An initiative of the Greek Orthodox Community of Saint George

Transcript

1 Presenting Partner An initiative of the Greek Orthodox Community of Saint George Brisbane Sydney Adelaide Melbourne October 2011 Palace Centro Cinemas Fortitude Valley

2 18 TH GREEK FILM FESTIVAL We would like to thank the following for their assistance with the organisation of the 9th Greek Film Festival of Brisbane. National Festival Director Dimi Lafazanos Brisbane Festival Coordinators Elleni Comino Dimitri Mavromatis Helen Spero Michael Anastas Art Direction & Design Carlo Mazzarella & David Buzzi One Heavy Trailer Editor Tim Anastasi Onset Productions Web Design and Development Mecca Medialight Program Text Emma Westwood Stephen Scoglio Dr Alfred Vincent Opening Night Function Palace Centro Cinema Chez Nous Catering Spiros Bottle Shop The Bouzouki Boys Videographer Miniluv (Emmanuel Kazonis) Palace Centro Cinemas Genevieve Kelly, Melissa Woite & Staff Festival Contact Details Greek Orthodox Community of Saint George, Brisbane 36 Browning Street South Brisbane Qld 4101 P: F: E: WELCOME Welcome to the Brisbane Greek Film Festival 2011 The Greek Orthodox Community of St George, Brisbane & Bank of Cyprus Australia, in partnership with Palace Centro Cinemas is proud to present the 2011 Greek Film Festival in Brisbane. The festival will run from Thursday 27 October to Sunday 30 October at the Palace Centro Cinemas 39 James Street, Fortitude Valley. The Festival will highlight a selection of the best in contemporary Greek cinema. This years programme includes: Need for Lies, Attenburg, Red Sky, Without Borders, The Heiress and more. We would like to thank our presenting partner Bank of Cyprus Australia, venue partner Palace Cinemas, national sponsors and particularly our local sponsors for their generous support. We invite you to indulge in what is to be a cultural and entertaining experience and hope you enjoy the selection. Opening Night Opening night will feature the comedy Need for Lies directed by Ieroklis Michaelidis and starring Ieroklis Michaelidis, Zeta Makrypoulia and Odysseas Papaspiliopoulos. Theofilos Ferekis Minister of Health and Welfare hires the shady Theodoras Parlas a professional liar as his senior advisor to help him deliver on the promises, pork-barrelling, and wheeling and dealing he orchestrated during his election campaign. Can Theofilos and Theodoras squirm their way out of the mess? Will the new Minister be held to account? Following the screening of the feature film, the Film Festival s opening night cocktail party will be held at Palace Centro Cinemas and guests are invited to stay and enjoy mezethes and drinks whilst listening to live Greek music. To book for opening night and other sessions, please call Palace Centro Cinema on

3 TICKETING AND VENUE INFORMATION VENUE Palace CENTRO Cinema Cnr James Street & Robertson Streets Fortitude Valley Opening Night Event Brisbane Premiere Ieroklis Michaelidis Need for Lies Time: 6.30pm for 7.00pm screening Date: Thursday 27th October 2011 Venue: Palace Centro Cinema All tickets $40.00 (must be pre-booked) For bookings telephone Palace Centro direct: Monday - Friday between 10.30am 5.00pm on Cocktail function to be held at Palace Centro Cinemas. Tickets Single Session Tickets Adult $17.00 Concession $13.50 Palace Movie Club Members $13.50 Greek Orthodox Community of St George Members $13.50 Eligible Concessions: Full-time Students (ID required), Senior Citizens (60+), Health Care Card holders, Pensioners. Group Bookings (10 people or more) Groups of 10 or more people will be admitted at the special price of $13.00 per person for all sessions except Opening Night. HOW TO BUY In Person Palace Centro Cinema 12pm until 8.30pm daily until sold out. Online Tickets are available securely online 24hrs via at Major credit cards accepted. Booking fees apply. By Phone Tickets may be purchased using any major credit card by calling the cinema you wish to attend: Palace Centro Cinema: FESTIVAL CONDITIONS All festival films are restricted to persons 18 years of age and over, unless specified. This relates not necessarily to the content of the films, but to the legal requirements of holding the festival, as set by the Office of Film and Literature Classification. There are no booking fees for purchasing at cinemas with cash. Cinema box offices accept all major credit cards Festival tickets, once acquired, are non-refundable and non-exchangeable. Lost or stolen tickets will not be replaced or refunded. Patrons are encouraged to collect booked tickets 30 minutes prior to the session to avoid queues. Palace Cinema passes and other complimentary passes, cinema promotions and free ticket offers are not valid for festival screenings. Dates, times and programs are correct at the time of publication, but may need to be altered. We reluctantly reserve the right to withdraw, change and replace programs without notice. All non-english language films have English subtitles. Allocated seating in Brisbane.

