NEW YORK, NY – The Hellenic Film Society USA (HFS) presents its annual New York Greek Film Expo, a Greek film festival for all New Yorkers, October 5-15. Screenings of the latest Greek films will be presented at the Village East Cinema in Manhattan and at the Barrymore Film Center in Fort Lee, NJ. A special retrospective of the films of the acclaimed director, screenwriter and actor Renos Haralambidis will be screened at the prestigious Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) October 13-15.
Haralambidis and many of the filmmakers whose films are being presented will be in attendance throughout the festival, participating in Q&A sessions with the audience following their screenings. HFS will present 14 screenings of 11 feature films, as well as film shorts. Films are in Greek with English subtitles. Additional programming will include a Master Class with Haralambidis; a panel discussion on the state of Greek cinema; a Directors on Directors conversation, and interviews with Haralambidis following each of his screenings by acclaimed film historians Andrew Horton (University of Oklahoma), Foster Hirsch (Brooklyn College), and David Schwartz, founder of Cinema Projects and former MoMI Chief Curator.
“The New York Greek Film Expo will be showcasing the best of the current Greek film season,” said Jimmy DeMetro, Hellenic Film Society president. “And we are pleased to offer a retrospective of the works of Renos Haralambidis, as we give New Yorkers an opportunity to reassess the work of this important Greek filmmaker”.
A panel discussion on the state of Greek cinema moderated by Nicholas Alexiou, Professor of Sociology at Queens College, CUNY, will be held at the Consulate General of Greece in New York on Wednesday, October 11. The Haralambidis Retrospective kicks off with a Directors on Directors conversation on Thursday, October 12 at the Hana House in downtown Brooklyn, followed by a Master Class for film students at The Players Club in Manhattan on Friday, October 13. All four Haralambidis films will be screened at MoMI: Four Black Suits (2010) on Friday, October 13; No Budget Story (1997) and The Heart of the Beast (2005) on Saturday, October 14; and Cheap Smokes (2000) on Sunday, October 15. A live musical performance featuring acclaimed jazz vibraphonist and composer Christos Raphaelidis and Haralambidis will precede the screening of Cheap Smokes on October 15.
“The Hellenic Film Society is proud to present the works of Renos Haralambidis,” said George Stephanopoulos, curator of the retrospective and HFS Board member. “This retrospective pays tribute to one of Greece’s true auteur directors whose life’s work is his art, encompassing his talents as a director, actor, and writer. Renos represents the best of Greece and Greek cinema with his personal reflections on modern Athenian life at the core of each of his films”.
Screenings will be held at the Village East Cinema, 181 Second Avenue at 12 Street in Manhattan; the Museum of the Moving Image, 35th Avenue at 37th Street in Astoria; and the Barrymore Film Center, 153 Main Street in Fort Lee, NJ.
New York Greek Film Expo 2023 is made possible with support from Metaxa, the Greek National Tourism Organization, ConnectOne Bank, New York Women in Film & Television (NYWIFT), the Greek Film Centre, the Consulate General of Greece in New York, the New York City Council, and the Queens Borough President.
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.
