Biloba (2009) by Sofia Papachristou

On Tuesday 9 December at 19:00 and on Wednesday 10 December at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the comedy Biloba (Greece, colour, 2009, 95 min) directed by Sofia Papachristou. The film is in the original Greek version with English subtitles. It is suitable for children over 12 years. 

Synopsis

Peter, an engineer working for a multinational company of dubious environmental sensibilities, is sent to Pera Kassiros, an insignificant dot on the map, somewhere in the Aegean, to oversee the construction of an electrical power plant. Very soon, Peter realizes that conditions on the island are very different to what he was expecting. As time goes by, Peter is enchanted with a local woman, the mysterious Areti. But meanwhile, and despite his best efforts, the project keeps going from bad to worse and Peter is finally forced to leave the island. However, shortly after his return to the company’s headquarters, things take an unexpected turn and Peter is faced with an agonizing moral dilemma: should he help the company use the project on Pera Kassiros as a front for the processing of its toxic waste or should he save the island that he has come to love?

The film won the Audience Award in Thessaloniki Film Festival 2009.

The Daughter | Η Κόρη (2012) by Thanos Anastopoulos

On Tuesday 18 November at 19:00 and on Wednesday 19 November at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film The Daughter (Greece, Italy, colour, 2012, 87 min) directed by Thanos Anastopoulos. The film is in the original Greek version with English subtitles. Not suitable for children under 16 years. 

Synopsis

A girl in her teens, an 8 yo boy and a father suddenly no longer there. When 14 yo Myrto learns her father has fled to avoid paying his debts, she kidnaps the son of his business partner whom she blames for bankrupting her father's joiner's workshop. Memories resurface as she wanders through the aisles of the workshop, where she hides her victim between stacks of spruce, oak and ebony. Were things really better in the old days? Myrto waits desperately for some sign that her father is alive, entertaining perfidious, sadistic fantasies about her young prisoner.

About the director

Thanos Anastopoulos was born in Athens. He studied Philosophy at the University of Ioannina (Greece) and made his post graduate studies at the University of Paris I and at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales. He has directed two short films, two documentaries and two theatre plays. In 2004 his first feature film Atlas - All the weight of the world premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival. In 2008 his second feature film Correction premiered at the Berlin Film Festival (Forum). The film was invited to over 60 film festivals (including New Directors New Films - New York, Buenos Aires - BAFICI, Karlovy Vary, Sarajevo, Montreal, IndieLisboa, Vancouver, La Rochelle, Geneva...) and won numerous awards. It was selected as Greece's entry for the Foreign Language category Academy Awards, and was also nominated for the European Film Academy Awards.

Amnesia Diaries | Ημερολόγια Αμνησίας (2012) by Stella Theodorakis

On Tuesday 14 October at 19:00 and on Wednesday 15 October at 21:00 the Greek Cinema Club of Luxembourg will screen the film Amnesia Diaries (Greece, colour, 2012, 103 min) directed by Stella Theodorakis.  The film is in the original Greek version with English subtitles. 

N.B. First screening (14th October) will be in the presence of director and a Q & A session will follow. Don't miss the Meet & Greet session after the end of the screening, where a selection of Greek wine and tapas will be offered.

The Greek Cinema Club of Luxembourg at Lifo mag

Lifo, one of the lead cultural and lifestyle websites/free press newspapers in Athens, Greece features an article on Luxembourg, with a mention to The Greek Cinema Club of Luxembourg. Trying to pin down "What Makes Luxembourg so Unique" Aris Dimokidis gives a million and one reasons describing life and customs in this tiny country.

One of them, needless to say, is The Greek Cinema Club of Luxembourg -a cultural organisation that enriches the multiculturalism and diversity in the capital of the Grand Duchy. 

Read the full article HERE.

The Eternal Return of Antonis Paraskevas | Η Αιώνια Επιστροφή του Αντώνη Παρασκευά (2013)

On Tuesday 23 September at 19:00 and on Wednesday 24 September at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film The Eternal Return of Antonis Paraskevas (Greece, colour, 2013, 88 min) directed by Elina Psykou.  The film is in the original Greek version with English subtitles. As the first film of the season, this debut feature film is not to be missed. 

