The Winter | Ο Χειμώνας (2014) by Konstantinos Koutsoliotas

On Tuesday 17 March at 19:00 and on Wednesday 18 March at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film The Winter (Greece, 2014, colour, 105 min) directed by Konstantinos Koutsoliotas. The film is in the original Greek version with English subtitles.

Synopsis

Niko is a romantic, young Greek writer living in London. When his finances go astray, he hides out in the neglected family house in the Greek mountain town of Siatista. Surrounded by the ghosts of the past, Niko must uncover the mystery of his father's death and retain his grasp on reality.

The Winter premiered at the 54th Thessaloniki International Film Festival in two sold-out screenings. In 2014, the US Premiere is slated for the New York City Greek Film Festival in October, and the Australian Premiere will take place at the 21st Greek Film Festival of Australia.

The film is a unique mix of fantasy and magical realism shot in the Greek village Siatista, as well as in London and was nominated for Best Scenography award at Greek Academy Awards 2014.

Cast : Theo Albanis, Vangelis Mourikis, Efi Papatheodorou

Soundtrack : Active Member/La Bruja Muerta

Was the press impressed?

Reviewers are ravishing over the visual aspects of the film. This is how Michelle Gross describes it:

"The Winter is a visual masterpiece! So entrenched in the visual aspect of the film, I viewed it 2 more times to capture all of what the film has to offer. There’s so much to experience. The Winter’s richly layered aesthetics are met with a simplicity in storytelling."

Le garçon qui mange la nourriture de l'oiseau | Το αγόρι τρώει το φαγητό του πουλιού (2014) de Ektoras Lygizos

On Tuesday 24 February at 19:00 and on Wednesday 25 February at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film Boy Eating the Bird's Food (Greece, 2012, colour, 80 min) directed by Ektoras Lygizos. The film is in the original Greek version with French subtitles. It is not suitable for children. The film contains a scene which could offend some viewers.

Synopsis

The multi-awarded debut of Ektoras Lygizos tells the story of a young boy who tries to survive in the Athens of financial crisis. He is without a job, money or anything to eat. Unable to get his preferred job as a singer (or work at a call centre) he lives alone in his flat, with bills mounting up and no means of support or sustenance. After being thrown out on to the streets, he resorts to increasingly desperate measures to stay alive. The only thing that he seems to care for in life is his canary, with which he resolutely shares the little food and water that he has. 

The film is a shot in a powerful minimalist style, bravely stripping the plot down to almost observational documentary. At the centre of it all is Yannis Papadopoulos as the titular character, with an almost wordless performance that is full of despair and barely concealed madness. In every single scene, the intimacy of his portrayal is almost uncomfortable but resolutely astonishing.

The film premiered at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival – Official Competition, winning a special mention for the main actor, Yannis Papadopoulos and since then has traveled to more than 30 international film festivals around the world, collecting rave reviews and awards.

Magic Hour (2011) by Costas Kapakas

On Tuesday 20 January at 19:00 and on Wednesday 21 January at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the comedy Magic Hour (Greece, colour, 2011, 95 min) directed by Costas Kapakas. The film is in the original Greek version with English subtitles. 

Synopsis 

Diomidis and Aristeidis, two men with totally different character bump on each other by chance and they set off to an amusing road trip in the Greek periphery. They are both trying to get over a personal crisis, while philosophising about the dilemmas of life and the current situation.

Here is how Bright Lights Film Journal describes the film:

One film that will surely have people talking is The Magic Hour (2011) by Costas Kapakas. In one of the funniest Greek films to come along in quite a while, The Magic Hour leaves no sacred cow unscathed as it follows the hapless duo of Diomidis (hysterically played by Renos Haralambidis) and Aristidis (Tasos Andoniou) on a Greek road trip with enough misadventures to rival that of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. From outrageous political corruption to racism and the amorality of public officials and citizens alike, Kapakas (who directed the popular Peppermint in 1999) employs gallows humor to peel back several layers of Greek society and in the process expose some fairly substantial rot.

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