Los Angeles, CA – by Vasilis Papoutsis
A sold-out crowd came out for the opening night of the 16th Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF) that took place at UCLA’s James Bridges Theater in collaboration with the SNF Hellenic Center.
The attendees were treated to a great historical production SMYRNA, MY BELOVED directed by Gregory Karadinakis and produced by Dionysis Samiotis. The film based on a play by iconic Greek actress Mimi Denisi looks back at the tragic events that led to the Catastrophe of Smyrna through the viewpoint of a wealthy Greek family. The disagreements within the family reflect the very divisive political climate in Greece at the time that directly affected the fate of the war and the destruction of the Greek communities in Asia Minor 100 years ago. The film is a suburb production in all levels, excellent acting, meticulous production design, exquisite costumes.
General Consul of Greece in Los Angeles Evgenia Beniatoglou after watching the movie said that ‘’the film evokes strong emotions. In 1922, my grandfather had to flee from his village in Asia Minor and came to Greece at the age of 13. As a proud descendant of Asia Minor Greek refugees, I strongly believe that we should never forget the tragic events of that time that shaped the history of modern Greece’’.
Our own Greek American actress Joanna Kalafatis who portrayed the real -life character of Minnie Mills, the American Dean of the American Girls school in Smyrna was present to accept the festival’s Audience Award but the film could had easily won most categories including Best Director and Best Feature.
The LAGFF paid a heartfelt tribute to one of our greatest actresses Olympia Dukakis. Dukakis was a prolific actress who performed in 130 stage productions, 50 TV series and more than 60 films among them Steel Magnolias and Mr. Holland’s Opus. In 1987 she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in Moonstruck for her memorable role as the no-nonsense matriarch Rose Castorini, along with a Golden Globe. Cher also won an Oscar for her role as her daughter Loretta.
The tribute was created by her brother Apollo Dukakis and her children. Apollo presented a One-Act play in Three Scenes along with Kandis Chappell portraying Olympia, Followed by a video salute to Olympia Dukakis produced by her children Christina, Peter, and Stefan Zorich.
Christina Zorich who also created a slideshow for her mother said that ‘’it has been an emotional hard year since my mom’s passing’’.Closing night at the Pacific Design Center’s Silver Screen Theater felt like a family affair in front of an intimate crowd.
The film of the evening was Holy Emy by the Greek writer and director Araceli Lemos who has also created the International Project Discovery Forum that is part of the LAGFF. The film received mixed reviews and reactions from the audience. Because it contains some graphic and disturbing images, it is better tailored to a niche audience rather than a closing night offering on a Sunday evening.
The Orpheus Award ceremony that followed was hosted by Alex Kalognomos and Lia Bozonelis along with presenters Joanna Kalafatis, Christos Vasilopoulos, and Alex Lyras.
Winners were “Holy Emy” for Best Feature, Araceli Lemos for Best Director, Angeliki Papoulia got Best Performance for her work at “Patchwork”, “The Students of Uberto Primo” by Alessandra Maioletti for Best Documentary, “To Vancouver” by Artemis Anastasiadou won Best Short Film and “From The Balcony” by Aris Kaplanidis and Elias Roumeliotis was the Best Animated Film.
Also, worth mentioning the documentary MY PEOPLE from first time director Anna Rezan who delivers an emotional film about the Greek Jewish community and its Holocaust survivors but also a message about hope and love.
This year there was a change of venue as the historic Egyptian Theater that has hosted the LAGFF the last few years was unavailable due to renovations. The Regal Cinemas at LA Live is where most of the films were shown this year. Although it will be difficult to re-create the ambiance of the Egyptian, LA Live in downtown is a vibrant hub with great restaurants within walking distance from the theaters. There was easy access to parking and it is also a cleaner and safer area than Hollywood Blvd.
In closing it was great to see the LAGFF back for its 16th edition even though we are still feeling the effects of the pandemic and for that reason Aris Katopodis and his team deserve congratulations and we look forward to an even better festival next year.