Synopsis

Antonis arrives at a hotel resort by the sea. It is wintertime, the hotel is closed and Antonis drifts around alone. He has a lot of time to kill. Until television announces the disappearance of the famous TV host Antonis Paraskevas.

Director's Note

Antonis Paraskevas is a hero of our times, the kind who’s never actually performed any heroic deeds. He hasn’t slain any dragons, he hasn’t fought any wars - he can’t even fly! He is just your average Joe. Only difference is, this one was once worshipped. Antonis was the kind of guy everyone wanted to be, a by-product of the entertainment industry, our modern-day hero generator.

Marjoram | Ματζουράνα (2013)

On Tuesday 17 June at 19:00 and on Wednesday 18 June at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film Marjoram (Greece, colour, 2013, 102 min) directed by Olga Malea. The film is in the original Greek version with English subtitles. Not suitable for children under 16 years.

Synopsis

Marjoram is a psychological suspense drama about a mother-daughter relationship in which love and abuse seem go hand in hand. Anna (11) is a smart and talented kid. Mary, her mother, actively supports Anna so that she can get the best out of her talents. However, suddenly Anna starts behaving in strange ways, putting herself in danger. When asked what is happening, Anna claims that she is just fine. Her weird behaviour however continues, driving Mary to her limits. Why a child, who seems happy on the surface, is acting so unpredictably? Why a mother, who loves her child so much, is having no clue of what is going on?

Cast: Iosif Polyzoidis, Triandafylli Bouterakou, Natalia Dragoumi, Giorgos Giannakakos, Trifon Karatzas, Christina Mitropoulou, Maria Riskaki, Youlika Skafida

What did the press say

Mixed reviews for Marjoram, a film the Greek audience did not die for, taking into account the box office numbers. It's an audience that opts for American blockbusters, after all, so nothing surprises us. Read a more detailed point of view from Penni Pappas  and from Zoom info.

One Step Ahead | Ένα Βήμα Μπροστά (2012)

On Tuesday 13 May at 19:00 and on Wednesday 14 May at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film One Step Ahead (Greece, colour, 2012, 136 min, original title Ένα Βήμα Μπροστά) directed by Dimitris Athyridis. The film is in the original Greek version with English subtitles.

Synopsis

One Step Ahead is a documentary which follows Giannis Boutaris, now mayor of the city of Thessaloniki, in his political effort during the municipal elections in Greece during November 2010. Giannis Boutaris is one of the leading wine producers in Greece and a cured former alcoholic, awarded for his exceptional ecologically activities in favor of the protection of the natural environment, special member of the local civic society, a personality that remains unconventional despite his 68 years. As the country faces a period of political and economical hardship, due to Greece’ s bankruptcy and the imposed international economic control, Giannis Boutaris is fighting his own battle with several enemies.

The film reaches out and sheds light to the personality of the protagonist with the streets of Thessaloniki as a background. In addition the documentary describes the cultural identity of the city and its history, and elevates to the public eye the variety of the special characteristics and contradiction of current reality in Greece. The film looks for the social dimensions of a personal story, and the deeper meaning of ideas and words like, crises, dead end, dependence, elections and rehabilitation of a former alcoholic. The story of Giannis Boutaris, his rehabilitation that was based upon a change of ethics and mentality, through activities beneficial for the public and those in need, gives to us all the courage to look in the mirror and convince ourselves that we can transform our defects into powerful incentives for positive thinking and action, and finally love.

Hannibal ante Portas | Ο Αννίβας προ των Πυλών (2011)

On Tuesday 29 April at 19:00 and on Wednesday 30 April at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film Hannibal ante Portas (Greece, colour, 2011, 100 min) directed by Elissavet Chronopoulou. The film is in the original Greek version with English subtitles. Not suitable for children under 16 years.

Synopsis

The scrappy 18-year-old daughter of a small-town prostitute storms the bastion of the rich and powerful in this drama set in the elite country-club world of horse trials and show jumping. Sheer talent and an unbreakable bond with a valuable and temperamental thoroughbred may not be enough for Chara, who aspires to rise from stable hand to champion by challenging the mistress of a womanizing horse-breeder for the favour of her patron.

This is the first European film on athletic horse riding. It has been screened at the Moscow International Film Festival (Russia, 2012) and the Cairo International Film Festival (Egypt, 2012).

