Friends,  

The people of Greece are the first to experience an unprecedented crisis that is affecting not only their country but also Europe, the US, and the world. Yet we, at Los Angeles Greek Film Festival, insist on identifying crisis as an opportunity for change. To us, 'change' means looking forward to a better future; it also means looking back in order to honor the great foundations and principles of an ancient culture. Only then can we truly expect a new homecoming. There is no more timely reflection of Greece's struggles than the one offered by its burgeoning cinema. A new generation of filmmakers has begun to question the current state of things and express an urge to evolve as artists and human beings. These filmmakers make films out of nothing, powered by their passion to make their stories - however small - known.

This year's program offers our audience insight into a world in transition - seen through tears or laughter, but always with honesty. We begin on an uplifting note with Nika Agiashvili's A GREEN STORY and continue with an original and daring mix of stories that examine the profound effects of the economic crisis on all strata of Greek society. Variations to the theme include films that deal with issues of immigration, an Italian production that features a WWII story, and several short films made by Greek-American filmmakers. We close with Nikos Dayandas' moving documentary SAYOME. The four-day event will conclude with this year's presentation of Orpheus Awards at the home of the Consul General of Greece, Elisabeth Fotiadou.

Michael Economou's Editing for Film Writers master class, our industry panel Representation in Hollywood with special focus on foreign filmmakers, and the Theo Angelopoulos Tribute, presented by Arizona State University Professor Fred Linch - complete the program with opportunities to learn, network and socialize.

We feel profoundly indebted to our sponsors, supporters and friends, without whose support we would not have been able to continue to grow as a major Greek-American cultural organization. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to our patrons Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), Earth Friendly Products, and Pabst Brewing Company. Our special thanks go to our own Consul General of Greece Elisabeth Fotiadou, for her continuous and fervent support. We would also like to acknowledge the heartwarming support we have received again this year from Consul General of Cyprus Andreas Kyprianides, and our Board of Directors and Advisory Board Members.

We are grateful to the Linwood Dunn Theater for hosting our Festival at their state-of-the-art facility, and to the Egyptian Theatre for welcoming our Opening Night festivities.

Last but not least, we acknowledge the passion and hard work invested in LAGFF by our team of staff and volunteers who have made the impossible possible - and we welcome our new Executive Director, Craig Prater who has and will continue to usher LAGFF onto the next level of organization.

Lovers of the arts and culture - here's to all of you!

Angeliki Giannakopoulos

Ersi Danou

  Photo by Don Q. Hannah 

A GREEN STORY * [TRAILER]
USA, 2012, 96 minutes

World Premiere
Director/Writer: Nika Agiashvili
Producers: Nika Agiashvili, John Edward Lee, Deanna Plascencia, Chadwick Struck, Dimitris Birbilis, Davit Agiashvili, Pablo D'Adamo. Cast: Ed O'Ross, Shannon Elizabeth, Billy Zane, Annabella Sciorra, Malcolm McDowell, Roger Bart, Talia Jackson   

This story recounts the life of Van Vlahakis, who left Greece for the American dream and through an inspirational series of events, eventually turned the 22 dollars he brought with him into Earth Friendly Products, a US pioneer manufacturer of green products.

A dinner reception, entertainment and dessert by Ben & Jerry's will follow screening.  Please allow extra time for traffic. For map and parking, click here.