4 OPENING NIGHT COMEDY 4 5 Need for Lies (Ζητείται Ψεύτης) dir: Ieroklis Michaelidis The Heiress (Η Κληρονόμος) dir: Panayotis Fafoutis One of Greece s best-loved stage comedies, Dimitris Psathas satire on Greek political machinations comes to life on the silver screen. Theofilos Ferekis (played by the film s director Ieroklis Michaelidis) has been appointed Minister of Health and Welfare. It s time for him to deliver on the promises, pork-barrelling, and wheeling and dealing he orchestrated during his election campaign. Hopelessly unable to meet his mark, Theofilos hires the shady Theodoras Parlas (Odysseas Papaspiliopoulos) a professional liar as his senior advisor. Can Theofilos and Theodoras squirm their way out of the mess? Will the new Minister be held to account? Find out in this Spin City meets The West Wing look at politics in Greece. Όταν ο Θεόφιλος Φερέκης αναλαμβάνει το Υπουργείο Υγείας & Κοινωνικής Αλληλεγγύης, έρχεται αντιμέτωπος με όλες τις χάρες που είχε τάξει προεκλογικά στους ψηφοφόρους του. Μόλις καταλάβει ότι δεν πρόκειται να τα βγάλει εύκολα πέρα, χρειάζεται επειγόντως να προσλάβει έναν επαγγελματία ψεύτη, τον Θεόδωρο Πάρλα, ή Ψευτοθόδωρος, ταλέντο στις ψεύτικες υποσχέσεις. Greece mins e-cinema Written by Panayotis Mantziafos and Konstandina Yiahali, based on the play with the same title by Dimitris Psathas Produced by Manos Krezias, Kostas Lambropoulos and Dionysis Samiotis Cast: Ieroklis Michaelidis, Zeta Makrypoulia, Odysseas Papaspiliopoulos Ieroklis Michaelidis is no stranger to Greek audiences, with over twenty years experience in front of the camera in countless television roles. Need for Lies is his directorial debut. As an actor he starred most recently in The Flight of the Swan, alongside James D Arcy, Alicia Witt and Colm Meaney. A soccer comedy that finds the back of the net! Woman of leisure Vera (Smaragda Karydi) an attractive former stewardess finds herself thrust into the cut-throat world of professional football following her philandering husband s untimely death. In order to secure her family s inheritance, Vera takes the reins of her late husband s struggling Black Panthers Football Club in Greece s A-League championship in an effort to turn their fortunes around. Armed with her wits and tenacity, the laughs flourish as Vera fights to overcome both her lack of knowledge of football, as well as the entrenched prejudices on and off the field. This is Working Girl meets Wildcats but done Greek style. Η Βέρα είναι μια όμορφη πρώην αεροσυνοδός και σύζυγος του Στέλιου Σκαρίμπα, ευκατάστατου προέδρου της μικρομεσαίας ποδοσφαιρικής ομάδας «Μαύροι Πάνθηρες». Ζει μια ήσυχη ζωή, μεγαλώνοντας τα δυο παιδιά της. Όλα κυλούν ομαλά, μέχρι που μια εξωσυζυγική περιπέτεια του Στέλιου έχει μοιραία κατάληξη... Contains nudity Greece mins e-cinema Written by Dimitris Emmanoulidis Produced by Panos Papahadzis Cast: Smaragda Karydi, Gerasimos Skiadaresis, Petros Lagoutis, Titika Stasinopoulou, Kostis Koroneos After many years working in Greek television drama, The Heiress marks Panayotis Fafoutis graduation to feature film direction. His most recent film, Paradeisos in which he assumes both writing and directorial responsibilities was released earlier this year.