Burning Heads | Το Γάλα (2011)

On Tuesday 18 March at 19:00 and on Wednesday 19 March at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film Burning Heads (Greece, colour, 2011, 100 min, original title Tο Γάλα) directed by by Yorgos Siougas. The film is in the original Greek and Russian version with English subtitles. Not suitable for children under 16 years.

Synopsis

Based on the hit stage play To Gala by Vassilis Katsikonouris, Burning Heads offers an insightful perspective into the life of a family of immigrants living in today's Athens. Lefteris, a 20 year old bordering on schizophrenia, is indulged by his overprotective mother Rina as he lives life through his memories of childhood in the Russian countryside. In contrast, his older brother Antonis rejects his roots and follows his ambition as he prepares for a new life with his boss' daughter Natasa. When Antonis brings home his Greek bride-to-be, the family dynamics are unravelled as each one is forced to face reality and deal with the issues that haunt them.

Cast: Omiros Poulakis, Promitheas Aliferopoulos, Ioanna Tsirigouli, Iro Bezou

Jace (2011)

On Tuesday 25 February at 19:00 and on Wednesday 26 Febaruary at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film Jace (Greece, colour, 2011, 142 min) written and directed by by Menelaos Karamaghiolis. The film is in the original Greek version with English subtitles. Not suitable for children under 16 years.

Synopsis

Jace is of Greek origin, born in Albania, the illegitimate son of a woman who is brutally murdered by her own family when, a little after giving birth to him, she refuses to reveal his father’s identity. The orphan boy grows up amidst more violence. He is barely seven when witnesses a massacre. His foster family in Gjirokaster falls prey to the Albanian mob. The villains spare the boy, but they turn him into a murderer, by forcing him to shoot – on the spot – his foster father. Now in the hands of obscure gangsters who "expert" homeless children for various reasons (reasons ranging from beggary to organ trade), J.A.C.E. is immediately "exported" and ends up in Athens, Greece, begging at street corners, exploring the secret horrors of brutal institutions for young offenders or serving obscure patrons, in a world where violent loss seems to be his only destiny. The movie follows Jace's inverted Odyssey through time in a dark universe of abuse, murder and fear, as he desperately (and silently) seeks for a "family" and a sense of belonging.

Greek Cinema in Luxembourg: Article in the Greek Newspaper "To Pontiki" (May 2013)

Greek Newspaper "To Pontiki" features an article on the Club in the print and online version. You can read the full article online here.

The European Youth Portal Luxembourg on the Greek Cinema Club (May 2013)

The European Youth Portal, Luxembourgish version mentions Ciné-Club Hellénique as one of the worthy cinema hubs in the area. In more detail:

Ciné Club Hellénique or Greek Cinema Club is a very active film club over the last decade. Monthly screenings, and occasional special guests who present their film and take audience questions in the end of the film, can secure you with your monthly dose of the emerging Greek cinema. All films are screened in the original language with English or French subtitles.

You may read the full article entitled "Cinema in Luxembourg" here.

Antonis Boskoitis on his visit as guest director of the Greek Cinema Club in Luxembourg (May 2013)

Greek filmmaker and the club's guest Antonis Boskoitis, describes his visit in Luxembourg to present his most recent documentary Katerina Gogou, Reinstating the Dark Side on his personal blog Asmata kai Miasmata.

He writes in detail on his 1st day in Luxembourg, when he discovered the city and checked the Utopia Cinema.

He then goes on to describe his 2nd day, the day of the screening and the Q & A session.

11 Meetings with my Father | 11 Συναντήσεις με τον Πατέρα μου

On Tuesday 28 January at 19:00 and on Wednesday 29 January at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film 11 Meetings with my Father (Greece, colour, 2012, 92 min) by Nikos Cornilios. The film is in the original Greek and Swedish version with English subtitles. Suitable for children over 13 years.

Synopsis

Eva, a young woman and a student of classical singing, decides to meet her father, who is unaware of her existence. Thomas works as a guard in a truck lot. He lives in a container and aspires to nothing. Their meeting will be a meeting of two different worlds and the relationship they develop will be all their own; a relationship beyond easy classification.

Cast: Lambros Apostolou, Eva Galogavrou, Eva Stylander, Maira Milolidaki, George Tzouvelekis