Get Your Tickets to the New York City Greek Film Festival at MOMI

Astorians are really lucky to live in a place with a robust Greek culture—after all, the neighborhood is considered to be the Hellenic center of NYC. We love the Greek tavernas, bakeries, and cafes; hearing Greek spoken daily on the street; double the Lenten, Easter, and Christmas feasts; and Greek music that wafts out of apartment windows and bellows from cars. Greek culture is a defining element of Astoria, Queens—and we like it that way.

We love you, Greek pastries.

That’s why it make such good sense that part of the New York City Greek Film Festival will take place in Astoria, at the Museum of the Moving Image. MOMI will screen seven films—both fiction and documentary—that highlight the exciting world of Greek cinema.

“Selecting films is always a challenging process, but this year was even more difficult,” says Festival director Jimmy DeMetro. “We made the decision to feature fewer selections than usual and try to come up with the absolute best of what was available to us. I think we have done that. This year’s films are exceptionally strong and varied in their subject matter. We’ve even managed to find a comedy or two, a very difficult thing to do since Greek filmmakers, still suffering from the economic crisis, are not necessarily in a laughing mood.”

The films are in a grouping called Astoria Weekend. The seven films will be shown over the second full weekend in October—Friday October 6, Saturday October 7, and Sunday October 8. Here’s what you can expect:

Friday, October 6, 7pm
Amerika Square (Plateia Amerikis)
Dir. Yannis Sakaridis. 2017, 86 mins

• Greek submission for Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. Acknowledged as one of the best European films to date on the subject of immigration.
• Preceded by: Alice in the Café (Dir. Dimitris Nakos, 2017, 19 mins.) Troubled times make for troubled relationships.

Saturday, October 7, 2pm
The Patriarch’s Room
Dir. Danae Elon. 2017, 85 mins. DCP. In 2005. This film is in English.

• This documentary revisits the case of Patriarch Irineos of Jerusalem, who was removed from his duties after he was accused of selling Church properties to extremist Jewish settlers in the Christian quarters of the old city.

Saturday, October 7, 4:30pm
SCREENING & LIVE EVENT
In the Mountain Pastures: The Director’s Cut (Sta Oreina Voskotopeia)
Dir. Vassilis Loules. 2017, 60 mins. World Premiere, Vassilis Loules in person.

• Stunning cinematography captures the astonishing beauty of the pristine Greek mountains as nomadic shepherds talk with passion about their lives and their herds.
• Preceded by: On. Off. (2016, 13 mins. Workshop production). Inhabitants of the village of Monodendri, Ioannina, give their theories on what makes fireflies glitter. The discussion borders on the existential. Funny Fairy Tales of the Forest (2017, 12 mins. World Premiere). Seasoned storytellers spin their yarns in the great outdoors.

Saturday, October 7, 7pm
Roza of Smyrna / H Ροζα Τησ Σμυρνησ
Dir. George Kordellas. 2016, 97 mins. DCP.  New York Premiere.

• The antique store find of a blood-stained wedding dress leads to the uncovering of a long-suppressed love story dating back to the burning of Smyrna. This touching drama is among the most-viewed Greek films of the year.
• Preceded by: A Hardworking Robber (To Merokamato Listi) (Dir. Michael Felanis, 13 mins.) A thief works hard for his money.

Sunday, October 8, 2pm
Phaedra
Dir. Jules Dassin. 1962, 115 mins. 35mm. This film is in English.

• Rare screeining of this film. Loosely based on the writings of Euripides, the film presents its classical mythological tropes in a modern setting, a world of the super rich where an obsessed woman will face the tragic consequences of a doomed love affair with her stepson.

Sunday, October 8, 4:30pm
Perfect Strangers / Τελειοι Ξενοι
Dir. Thodoris Atheridis. 2016, 90 mins. DCP. US Premiere.

• In this sharply written ensemble comedy, seven friends gathered for dinner decide to play a dangerous game. They place their phones on the table where everyone can hear the calls and read the messages. Friends have no secrets from one another, so what could go wrong
• Preceded by: Puzzled (Dir. Clem McIntosh, 2017, 10 mins.) A broken pipe reveals a deeper problem.

Sunday, October 8, 7pm
Son of Sofia / Ο Γιοσ Τησ Σοφιασ
Dir. Elina Psykou. 2017, 111 mins. DCP.

• This rich, coming-of-age drama was named Best International Narrative Feature Film at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. (This film is in Russian and Greek)
• Preceded by Bardo (Dir. Scott Aharoni, Dennis Latos, 21 mins.) A New York cab driver picks up his last passenger.

Tickets are $15 (free for members at the Film Lover level, MoMI Kids Premium levels, and above). Order tickets online. (Members may contact members@movingimage.us with questions regarding online reservations.)