5 COMEDY 6 7 Everything is Going to be Alright (Όλα θα πάνε καλά) dir: Yannis Xanthopoulos Charisma (Χάρισμα) dir: Christina Ioakimidi A comedy where Ruthless People meets Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Miltiadis (Akis Sakellariou) cooks up a scheme to kidnap well-known and notoriously corrupt lawyer Yotis Mathiopoulos (Dimitris Piatas). To help him execute the plan, he enlists the help of his fiancée, Gina (Faye Xila), and her unofficial partner, the short-fused Fanis (Orfeas Avgoustidis). Things are thrown into chaos when a comedy of errors sees our band of crooks wind up with Yotis aunt, Elenitsa (played by Greek cinema veteran, Efi Papatheodorou) as their captive instead of Yotis. They are unaware that Yotis has been plotting to get rid of her anyway. Propelled into a world of thugs and organised crime, Miltiadis, Gina and Fanis soon learn that Aunt Elenitsa isn t the benign elder she may initially seem and so their lives are sent into a tail-spin. Ένα αρραβωνιασμένο ζευγάρι, η Τζίνα και ο Μιλτιάδης μαζί με τον Φάνη, αποφασίζουν να απαγάγουν τον διεφθαρμένο μεγαλοδικηγόρο Μαθιόπουλο. Η απειρία όμως των κακοποιών έχει ως αποτέλεσμα να απαχθεί λάθος πρόσωπο, και συγκεκριμένα, η θέια του, Ελενίτσα! Greek and English language with English subtitles Greece mins e-cinema Written by Yannis Xanthopoulos Produced by Panos Papahadzis Cast: Orfeas Avgoustidis, Faye Xila, Akis Sakellariou, Efi Papatheodorou, Dimitris Piatas Yannis Xanthopoulos has a solid pedigree in Greek cinema and television dating back to His screenwriting credits include Eyewitness (1993), Borderline (1994) and Extended Play (2006); the latter he also directed. Everything is Going to be Alright is his second feature as writer and director. A sunny, romantic comedy about learning to open yourself to love. Ismini (Vaso Kavalieratou) is a single woman in her early 30s. She is strong, independent and sensitive, but she is also emotionally handicapped. Her defence mechanism for protecting her wellbeing is to avoid emotional attachment to the men who move in and out of her life. In one of the rare moments that Ismini unwittingly lowers her defences, rough diamond Haris (Makis Papadimitriou) enters her life. Will Ismini choose to push away the unsophisticated and irrascible, but also passionate, Haris or will he be the one that infiltrates her tough exterior? Η Ισμήνη μόλις πάτησε τα τριάντα της. Είναι καλλιεργημένη, ευγενική, ευαίσθητη και συναισθηματικά τσακίζει για πλάκα. Όλα καταρρέουν, όμως, όταν ο μπρούτος, απλοϊκός κι αγενής Χάρης μπαίνει για τα καλά στη ζωή της. Sex scenes Greece mins 35mm Written by Christina Ioakimidi Produced by Christina Ioakimidi and Louizos Aslanidis Cast: Vaso Kavalieratou, Makis Papadimitriou and Yannis Tsortekis Christina Ioakimidi was born in 1975 in Athens. She studied directing at film school in London, during which she made several short films. Charisma is her debut feature film where she takes on the roles of writer, producer and director.

6 18 TH GREEK FILM FESTIVAL Brisbane Screening Schedule October Palace Centro Cinema Cnr James and Robertson Streets, Fortitude Valley T: Thursday 27 October Friday 28 October Saturday 29 October Sudnay 30 October 2pm Everything is going to be alright Without Borders 4pm Harisma The Heiress 7pm OPENING NIGHT NEED FOR LIES Everything is going to be alright Attenburg 6:45pm Riders of Pylos 9pm RED SKY The Heiress 8:45pm The Signature

