Screenings of the Latest Films from Greece in theaters across NY Metro Area, with filmmakers in attendance. – Hosted by Award-Winning Actor Thanos Tokakis
Actress Vangelio Andreadaki to receive HFS Lifetime Achievement Award
Opening Night, Thursday, October 3
Astoria, NY – September 24, 2024 – The Hellenic Film Society USA (HFS) will present its annual New York Greek Film Expo, a Greek film festival for all New Yorkers, October 3—13. Screenings of the latest Greek films will be presented at the Village East Cinema in Manhattan, the prestigious Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) in Astoria, NY, and at the Barrymore Film Center in Fort Lee, NJ.
Many of the filmmakers from Greece whose films are being shown will attend and participate in Q&A sessions with the audience following their screenings. HFS will present 13 screenings of nine feature films, and a film short. All films are in Greek with English subtitles. An opening night reception, sponsored by Axia Spirit, will be held immediately following the screening on October 3.
On opening night, HFS will honor actress Vangelio Andreadaki with its first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award. In a career spanning more than four decades, Andreadaki has embraced a wide range of roles, bringing her characters to life through memorable performances, including in Eyes of Night (2008), The Building Manager (2010), and SMAC, which earned her the 2019 Hellenic Film Academy Award for Best Actress.
“This year’s Expo film lineup represents the best that Greek cinema has to offer in 2024,” said Maria C. Miles, president of the Hellenic Film Society. “We are proud to show these critically acclaimed and Greek box office hit films. The Expo is the culmination of the Hellenic Film Society’s celebration of Greek culture through film, not only with Greek Americans, but with audiences at large.”
The Expo will be hosted by Thanos Tokakis, one of Greece’s most prolific character actors, and winner of the Hellenic Film Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Eftyhia). Two of his 2023 films will be shown at this year’s Expo. The Consulate General of Greece in New York will host a discussion with Tokakis on Monday, October 7 at 6:30pm.
Ticket packages are available through the Hellenic Film Society’s website: www.HellenicFilmUSA.org.
New York Greek Film Expo 2024 is made possible with support from the Kallinikeion Foundation, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, Microsoft, the Greek National Tourism Organization, Axia Spirit, ConnectOne Bank, NYWIFT (New York Women in Film & Television), the New York City Council, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr, Antenna Satellite, and the family of Nikos A. Andriotis. The New York Greek Film Expo is also funded in part by a grant from the New York City Tourism Foundation. It is also made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant program, a program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature and administered by Flushing Town Hall.
For additional information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.hellenicfilmusa.org or call 347-934-9497.
About the Hellenic Film Society USA
The Hellenic Film Society USA (HFS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization rooted in the belief that Greek cinema should be part of the American cultural landscape. Based in Astoria, NY, the organization promotes feature films, documentaries, and film shorts made by Greek filmmakers and those of Greek descent, as well as films that promote the cultures of Greece and Cyprus.
In addition to presenting its annual film festival, HFS collaborates with the prestigious Museum of the Moving Image on Always on Sunday, a series of monthly Greek film screenings. HFS collaborates with other film festivals in the US, including the Chicago Film Expo, the South Florida Greek Film Festival, and the Atlanta Greek Film Expo, all of which are hosting Greek film festivals this fall.
Press Contact for information or photos: Nancy Nicolelis | 718-898-7002 | [email protected]
New York Greek Film Expo 2024 Feature Films
All films are in Greek with English subtitles
ANIMAL – New York Premiere. An aging, modestly talented entertainer realizes that it is time to give up her career.
Directed by Sofia Exarchou. With Dimitra Vlagopoulou, Flomaria Papadaki, Ahilleas Hariskos. Seven 2023 Hellenic Film Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Vlagopoulou), and Best Supporting Actress (Papadaki). Followed by audience Q&A with lead producer Maria Drandaki. Co-presented with NYWIFT, New York Women in Film & Television.
ATHENS MIDNIGHT RADIO – US premiere. On the evening of his 50th birthday, a radio announcer decides to use the air waves to find the woman he loved and lost years ago. Directed by Renos Haralambidis. With Haralambidis, Eleftheria Stamou, Margarita Amarantidi, Maria Zervou. The feature film will be preceded by a short, The Armchair on the Pavement, directed and written by Mary Kolonia. The program will be followed by audience Q&A with Haralambidis.
