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

L (Learning)

On Tuesday 17 December at 19:00 and on Wednesday 18 December at 21:30 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film L (Greece, colour, 2011, 87 min) by Babis Makridis. The film is in the original EL version with Εnglish subtitles. Suitable for children over 13 years.

Synopsis

L begins with an ode to being a bear and ends with an ode to the sea. What happens in between constitutes one of the more original, willfully bizarre films of the year.

A man lives in his car. He's 40 and separated from his wife and kids, who live in a different car. They meet in parking lots. A professional driver, the man delivers honey to a narcoleptic man and often dreams of his friend, who was killed when a hunter mistook him for a bear. Frequently late delivering honey, the man is fired, and his driving skills are questioned. Thrust into existential uncertainty, he abandons "car life" and joins a rogue motorbike gang.

Fish n' Chips (2011)

On Tuesday 12 November at 19:00 and on Wednesday 13 November at 21:30 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film Fish n' Chips (Greece, 2011, colour, 102 min) by Elias Demetriou. The film is in the original version with Εnglish subtitles. 

Synopsis

A contemporary drama, Fish n' Chips opens with Greek-cypriot Andy living in London and working in a traditional fish and chips shop, as the title divulges. The deterioration of his mum's health induces his return to Cyprus, where he decides to continue the job he's an expert at, but things don't work out quite as he has planned. While living temporarily with his married brother, and having to face painful incidents his mum's Alzheimer brings upon, Andy has to clearly face the vital question "where do I belong, in the end?" and redefine his identity issues. 

The film which won Best Directing Prize at the London Greek Film Festival is featuring a multicultural cast. It stars Marios Ioannou, Marlene Kaminsky, Anne Marie O' Sullivan, Diomedes Koufteros etc.

Kisses to the Children | Φιλιά εις τα παιδιά and/και Los Bilbilikos, a Song from Thessaloniki - Ένα Τραγούδι από τη Θεσσαλονίκη

On Tuesday 15 October at 19:00 and on Wednesday 16 October at 21:30 we will screen in cinema Utopia two documentaries on the Jewish Community of Greece, suitable for children over 12: Kisses to the Children by Vassilis Loules (original title Φιλιά εις τα Παιδιά, Greece, 2012, colour and black & white, 115 min, Greek original version with English subtitles) and Los Bilbilikos, A Song from Thessaloniki (original title Los Bilbilikos, Ένα Τραγούδι από τη Θεσσαλονίκη, 2011, colour, 21 min, Greek original version, without subtitles) in the presence of the scriptwriter Ms Papastefanou, who will take questions from the audience after the screening. The film is a co-production of Stela Papastefanou, Maria Papadopoulou, Thessaloniki Film Festival and ET3.

Kisses to the Children

Five Greek-Jewish children who were saved by Christian families during the German Occupation, five “hidden children” who lived in total silence, tell their stories. Stories of terror, anguish and confusion but also stories of salvation and carefree childhood in the arms of strangers. Secret Gardens of Eden, nests of love away from the horror of the Holocaust. Five children were forced to mature abruptly. Rosina, Iossif, Eftyhia, Shelly and Marios grew old, carrying the memory of thousands of children, those who were never given the time to grow up.

Encardia, the Dancing Stone - Encardia, η Πέτρα που Χορεύει

On Tuesday 24 September at 19:30 and on Wednesday 25 September at 21:30 we will screen in cinema Utopia the musical documentary Encardia, the Dancing Stone (Greece, 2012, colour, 82 min) by Angelos Kovotsos. The film is in the Greek original version (partly in Italian) with Εnglish subtitles. Suitable for all ages.

Film Summary

The film follows the Greek band Encardia which composes and presents music and songs inspired by the rich musical tradition of Southern Italy.

The Griko people are an ethnic Greek community found principally in regions of Calabria and Apulia. They are believed to be remnants of Greek communities that arrived to southern Italy (the old Magna Graecia region) in numerous waves of migrations from the 8th century BC through to the Byzantine Greek migrations of the 15th century caused by the Ottoman conquest. 