7 NEO CINEMA Without Borders (Χωρίς Σύνορα) dir: Nick Gaitatjis The Signature (Η Υπογραφή) dir: Stelios Haralambopoulos An dramatic adventure that crosses continents and international borders. The simple and carefree life of Thanasis (Giorgos Voyatzis) is shattered when his adopted six-year-old daughter Melissa (Veronika Vassilakopoulou) is taken away without warning to the United States by her biological mother. With the help of his cousin, the eccentric Plato (Georges Corraface, who also appears in The Signature), Thanasis sets out on a search to retrieve Melissa at any cost. Ο Θανάσης, ένας καλοκάγαθος πωλητής, έχει υπό την προστασία του την μικρή Μελίσα, που η μητέρα της Μίλλα, μετανάστρια από την Ρωσία, του την εμπιστεύτηκε, προκειμένου να αναζητήσει την τύχη της στην Αμερική. Όλα θα ανατραπούν στη ζωή τους, όταν η Μίλλα επιστρέφει στην Ελλάδα με τον άνδρα της, για να πάρει την κόρη της. Greek and English language with English subtitles Greece USA mins 35mm Written by Nick Gaitatjis Produced by Nick Gaitatjis and Sandra Staggs Cast: Giorgos Voyagis, Georges Corraface, Seymour Cassel Nick Gaitatjis was born in Veria, Greece. He moved to the USA to study cinema, where he also directed many live theatre productions before returning to Greece to work on a number of prime time television shows. With much of his career spent in producing roles, Without Borders is Gaitatjis second feature as director, following on from Gettin It (2006). An enigmatic thriller about true love and sacrifice, set within the art world. Famous painter Maria Demou (Maria Protopappa) died mysteriously 15 years ago. In preparing a retrospective exhibition of her work, young researcher Anna (Alexia Kaltsiki) calls on Maria s lover, Angel (Georges Corraface), who uncovers some paintings Anna did not realise existed. This awakens her curiosity about the past and even Angel s possible involvement in Maria s sudden death. When Anna threatens to cancel the exhibition, Angel feels compelled to open his heart to her, revealing the truth of his life the enigmatic existence of an alter ego and the transcendent beauty of his art. Η Άννα, μια νεαρή ιστορικός τέχνης, ετοιμάζει ένα τιμητικό αφιέρωμα στα έργα της διάσημης ζωγράφου Μαρίας Δήμου. Στο πλευρό της για να την βοηθήσει, είναι ο σύντροφος της Δήμου και στενός συνεργάτης της, Άγγελος. Μαζί θα ξετυλίξουν το κουβάρι της ζωής της Μαρίας, και το μυστήριο που τυλίγει τον θάνατό της. Nudity and sex scenes Greece mins e-cinema Written by Stelios Haralambopoulos Produced by Thanos Lambropoulos Cast: Georges Corraface, Maria Protopappa, Alexia Kaltsiki, Nikos Kouris Born in Athens in 1956, Stavros Haralambopoulos studied at the Stavrakos Film School and the School of Economic and Commercial Sciences. He is a co-founder of the independent production company Periplus. His films include Hades (1996) and the documentaries The Moment Time Was Suspended (1993), Patmos (1995) and Mediterranean Stories ( ).

