ASTORIA, NY –
The Hellenic Film Society (HFS) is presenting two special summer screenings which celebrate two legendary Greek performers: Oscar-winning actor Olympia Dukakis and acclaimed singer Stelios Kazantzidis.
On Sunday, August 24 at dusk in Athens Square Park in Astoria, NY, HFS will present a free screening of the romantic comedy Moonstruck. Dukakis won an Academy Award for her performance as the mother of a lonely bookkeeper (Cher, in an Oscar-winning performance) who falls in love with her fiance’s brother. The film also stars Nicolas Cage.
The following week, kicking off Labor Day weekend on Friday, August 29 at 7pm, HFS will present an encore performance of the award-winning international box office hit, Stelios. The biopic explores the life and extraordinary career of singer Stelios Kazantzidis, whose voice and songbook touched the hearts of Greeks around the world. The film, with an immensely popular soundtrack, is in Greek with English subtitles.
Stelios will be shown at the newly renovated Sapan Greenport Theater in Greenport, NY, wheremany New York area Greeks vacation during the summer. Following the screening, there will be an audience Q&A and live performance by musician Mavrothi Kontanis.
“We’re thrilled to pay tribute to Olympia Dukakis and Stelios Kazantzidis, two hugely popular performers who have meant so much to the Greek community and to audiences of all nationalities,” says Maria C. Miles, Hellenic Film Society president. “These two screenings will inspire our audience to get ready for the New York Greek Film Expo, a Greek film festival for all New Yorkers, which runs October 2-12, when we’ll be showing the latest and best Greek films in Manhattan, Astoria, and Fort, Lee, NJ.”
About the Hellenic Film Society
The Hellenic Film Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Greek cinema and sharing the richness of Greek films with American audiences. Based in Astoria, NY, HFS presents an array of feature films, documentaries, and shorts by Greek filmmakers and those of Greek descent, as well as works that highlight the cultures of Greece and Cyprus.
HFS is known for its annual New York Greek Film Expo, a Greek film festival for all New Yorkers, and its ongoing Always on Sunday monthly film series, presented in collaboration with the prestigious Museum of the Moving Image. Additionally, the organization partners with other prominent film festivals across the United States, including the Chicago Greek Film Expo, the South Florida Greek Film Festival, and the Atlanta Greek Film Expo.
The Kallinikeion Foundation and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) are the lead supporters of the Hellenic Film Society. Additional support is provided by Microsoft, Greek National Tourism Organization, New York State Council on the Arts, the New York City Council, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, and Antenna Satellite TV.
For more information, to volunteer, or to support HFS’ mission, visit www.hellenicfilmsociety.org.
