Cultural Tourism: 2018 Greek Film Expo in New York a sold-out success

NEW YORK – The 2018 Greek Film Expo, the new film festival presented by the Hellenic Film Society USA, concluded after sold-out screenings at the Directors Guild Theater in Manhattan, the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, and the Bow Tie Manhasset Theater in Nassau County on May 3. Following a week of screenings of award-winning Greek comedies and dramas, The Hellenic Film Society announced the first-ever Greek film awards presented in New York.

The 2018 Alexis Mouyiaris Memorial Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film went to Katia Goulioni (Polyxeni). Goulioni is also the recipient of the 2018 Hellenic Film Academy Award for Best Actress for her role. Jamaica, directed by Andreas Morfonios, won the 2018 Greek Film Expo Audience Award for most popular film in the Expo.

The awards will be presented on Thursday, May 10 at a reception supporting Greeks in the Arts, celebrating the Greek Film Expo and the upcoming Carnegie Hall performance of legendary Greek singer Maria Farantouri.

For further information and tickets for the event at Kellari Taverna in Midtown Manhattan, visit eventbrite.com.

Many of the actors and filmmakers whose films were presented at the Greek Film Expo flew in from Greece to attend screenings, participate in audience Q&A sessions, and take photographs with their fans. Actors Spiros Papadopoulos and Nikoleta Kotsailidou (Jamaica), directors Dora Masklavanou (Polyxeni), Vasilis Christofilakis (Too Much Info Clouding Over my My Head), Alex Sipsidis (Blue Queen), and producer George Stephanopoulos (Swing Away) appeared in person at screenings and at the special premiere reception. The award-winning film, Worlds Apart, was also screened during the expo.

Hellenic Film Society USA

The Hellenic Film Society USA is a non-profit organization created to promote Greek cinema in America. Its mission is to share the richness of Greek films with a wider American audience, to promote Greek filmmakers, and to preserve the film heritage of Greece. The organization, founded by Jimmy DeMetro and the team that presented the New York City Greek Film Festival for 11 years, was established to expand the reach of Greek film beyond a single annual festival. In addition to presenting screenings of new and classic Greek films throughout the year in cities across the US, the organization is embarking on programs to support aspiring filmmakers of Greek descent; foster relationships between Greek filmmakers and US investors and distributors; and restore and preserve Greek film classics.

“We are passionate about our mission to present and support high-quality, well-crafted films and we’re looking forward to presenting our loyal audiences with engaging films at the Greek Film Expo,” says President Jimmy DeMetro. “Film has a very a special way of revealing culture, so we don’t just project Greek films, we project Greece. What we do brings Greece closer to all of us.”

The Hellenic Film Society USA, a 501(c)(3) organization, receives funding from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and Nikos and Carol Mouyiaris, in memory of their son Alexis Mouyiaris. The Greek Film Expo in New York is made possible with generous support from the Onassis Foundation USA. For further information, please visit hellenicfilmusa.org or email info@hellenicfilmusa.org.

Read more at thenationalherald.com

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