Philadelphia, PA – “These are your Philhellenes and Hellenes of today. And I am grateful to them for their effort in bringing my vision to the screen”, said film producer and director Eleftherios Kostans.
Kostans praised his team as he stood on the stage this past Sunday following the first showing of his film, In Support of Liberty; Philadelphia and The Greek War of Independence. Three years in the making, the breakthrough documentary film was screened in the theatre of the Seaport Museum.
The film tells the story of how Philadelphia’s PhilHellenes supported the Greek war of Independence and reveals how Philadelphia’s Greek community is connected to this remarkable legacy.
Sponsored by the Greek American Heritage Society of Philadelphia, the event was accompanied by an exhibition and reception.
“The more I found out, the more compelled I became to tell this story about our Greek history in Philadelphia,” said Eleftherios Kostans, who wrote, directed, filmed, and produced the documentary. “It was a passion project with many challenges, and Covid was always a deterrent to shooting, especially on location. We had to take creative liberty on more than one occasion,” added Kostans.
Kostans assembled a team of industry professionals from the Philadelphia region and internationally who collaborated to bring this project to the screen. Thirty-year film veteran Thomas Kovelskie of Quartertown Films, who has worked all over the world but resides in North Whales, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia, played a pivotal role in the editing and cinematography. “You need a driven editor who is meticulous and understands the story. This is at the core of making a great film”, said Kostans. Alessandro Tedde and brother Francesco of Antropotopia in Ravenna, Italy, were the international connection on this project. They focused on developing the animation and maps. Alessandro Tedde flew in from Italy for this first screening and exhibition. “I wanted to be there to share the moment,” said Tedde.
When the film editing was completed, Philadelphia native composer, Adam Goldman of Audiomind Inc., took over. Goldman spent two months working in the studio to produce the tracks that included 37 different instruments and a variety of sound effects that elevated and polished the film.
Following the film premiere, GAHSP committee member Chris Kotsakis interviewed Eleftherios Kostans following his speech on stage. Kostans was joined by Tom Koveleskie and Alessandro Tedde, who launched into a q&a with the guests. One of the questions from the attendees was, what’s next for this film?
“The film is now heading to film festivals and will be entered into the Emmy’s in 2023. I have high hopes and feel this film brings on a deeper sense of pride for Greeks everywhere,” said Kostans.