ASTORIA – Swing Away, the story of a burned-out golfer who visits Greece to regroup and reconnect with her roots, will be presented outdoors in Astoria on Saturday, August 22, 8:30 PM. The screening is part of the Bel Aire Diner’s summer film series, which premiered during the pandemic to offer viewers safe, socially distant entertainment. The pop-up drive-in is in the diner’s parking lot located on the corner of Broadway and 21st Street, 31-91 21st Street in Astoria, Queens.

The film, directed by Michael Achilles Nickles and starring Shannon Elizabeth (American Pie, That ‘70s Show) and John O’Hurley (Seinfeld), is about a troubled professional golfer who travels to her grandparent’s village in Greece and is shaken out of her funk by mentoring a young girl determined to become a golf sensation. While there, she also rallies the townspeople to stand up against a greedy real estate developer who wants to turn the local course into 5-star golf resort and waterpark.

“While most people cannot travel to Greece at this time, watching Swing Away is the next best thing to being there,” says George Stephanopoulos, the film’s producer and a board member of Hellenic Film Society USA, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Greek films and those made by Greek and Greek-American filmmakers to American audiences. “Swing Away was shot on location on the island of Rhodes in and around the town of Lindos so the setting and cinematography create a Greek island experience that is unique in terms of its natural beauty, ancient history and mythology.”

The film was released in theaters and on demand in October 2017 and premiered at numerous international film festivals in Greece, Cyprus, the UK, Canada, Australia, and the U.S., including the Savannah Film Festival, Bentonville Film Festival, Chesapeake Film Festival, and notably the 2018 Greek Film Expo presented by the Hellenic Film Society USA.

“We’re delighted that the Bel Aire is showing Swing Away,” said Jimmy DeMetro, Hellenic Film Society president. “The message of following your dreams and standing up for what you think is right is especially timely right now. It’s the perfect film to watch as a family on a summer night.”

To purchase tickets, please visit https://www.belairediner.nyc/store/event/swing-away/.

About the Hellenic Film Society USA

The Hellenic Film Society USA (HFS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization rooted in the belief that Greek cinema should be part of the American cultural landscape. The organization presents high-quality, well-crafted feature films, documentaries, and film shorts made by Greek filmmakers and those of Greek descent, as well as films that depict the rich culture and history of Greece and Cyprus. HFS presents the annual New York Greek Film Expo film festival every spring. They also present Always on Sunday, a series of monthly Greek film screenings, at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, NY, as well interviews with filmmakers and panel discussions about filmmaking that inform, enlighten, and inspire audiences of all nationalities.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation is the lead supporter of the Hellenic Film Society USA. The Greek Film Expo on Demand is made possible with support from the Onassis Foundation USA, the Kallinikeion Foundation, and the Queens Council on the Arts with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. For additional information, please visit www.hellenicfilmusa.org or call 646-844-1488.