NEW YORK – The Hellenic Film Society USA (HFS) is proud to present the New York premiere of Smyrna, My Beloved about the destruction of the cosmopolitan city of Smyrna and its vibrant and prosperous Greek community at the hands of the Turkish Army in 1922. There will be a special screening on Friday, April 29, 7 PM, at the Directors Guild Theater, 110 West 57th Street in Manhattan. On Sunday, May 1, 4 PM, the film will be presented at the Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Avenue in Astoria, as part of the Society’s Always on Sunday monthly series of Greek films.

This moving, historical drama, told through the saga of a prominent Greek family, recounts the burning of the city and the killing of its Greek and Armenian populations. In the present, a young Greek-American woman, visiting Greece with her grandmother to support the Syrian refugees, discovers that the similar Smyrna tragedy destroyed her own family 100 years earlier.

Smyrna My Beloved is based on the book and acclaimed play by Mimi Denissi, which ran in Athens for three years. Denissi, who co-wrote the script, also stars in the film directed by Grigoris Karantinakis. The movie is in Greek and English, with English subtitles.

“The burning of Smyrna was a seminal event in modern Greek history, seared into the consciousness of Greeks, many of whom immigrated to the U.S. as a result of that atrocity,” said Jimmy DeMetro, president of the Hellenic Film Society USA. “Against the backdrop of the current refugee crises around the world, this is an important story to tell and we are privileged to be able to show this moving film.”

For further information or to purchase tickets to the film, please visit www.hellenicfilmusa.org or call 347-934-9497 and follow on Facebook and Instagram.

Both the Directors Guild Theater and the Museum of the Moving Image are conveniently located near public transportation. Face masks are required at both theaters.

The Hellenic Film Society USA (HFS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization rooted in the belief that Greek cinema can and should be part of the American cultural landscape. 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 collaborating with the prestigious Museum of the Moving Image for its series of monthly Greek film screenings, HFS presents the annual New York Greek Film Expo film festival annually. When the pandemic forced movie theaters to close, HFS began streaming Greek films worldwide and created a YouTube channel to satisfy audience demand for Greek film.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) is the lead supporter of the Hellenic Film Society USA. Additional support is provided by the Greek National Tourism Organization, the Kallinikeion Foundation, Queens Council on the Arts, and Antenna Satellite TV. For additional information, please visit www.hellenicfilmusa.org or call 347-934-9497.