2014 FILMS

COMMITTED

Dir. Stelana Kliris

Two young people escaping from their lives meet on a back road somewhere in Cyprus. He has commitment issues. She is a runaway bride.  Together the two will try to forge a relationship in this bittersweet romantic comedy with a twist.  (In English)

COMMON DENOMINATOR (KOINOS PARONOMASTIS)

Dir. Sotiris Tsafoulias

In this delightfully witty comedy, four men meet in a kafeneion and debate the possibility of sustaining a meaningful relationship with a woman in today’s world. Before long, a woman joins the conversation and proves all but one of the men wrong.
US Premiere

DOGMOUTH

Dir. Stephan Morrow

Greek American Stephan Morrow directs and stars in this intense adaptation of John Steppling’s bleak drama about Dogmouth, a bitter Viet Nam vet and rail-riding renegade living his last days. Alienated and contemptuous of human relationships, this nihilist contemplates life and death as he faces his own pending demise.
(In English)

THE ENEMY WITHIN (O EHTHROS MOU)

Dir. Yorgos Tsemberopoulos

Prodded by a militaristic neighbor, a man decides to take the law into his own hands and seek revenge against the thugs who invaded his home and raped his daughter. Smartly reflecting the ideological and emotional  urban climate of a country in crisis, this taut thriller won three 2014 Hellenic Film Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing.

THE ETERNAL RETURN OF ANTONIS PARASKEVAS
(I AIONIA EPISTROFI TOU ANTONI PARASKEVA)

Dir. Elina Psikou

A morning tv talk show host stages his own kidnapping in a desperate attempt to salvage his career. But what begins as an amusingly droll satire on media and celebrity soon turns grim as the desperate man’s mental state begins to unravel, and he becomes increasingly unhinged. Christos Stergioglou turns in a bravura performance in this film that has become a worldwide festival favorite.

Winner of the 2014 Hellenic Film Academy Award,
Best First-Time Director,  Elina Psikou.

KALAVRYTA: PEOPLE AND SHADOWS
(KALAVRYTA: ANTHROPOI KAI SKIES)

Dir. Elias Giannakakis

This haunting documentary examines the December 1943 execution of the adult male population and the burning of the town of Kalavryta by the Germans. More than an important historical account  of a horrendous war crime, the film offers a collective portrait of survivors who have been struggling for the past seventy years to understand why this tragedy happened.

LITTLE ENGLAND  (MIKRA AGGLIA)

Dir. Pantelis Voulgaris

In this story of passion, family  and  loss, two sisters are united and divided by a secret: their love for the same man. Spanning two decades  on the island of Andros when shipping was still a burgeoning industry,this impeccably acted drama pays tribute to the strong women who sustained their families while their men went off to sea. Winner of six 2014 Hellenic Film Academy Awards, including Best Picture, this film is the 2014 Greek entry for Academy Award consideration in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

LOST IN THE BEWILDERNESS

Dir. Alexandra Anthony

Thirty years in the making, this fascinating documentary traces the life of a Greek boy who is five years old when his parents divorce and his mother kidnaps him and takes him out of the country.  Eleven years later, he returns to Greece, a stranger to his  family and to everything Greek, and he begins the process of being reintroduced to his culture.
(This film is in Greek and English)

PALIKARI: LOUIS TIKAS AND THE LUDLOW MASSACRE

Dir. Nickos Ventouras and Lamprini Thoma

One hundred years ago, in an attempt to break the longest strike the USA had ever seen, the Colorado National Guard fired upon striking miners and set fire to a tent colony that 1,200 people called home. This documentary explores the role of Cretan born Greek immigrant andtrade union activist Louis Tikas in what became known as the Ludlow Massacre.

SEPTEMBER

Dir. Penny Panayotopoulou

Grieving the death of her beloved dog, a woman seeks the company of her neighbors to dispel her loneliness. This reaching out for human compassion, however, turns into something far more complicated as the woman becomes increasingly involved in her neighbors’ lives. Kora Karvouni was named Best Actress of the year by the Hellenic Film Academy for her portrayal of the lonely woman.

THE WINTER (O HEIMONAS)

Dir. Konstantinos Koutsoliotas

Heavily in debt, a failed writer escapes from his London creditors and seeks refuge in his long-abandoned family home in a remote Greek village. Once there, he finds that he must struggle to maintain his mental balance as he is haunted by memories of his parents’ failed marriage and by the ghost of his beloved father.
US Premiere

XENIA

Dir. Panos Koutras

Following the death of their Albanian mother, two brothers, one flamboyantly gay and the other straight, take to the road to find the Greek father who abandoned them years ago when they were children. While the relationship between the brothers tends toward the contentious,  the bond between them proves unshakable, making the film as heartbreaking as it is heartwarming.

Official selection, Un Certain Regard, Cannes 2014
(Adults only)

LOVE IN THE TIME OF CRISIS

Dir. Theopi Skarlatos and Kostas Kallergis

What happens to love when society falls apart?  This documentary looks at how the economic meltdown in Greece has affected love, sex and family life.

RUNAWAY DAY

Dir. Dimitris Bavellas

Two unrelated Athenians decide to run away from their personal problems, setting off what seems like an epidemic of disenchanted citizens running away from a city that has betrayed them and rendered their lives unlivable. Inspired by American horror films of the 1960s, director Dimitris Bavellas has made a smart, allegorical and somewhat surreal film.

An Evening With  Filmmaker VASSILIS LOULES

Presented in association with  the University Seminars Program of the Onassis Foundation (USA)

Presenting two short documentaries by Vassilis Loules:

LELA KARAYANNI: THE FRAGRANCE OF A HEROINE

A son shares his memories of his remarkable mother, the heart of the Greek Resistance Movement who was executed by the Germans shortly before the end of WWII.

THE NOOSE  (THILEIA)

Ninety-two year old villager Lefteris Rizos, who appeared in Theo Angelopoulos’ RECONSTRUCTION, reflects on his collaboration with the legendary filmmaker.

A conversation with Mr. Loules, hosted by Prof. Konstantinos Kornetis
(European and Mediterranean Studies, NYU) will follow the screenings.

CLOSING NIGHT: The VOUGIOUKLAKI PHENOMENON

The New York City Greek Film Festival remembers

ALIKI VOUGIOUKLAKI
THE FAIRY AND THE BRAVE YOUNG MAN (I NERAIDA KAI TO PALIKARI )

Dir. Dinos Dimopoulos

In this Vougiouklaki classic from 1969, a long-standing vendetta in Chania, Crete, keeps the Fourtounakis and Vrontakis families apart. Ah, but then Katerinio, the pride and joy of the Fourtounakides, and Manousos, the palikari of the Vrontakis clan, fall in love and….Don’t ask.

Presented by the Greek Cinema Channel

DINNER FOR FEW

Direction, animation: Nassos Vakalis

This sharp political allegory focuses on a society that feeds the few while the rest survive on what little falls from the table.

MY STUFFED GRANNY

Direction, animation: Effie Pappa

An unemployed father with a young daughter to feed needs a miracle. And he finds one!