The Griko community has been able to preserve its original Greek identity, heritage, language and distinct culture, although exposure to mass media has progressively eroded its culture and language.

Encardia has travelled to Southern Italy in search of local folk culture. They have met with local musicians, poets and researchers, who try to preserve this powerful Mediterranean tradition with their songs and poetry. In addition to the music, they are interested in Tarantella pizzica, a local variation of the well-known Italian dance, which has acquired magical, religious and therapeutic dimensions.

The Guide - Ο Ξεναγός

On Tuesday 18 June at 19:30 and on Wednesday 19 June at 21:30 we will screen in cinema Utopia the comedy The Guide (Greece, 2010, colour, 94 min) by Zacharias Mavroeidis. The film is in the Greek original version with Εnglish subtitles. Suitable for young people over 16 years.

Film Summary

Nine frustrated young architects in an equally frustrated city. A comedy about sexuality, Athens and Greeks. Iasonas arrives in Athens starting his new ambitious career as “architects’ guide”. His group consists of international students of architecture, finishing their Erasmus in Thessaloniki. 

Soon Iasonas faces the contradicting wishes of the students who prefer a day-long coffee or a visit to a graveyard than a guide to the Acropolis. Meanwhile, he meets back with his once (more than just a) best friend Mirsini. Trapped between a friend who progressively sees him less and less as a friend and a group that sees him less and less as a guide, Iasonas will have to give an answer to all his personal questions regarding his sexuality and his career.

Ghost of a Chance - Αιώνιος Φοιτητής

On Tuesday 14 May at 19:30 and on Wednesday 15 May at 21:30 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film Ghost of a Chance (Greece, 2001, colour, beta, 100 min) by Vangelis Seitanidis. The film is in the Greek original version with Εnglish subtitles. Suitable for children over 16 years old.

FILM SUMMARY

In the casino there is only one queen, the small ball that spins on the roulette table. None of the players pays the slightest attention to the female dealers. 

But Takis, a "perennial" med student doesn't go to the casino for the millions but for a day's wages. Vera works in a gym but trains and gets a second job as a dealer. Her aim is to protect her mother since regulations forbid relatives of employees from entering the casino.

Let her Dad knock himself out. There's no way he'll play roulette again! At some point Takis and Vera become lovers. They rig a game at the roulette table, leave the money with her Mom and hide out in a friend's house where their romantic dream soon succumbs to the wretched conditions in which they live. When her father dies of a heart attack in his Jeep, Vera suddenly finds herself with money. At the funeral, the manager of the casino threatens to send her to prison. A compromise is reached: Vera returns most of the money and fingers Takis who goes to jail. But something worse happens to her: she starts gambling to make enough money to open her own gym. The story spins out until they both realize that they truly love each other.

Katerina Gogou, Reinstating the Dark Side - Κατερίνα Γώγου, για την αποκατάσταση του Μαύρου

On Tuesday 23 April at 19:30 and on Wednesday 24 April at 21:30 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film Katerina Gogou, Reinstating the Dark Side (Greece, 2012, colour and B&W, 67 min) by Antonis Boskoitis. The film is in the Greek original version with Εnglish subtitles. Suitable for children over 16 years old.

The director Antonis Boskoitis will be present both days to discuss with the audience. After Tuesday's screening a drink will be offered.

Film Summary

Katerina Gοgou lived her life like a flickering candle, wrote her radical poems and shared in other people's pain before she took a rock 'n roll dive into death at the beginning of the 90s. 

Gogou is remembered by people whose paths crossed her own, including actors, poets, political activists, directors, singers and songwriters. Her film portrait in black and white is complemented by previously unreleased audiovisual material and dramatised sequences, featuring actress Loukia Michalopoulou. Katerina Gοgou - Reinstating The Dark Side is the last part of a non-fiction trilogy, which started out in 2002 with a portrait of Fleury Dadonaki and continued in 2008 with the history of Greek rock. A series of marginal personalities who lived and died in the city of Athens provides the connective tissue among these three documentaries, shedding light on an idiosyncratic urban landscape that's forever gone.