The empowerment of women, the pitfalls of the digital age, the immigrant experience and everlasting romance are among the issues explored in the films that will be shown in the Philadelphia Greek Film Expo, October 11 – 13, at the Ibrahim Theater of the International House Philadelphia. Philadelphia’s first-ever Greek film festival is presented by the Hellenic University Club of Philadelphia in association with the Hellenic Film Society USA. All films will be shown with English subtitles.
Five films are scheduled to be shown. In PERFECT STRANGERS, seven friends at a dinner party decide, without considering the repercussions, to put their phones on the table and share all incoming calls and messages. Not surprisingly, chaos ensues. In the bittersweet comedy LOVE STRUCK, a man on the eve of his wedding must contend with the ghost of a former lover who is determined to stop the proceedings from taking place.
The multiple award-winning engrossing drama HOLY BOOM shows how a brainless act of vandalism seriously impacts the lives of four residents in an immigrant neighborhood in Athens. The barely literate housewife in HER JOB becomes her family’s sole breadwinner when she is hired as a cleaning lady at a shopping mall. Though the job is menial and exploitative, it affords her an unexpected sense of self that proves life-changing.
The documentary SEARCHING FOR ANDREAS explores the life of controversial prime minister Andreas Papandreou while offering a cautionary tale about the risks of charismatic political governance. “We are very excited about bringing quality Greek films to Philadelphia,” said Andrea Tsapralis, festival chair. Jimmy Demetro, president of HFSUSA, added, “Like many things in Greece, cinema is changing. Today’s Greek filmmakers are working on a world-class level. I think viewers who are not familiar with new Greek films will be pleasantly surprised.”
International House Philadelphia is located at 3701 Chestnut Street. Tickets are available online. To learn more about the Hellenic University Club go to hucphiladelphia.org or call 215-483-7440. Remaining tickets will be sold, cash only, at the box office at showtime.
Schedule
Friday, October 11, 2019
7:30 pm – Perfect Strangers, Directed by Thodoris Atheridis
Saturday, October 12, 2019
7:00 pm – LoveStruck, Directed by Thodoris Atheridis
9:15 pm – Holy Boom, Directed by Maria Lafi
Sunday, October 13, 2019
2:00 pm – Searching For Andreas, Directed by H. Mylonas and T. Prodromidis
4:00 pm – Her Job, Directed by Nikos Labot
Details/Inquiries
To learn more and buy tickets:
hucphiladelphia.org
www.greekfilmfest2019.eventbrite.com