FONISSA (Murderess). Despair over women’s oppressive living conditions in her island community circa 1900 drives a midwife to find a violent solution to confront the evils of a male-dominated society. Directed by Eva Nathena. With Karyofyllia Karabeti, Maria Protopappa, Elena Topalidou, Dimitris Imellos. Sixteen 2024 Hellenic Film Academy Award nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress (Karabeti) and Best Screenplay (Katerina Bei). Followed by audience Q&A with director Eva Nathena. Co-presented with NYWIFT, New York Women in Film & Television.
GUEST STAR – New York Premiere. The hapless son of famous actors gets a chance to earn his own place in the public eye. Directed by Vasilis Christofilakis. With Christofilakis, Elli Tringou, Natasa Exintaveloni. Followed by audience Q&A with Christofilakis.
THE LAST TAXI DRIVER – New York Premiere. The suicide of a customer prompts a taxi driver to attempt to change his dead-end life. Directed by Stergios Paschos. With Kostas Koronaios, Klelia Andriolatou, Marisha Triantafyllidou, Ektor Liatsos. Five 2024 Hellenic Film Academy Award nominations, including Best Actress (Andriolatou), Best Actor (Koronaios), Best Supporting Actress (Triantafyllidou), and Best Screenplay (Stergios Paschos). Followed by audience Q&A with Koronaios.
LITTLE THINGS THAT WENT WRONG (Opening Night Screening) – New York Premiere. Two fathers from opposite ends of the social scale come together in a situation that captures the desperation lurking in each man’s psyche. Directed by Haris Vafeiadis. With Thanos Tokakis, Mihalis Siriopoulos, Hristina Heila-Fameli, Maro Papadopoulou. Nominated for five Hellenic Film Academy Awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay (Vafeiadis), Best Actor (Tokakis). Opening night screening followed by audience Q&A with Tokakis and Vafeiadis.
THE PROMOTION – New York Premiere. A trip becomes the occasion for a father and his adult son to sharpen their connection through cathartic healing. Directed by Periklis Choursoglou. With Alexandros Logothetis, Vasilis Kolovos, Eleni Gerasimidou, Dimitris Naziris, Vangelio Andreadaki. 2024 Hellenic Film Academy Award: Best Supporting Actor (Kolovos). Followed by audience Q&A with Choursoglou and Andreadaki.
THE RHAPSODIST – New York Premiere. A storyteller captivates barroom patrons with stories that are as zany as they are entertaining. Directed by Nikolai Hamel. With Prometheus Aleifer, Thanos Tokakis, Maria Katsandri, Natalia Swift. 2023 Thessaloniki International Film Festival: Youth Jury Award. Followed by audience Q&A with Tokakis and director Nikolai Hamel.
YANI SPANOS: BEHIND THE MARQUEE – New York Premiere. The life of the beloved composer is examined in this song-filled documentary. Directed by Aris Dorizas. Followed by audience Q&A with Dorizas.
New York Greek Film Expo 2024 Screening Schedule
Village East Cinema, 181 Second Ave at 12th St., NY, NY
Opening Night
Th Oct 3
7 pm – LITTLE THINGS THAT WENT WRONG, followed by the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Vangelio Andreadaki and audience Q&A with lead actor Thanos Tokakis and director and director Haris Vafeiadis. Opening night reception immediately following.
Fri Oct 4
7 pm – ANIMAL, followed by audience Q&A with lead producer Maria Drandaki
Sat Oct 5
6 pm – THE LAST TAXI DRIVER, followed by audience Q&A with lead actor Kostas Koronaios
8:30 pm – ATHENS MIDNIGHT RADIO, followed by audience Q&A with director-actor Renos Haralambidis
Sun Oct 6
1 pm – GUEST STAR, followed by audience Q&A with director and lead actor Vasilis Christofilakis
3:30 pm – THE PROMOTION, followed by audience Q&A with director Periklis Choursoglou and actress Vangelio Andreadaki
6 pm – THE RHAPSODIST, followed by audience Q&A with actor Thanos Tokakis and director Nikolai Hamel
Barrymore Film Center, 153 Main St., Fort Lee, NJ
Tue Oct 8
7:30 pm – THE PROMOTION
Wed Oct 9
7:30 pm – LITTLE THINGS THAT WENT WRONG
Museum of the Moving Image, 35th Ave at 37th St., Astoria, NY
Fri Oct 11
7 pm – LITTLE THINGS THAT WENT WRONG
Sat Oct 12
6 pm – FONISSA, followed by audience Q&A with director Eva Nathena
Sun Oct 13
3 pm – THE PROMOTION
5:30 pm – YANI SPANOS: BEHIND THE MARQUEE, followed by audience Q&A with director Aris Dorizas
