ASTORIA – Nine years ago, the New York Greek Film Festival appeared as a glint in the imagination of Stamatis Ghikas. He shared his brainstorm with renowned film buff, Professor James DeMetro. Raised on a diet of Greek films at a now-vanished New York theater, DeMetro spent his college years watching the work of brilliant directors like Federico Fellini and Vittorio De Sica. With an eked-out budget of $17,000 plus passion, knowledge, and commitment, DeMetro, festival director, and Ghikas, festival manager and executive director of the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce (HACC), created an important annual event. Now running on a budget of $100,000, enthusiasm for the best in Greek cinema continues to build.
“People anticipate the festival,” DeMetro says. “I’m amazed when they thank me for the films. We’ve come a long way, and as a special plus for film lovers this year, several directors will attend the festival. ” On Oct. 2, despite rainy weather, an eager audience turned out to see A Family Affair at the Museum of the Moving Image, in Astoria. This first-rate documentary, an award-winner in Greece, follows three generations of the famed musical Xylouris family of Crete. After the film, Chris Fasaraki performed on the lyra and John Koutsoupakis on the laouto for an appreciative crowd.
“This is the first year that that the crisis hit the festival,” DeMetro says. “We had to cancel our gala. Several films were unavailable because the producers did not have finishing funds. But we are showing wonderful films. Greek films are maturing emotionally, and these are European films. The emphasis is on human beings, and human values, not car chases or robots. My big surprise is that there’s not more escapist film-making. When the United States had a major depression, audiences turned out for Mae West. But serious Greek film makers are not opting for escapism.”
Pointing out that “different films will appeal to different audiences,” he talked about notable entries including Stratos, “an outrageous movie, but it is so stylish. And the actor, Vangelis Mourikis, dominates every scene.” This noir film won six of 2015 Hellenic Film Academy Awards, including best actor and best supporting actress for Vicky Papadopoulou. Another must-see, according to DeMetro – in a totally different vein – is At Home. A housekeeper struggles with an identity crisis when the family she’s devoted her life to cannot afford to keep her.
The festival offers outstanding documentaries, including the delightful And I Also Passed By There and Had Paper Shoes to Wear from Vassilis Loules. The director has filmed grandmothers and grandfathers telling the beloved folklore fairy tales of Greece. Mana, from director Valerie Kontakos, beautifully documents six young women who joined a convent, then founded a shelter for abandoned and abused children that became an extended family of 500.
DeMetro has high praise for the short films from young filmmakers, and will present them admission-free. “These are extraordinary films,” he says. “Just when you think you’ve seen it all, along comes a film that knocks you out of your seat. One of the films — thirty minutes long – packs the narrative of a two-hour movie.”
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