NEW YORK – The 14th New York City Greek Film Festival (NYCGFF), organized by the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce (HACC), continued and concluded with important screenings and presentations, which attracted the serious interest of the public.

With this year’s NYCGFF dedicated to Crete, the screening of the documentary film ‘Venizelos: The Struggle for Asia Minor’ at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) theater in Manhattan was a highlight of the festival on September 13. Directed by Nikos Dayandas, the film deals with the path of the iconic politician Eleftherios Venizelos as he faces significant challenges during the crucial decade from the Balkan Wars and World War I to the Treaty of Lausanne in 1923, through dramatized scenes, rare archival material, and expert interviews.

Nikos Kastrinakis, President of the Venizelos Foundation USA, in his remarks, discussed the life and work of Eleftherios Venizelos and thanked the various Cretan associations and the organizers of the festival.

“We sincerely thank the 14th NYCGFF and Artistic Director Maria Tzobanaki for giving us the opportunity to present the film ‘Venizelos: The Struggle for Asia Minor’ to the American audience in New York. The large turnout proves that the screening is worth repeating,” Kastrinakis noted.

The new Consul of Greece in New York, Petros Dorizas, was also present and addressed the audience with a greeting, while Ambassador of Greece to the United States Ekaterini Nassika, also sent a message. She said that “this film enlightens us about life and the achievements of Eleftherios Venizelos, one of Greece’s greatest politicians, reminding us of the importance of remembering and learning from our past as we build our future.”

Immediately after, a reception followed with a program of Cretan dances performed by the members of the ‘Vrakoforon’ Association of Crete and music by the talented musician Giorgos Vogiatzakis. The evening ended with the screening of the film ‘Kapetan Mihalis,’ directed by Kostas Haralambous, based on the 1953 novel by Nikos Kazantzakis.

Crowds Attend Closing Night

Eva Nathena’s film ‘Fonissa’ (Murderess) was once again in the spotlight on the last day of the 14th NYCGFF, as it was the last screening on closing night of the festival and was followed by a live discussion with the director and cast members.

Director Nathena and the stars of the film, Karyofyllia Karabeti and Maria Protopappa, who were in New York for the festival, answered questions regarding the production and shooting of the film which is the Greek submission for the Oscar nominations for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020).

The festival concluded with remarks by NYCGFF Artistic Director Maria Tzobanaki and the president of the festival, Markos Drakotos, who thanked the audience for attending.

‘Fonissa’ was honored as the festival’s best feature film and ‘Wings’ as best short film. The closing reception followed.

More information is available online: https://nycgrff.com.