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Hellenic Film Society Closes Out a Successful Run of NY Greek Film Expo 2024

By NEO Magazine on October 23, 2024

The curtain came down on Sunday on the Hellenic Film Society’s New York Greek Film Expo 2024, after an 11-day run of 13 screenings of nine of the latest and best films from Greece. The Audience Award for most popular film went to The Promotion, directed by Periklis Choursoglou, a drama about a father and son attempting to sharpen their relationship. The award for Best Performance in a Feature Film went to Kostas Koronaios for his title role in The Last Taxi Driver, the story of a cabbie whose life is upended when he witnesses the suicide of a customer. Screenings, including three that played to sell-out audiences, were held at the Village East Cinema in Manhattan, the Barrymore Film Center in Fort Lee, NJ, and the prestigious Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens. HFS hosted filmmakers from Greece, who had the opportunity to discuss their films with the audience following most screenings.

Hellenic Film Society USA presented the New York Greek Film Expo, a Greek film festival for all New Yorkers, October 3-13 in the theaters across the NY metro area; PHOTO: ANASTASSIOS MENTIS

The Expo, a Greek film festival for all New Yorkers, was hosted by Thanos Tokakis, one of Greece’s most prolific character actors, and was sponsored by Axia Spirit.

On opening night, October 3, the Hellenic Film Society presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to veteran actress of stage, screen, and television, Vangelio Andreadaki. On Monday, October 7, the Consulate General of Greece hosted an interview with Tokakis, followed by a reception.

Director Haris Vafeiadis and Expo host, award-winning actor, Thanos Tokakis take questions from the audience following the opening-night screening of their film, Little Things That Went Wrong; PHOTO: ANASTASSIOS MENTIS

“This has been an exceptionally good year for Greek film and we were delighted by the turnout at the Expo,” said Maria C. Miles, Hellenic Film Society president. “New Yorkers are embracing Greek films and enthusiastically supported the Expo, and the visiting filmmakers were moved by their response.”

Hellenic Film Society president Maria C. Miles presents the HFS Lifetime Achievement Award to award-winning actress Vangelio Andreadaki; PHOTO: ANASTASSIOS MENTIS

New York Greek Film Expo 2024 was 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 Expo was also funded in part by a grant from the New York City Tourism Foundation. It was also made possible, in part, 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.

Opening night reception hosted by Axia Spirit; PHOTO: ANASTASSIOS MENTIS

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.

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