8 NEO CINEMA Attenberg dir: Athina Rachel Tsangari Red Sky (Κόκκινος Ουρανός) dir: Layia Yiourgou Through the eyes of Marina (awardwinning newcomer Ariane Labed), Attenberg takes an arresting swipe at coping in a post-post-modern age. At 23, Marina is repressed and late maturing, but the approaching death of her father (Vangelis Mourikis) forces her to embrace life, including her latent sexuality, and other people. She feels more in common with the animals she imitates from the documentaries of David Attenborough, to whose name, in a common mispronunciation, the film owes its title. Attenberg shares its creative team and its offbeat style with Dogtooth (Greek Film Festival 2009), with Tsangari and Giorgos Lanthimos swapping director and producer roles. Lanthimos also stars in some of the film s most purposefully awkward scenes. Recently selected as the Greek Film Academy s nominee for the Foreign language Oscar. Η Μαρίνα μεγαλώνει με τον αρχιτέκτονα πατέρα της σε μια παραθαλάσσια πόλη. Το ανθρώπινο είδος την απωθεί. Το παρατηρεί εξ αποστάσεως, μέσα από τα ντοκιμαντέρ πάνω στη ζωή των θηλαστικών του Sir David Attenborough και τα μαθήματα σεξουαλικής αγωγής που της παραδίδει η μοναδική της φίλη, Μπέλλα, ενώ ο πατέρας της προετοιμάζει τελετουργικά την αναχώρησή του. Sex scenes and sexual references, nudity and mild coarse language Greece mins 35mm and e-cinema Written by Athina Rachel Tsangari Athina Rachel Tsangari has a BA in Literature from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece, an MA in Performance from New York University s Tisch School of the Arts, and an MFA in Film Directing from the University of Texas in Austin. Attenberg is her second feature, her first being The Slow Business of Going (2001), which was acquired by MoMA for its permanent film collection. Against the idyllic backdrop of Southern Crete and the Libyan Sea unfolds this smouldering, erotic drama that sees the friendship of two men tested by the intrusion of a beautiful woman into their perfect world. In an attempt to make a new start far from the city s maddening crowds, friends Aris (Orfeas Avgoustidis) and Stelios (Apostolis Totsikas) begin a banana greenhouse business on the island of Crete, where they live a simple life focused on work and the nearby tavern. Foreign tourists come and go, but Cordoba (Pihla Viitala) a friend of Aris sister has a more insidious affect. Cordoba arouses interest in both men, who vie for her affection despite their initial reticence at bringing her into their fold. But she cannot decide who she wants, identifying elements of her ideal man in both their personalities, which leads to an explosive situation. Ο Άρης κι ο Στέλιος, δυο νέοι με στενή φιλία, κάνουν ένα καινούργιο ξεκίνημα στη ζωή τους. Μετακομίζουν σε ένα άγονο κι απομακρυσμένο από τον κόσμο σημείο της Κρήτης και στήνουν ένα θερμοκήπιο. Η άφιξη μιας Γερμανίδας, της Κόρντοβα, φέρνει αναστάτωση και θα βρεθούν αντιμέτωποι με έναν πειρασμό. Greece mins e-cinema Written by Layia Yiourgou Produced by Layia Yiourgou Cast: Apostolis Totsikas, Orfeas Avgoustidis, Pihla Viitala, Efstathia Tsapareli, Laertis Vasiliou Layia Yiourgou was born in Heraklion, Crete, in She studied at the Vakalo School of Interior Design and Graphic Arts, the Athens School of Fine Arts and the London International Film School. Her films include Country House (1994), Tomorrow Will Be Too Late (2001) and Lyubi (which screened at the Greek Film Festival in 2006).

9 NEO CINEMA 14 Partners Local Sponsors Riders of Pylos (Οι Ιππείς της Πύλου) dir: Nikos Kalogeropoulos In his roles as writer, director and performer, renowned actor Nikos Kalogeropoulos continues a life s work of irreverent commentary on Greek society. A 50-year-old poverty-stricken actor with a glorious past, Tilemachos (Nikos Kalogeropoulos), flees Athens to escape his creditors. He travels to the heart of historic Messinia and finds refuge in a decrepit castle once bustling with activity, but now empty except for its two inhabitants, brothers Evimeros (Dimitris Kamberidis) and Myron (Ilias Logothetis). While exploring the beautiful countryside, he meets and falls in love with Evimeros estranged daughter, Demokratia (Julia Kalogridou), who is also leader of a group of volunteers called Riders of Pylos. Ένας γνωστός Αθηναίος ηθοποιός, που έχει καταστραφεί οικονομικά, εγκαταλείπει την Αθήνα και αναζητεί «καταφύγιο» στη πρότυπη πολιτεία «Πολυπύλου». Η επαφή του με τους μποέμηδες κατοίκους της περιοχής αλλά και η γνωριμία του με μια κοπέλα οικολόγο δίνουν καινούργιο νόημα στη ζωή του. Greece mins e-cinema Written by Nikos Kalogeropoulos Produced by Christos V. Konstantakopoulos Cast: Nikos Kalogeropoulos, Ilias Logothetis, Takis Spiridakis, Julia Kalogridou, Dimitris Kamberidis Nikos Kalogeropoulos was born in Filiatra, Messinia, and studied at the Kostis Michailidis and Veakis Theatre Schools in Athens. As an actor, he has been awarded two Greek State Awards for Best Actor in a leading role and one for Best Actor in a supporting role, as well as the prestigious Greek State Award for Exceptional Performance for his lead in Rembetiko (1983). He is known also as a playwright, composer and poet. Riders of Pylos is his first foray into filmmaking.

10 Partners Greek Film Festival Partners The Greek Film Festival is presented by National Media Partners The Hellenic Perspective Official Freight Carrier Festival Supporters

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