The winners, presenters, and hosts of the LAGFF’s Orpheus Awards posed for a commemorative photo on May 15. Photo: Urbanite Media and Steve Sasaki
LOS ANGELES – The red carpet Closing Night of the 16th Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF) took place on May 15 with great success. The screening of Araceli Lemos’ award-winning Holy Emy, the Orpheus Awards and Reception at the state-of-the-art Silver Screen Theatre at the Pacific Design Center included VIPs, celebrities, dignitaries, along with many filmmakers from Greece. Guests enjoyed music by popular DJ Yiannis Markoulakis, Greek cuisine from Pietris Bakery, and signature cocktails by Kástra Elión Vodka.
Festival Director Aris Katopodis opened the ceremony with a warm welcome for the sold out audience. “What an exceptional Festival week we have had – we are back and we are better than ever,” exclaimed Katopodis. The Awards Ceremony was co-hosted by LAGFF Board Members Lia Bozonelis and Alex Kalognomos.
The Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF) announced the winners of the Orpheus Awards at the Silver Screen Theater at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. Photo: Urbanite Media and Steve Sasaki
LAGFF 2022 consisted of 64 films, including 25 female filmmakers and showcasing eight world premieres, five international premieres, seven North American premieres, nine West Coast premieres, 13 U.S. premieres, 10 Los Angeles premieres, and 14 animated films. The virtual portion of the Festival continues through Sunday, May 22, including online access internationally for 50% of the films.
The winners of the Orpheus Awards were presented at the in-person ceremony after two virtual editions.
Los Angeles Greek Film Festival Director Aris Katopodis and actress Sofia Milos. Photo: Urbanite Media and Steve Sasaki
Holy Emy won Best Feature Film and its director Araceli Lemos won for Best Director.
The Audience Award for Feature Film went to Smyrna, My Beloved.
Best Performance went to Angeliki Papoulia for Patchwork.
The Students of Umberto Primo by Alessandra Maioletti won Best Documentary.
The Audience Award, Documentary went to Outer Space Kids.
To Vancouver by Artemis Anastasiadou won Best Short Film while Nexting by Karina Logotheti took home the Audience Award for Short Film.
From the Balcony by Aris Kaplanidis and Elias Roumeliotis won Best Animated Film.
Nikos Zegkinoglou and Aris Servetalis received Honorable Mentions for their roles in 18 and Pack of Sheep, respectively; Special Jury Mentions went to the documentaries How to Train an Antihero by Yannis Bletas and Memento by Nikos Ziogas; Brutalia – Days of Labour by Manolis Mavris and Memoir of a Veering Storm by Sofia Georgovassili earned Honorable Mentions from the short film jury; and Afterimage by Antonis Doussias earned an Honorable Mention in the animation category.
Director Araceli Lemos’s Holy Emy won Best Feature Film at the LAGFF Orpheus Awards and she took home Best Director. Photo: Urbanite Media and Steve Sasaki
The feature film project Glory B from Greece, represented by Director/Co-Writer Konstantinos Antonopoulos and Producer Fani Skartouli, received the 8th International Project Discovery Forum (IPDF) Award. The Cypriot project Shibboleth, represented by Director/Writer Alexandra Matheou, received an Honorable Mention.
Virtual Screenings continue online and are available until Sunday, May 22.
Among the webinars available online is Preserving Cultural Identity & Artistic Diversity in the Era of Streaming Giants on Sunday, May 22, 11 AM Pacific. Netflix, Amazon and other streaming platforms are expanding throughout the world, producing original content in multiple territories. While this film and television boom has generated a lot of opportunity, it has also threatened the integrity of the local industries. How can the cultural identity and artistic diversity of local film production in a small country like Greece be protected and nurtured? How can the local film industries coexist with the global, and maintain relevance?
The LAGFF’s Orpheus Awards were handed out on May 15 at the Silver Screen Theater at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. Photo: Urbanite Media and Steve Sasaki
The participants are: Writer/Director Sabrina Doyle (UK, USA), Producer Maria Drandaki (Greece, Europe), Producer Giovanni Mastrangelo (Mediterranean, ME, Africa, Italy), Acquisitions Executive at ZDF Mirela Nastase (Romania, Germany, Europe), Filmmaker/Executive Jeremy Nocon (Philippines, USA), Producer/Distributor Dionyssis Samiotis (Greece, ME, Eastern Europe) and Moderator: Filmmaker/Mediator Carina Rosanna Tautu.
ATHENS - Several internationally known musicians and producers including Alice Cooper were given a tour of the Acropolis Museum by its director Nikos Stambolidis on Sunday, according to information and photos released by the museum on Monday.
FALMOUTH, MA – The police in Falmouth have identified the victim in an accident involving a car plunging into the ocean on February 20, NBC10 Boston reported.
PHILADELPHIA – The Federation of Hellenic Societies of Philadelphia and Greater Delaware Valley announced that the Evzones, the Presidential Guard of Greece will be participating in the Philadelphia Greek Independence Day Parade on March 20.
O oceanic you sing and sail
White on your body and yellow on your chimeneas
For you're tired of the filthy waters of the harbors
You who loved the distant Sporades
You who lifted the tallest flags
You who sail clear through the most dangerous caves
Hail to you who let yourself be charmed by the sirens
Hail to you for never having been afraid of the Symplegades
(Andreas Empeirikos)
What traveler has not been fascinated by the Greek islands, drawn by the Sirens’ song of a traveler’s dreams?
TNH and our video show ‘Mission’ marked the change of the season by transporting viewers into the heart of summer.
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