Konstantinos Mousoulis
Producer: Tety Kalafati
Cast: Christos Vasilopoulos, Tety Kalafati
Print Source: Homeric Pictures, Konstantinos Mousoulis, projects@homericpictures.com

She is beautiful and scantily dressed. What an amazing gift for Jack, a rude toughie who likes handcuffs and sex. But can such a smoking hot woman be a real gift?

Thursday, June 5, 8:00 pm
RIGLER THEATRE AT THE EGYPTIAN 
STANDING ASIDE, WATCHING
(Na kathesai kai na koitas)
Greece, 2013, 90 min, LA Premiere
New Greek Cinema
Presented by Cinemax

Director/Writer: Yorgos Servetas
Producers: Fenia Cossovitsa, Konstantinos Kontovrakis
Production Companies: Blonde Audiovisual Productions, ERT, Feel Good Entertainment, Heretic, 235, STEFI
Production Designer: Elias Ledakis
Cinematographer: Claudio Bolivar
Editor: Panos Voutsaras
Music: IO
Cast: Marina Symeou, Yorgos Kafetzopoulos, Marianthi Pantelopoulou, Nikos Yorgakis, Kostis Siradakis, Yorgos Ziovas
Print Source: Film Marketing & Consulting, Patra Spanou, patra.spanou@yahoo.com

Under a grey sky, in a small town in the middle of nowhere, a train stops at an empty station. Antigone, a young woman in her 30s, gets off. She’s returning here after many years and is determined to settle in, but her simple dream turns out to be much more complicated than she thought. A surge of violence and discrimination burst on her life. Furthermore, there’s complicity between victims and perpetrators. What’s Antigone going to do? Will she end up standing aside, watching?

This story speaks of the one chance that (wo)man has to change (her) his fate. – Yorgos Servetas

Yorgos Servetas studied Computer Engineering and Informatics at the University of Patras and filmmaking at the Lykourghos Stavrakos School of Athens. He’s directed 4 short films and two features so far.

* 2014 Cyprus Film Days (won the Global Images Award)
* 2014 Hellenic Film Academy Awards: Nikos Yorgakis Best Supporting Actor
* 2014 Berlinale
* 2013 Toronto IFF
Due to mature subject matter, viewer discretion is advised.

RED HULK 
Greece, 2013, 27 min, US Premiere

Director/Writer/Producer: Asimina Proedrou
Cast: Frixos Proedrou, Nestoras Fanaras, Christos Kontogeorgis, Dimitris Tzoumakis, Elissaios Vlachos, Domenica Regou, Simeon Tsakiris
Print Source: Patra Spanou, spanoupa@yahoo.de

No drive. No confidence. No respect from his peers. Giorgios doesn’t even know who he is. In a decaying labyrinthine Athens, his only way out is being Red Hulk, until he gets involved in acts of racial violence…

* 2013 Short Film Festival in Drama – Grand Prix (Best Film), Male Actor, Cinematography Award
* 2013 Athens International Film Festival – Grand Prix (Best Short Film)
* 2014 Clermont-Ferrand