From the Earth to the Moon | Από τη Γη στη Σελήνη (2013) by Angelos Spartalis

On Tuesday 13 March at 19:00 and on Wednesday 14 March at 21:00 the first and only long Greek animated film From the Earth to the Moon (Greece, 2013, 86 min, colour) by Angelos Spartalis will be screened in cinema Utopia in the original Greek version with English subtitles. Τhe director will be present for a Q&A after the screenings. The film is suitable for children. 

Synopsis

In America, 100 years before the moon landing of Apollo 11, the bellicose bemoan their fates because the federal War is over and they all have fallen into inaction. They are reminiscent of the glorious past and feeling uncomfortable with the mournful clothes remaining unused in the closets and the green grass and the cotton growing back in the fields, as Verne writes!

At that exact moment, the president of the Gun Club, Impey Barbicane, provided the solution by announcing that he has a plan to fire a cannonball to the Moon, an act that also constitutes the first substantial contact of man with the satellite of the Earth and will glorify the 36 United States of America all over the world. An implacable enemy of the president and a strange Frenchman who will demand and eventually manage to get into the cannonball and travel to the Moon are only a few of the elements that make the rest of the story moving and hilarious.

With the voices of Manos Vakousis, Aleksandros Logothetis, Stratos Tzortzoglou, Dimitris Starovas.

Songs performed by Dionysis Savopoulos and Psarantonis

America Square | Πλατεία Αμερικής (2018) by Yannis Sakaridis

On Tuesday 20 February at 19:00 and on Wednesday 21 February at 21:00 the film America Square (Greece, 2016, 86 min, colour) by Yannis Sakaridis will be screened in cinema Utopia in the original Greek version with English subtitles. The film is not suitable for children.

Synopsis

Athens 2016. The complexities of immigration are exposed when four lives collide within the backdrop of Amerika square.

 Two Greek friends, along with a Syrian ex-Military doctor, an African singer and a human trafficker each navigate the refugees' crisis in Athens. When one of their actions becomes the unthinkable, the others are forced to work together to escape the consequences. Mixing a kinetic visual style with ripped-from-the-headlines storytelling, Amerika Square is an unflinching look at the mass migration economy—where “borders are business.”

You can read more about the film on the Official Page and you can see the trailer here. The film is chosen as the official proposal for the Oscars for Greece this year.

Cast: Makis Papadimitriou, Yannis Stankoglou, Vasilis Koukalani, Xenia Danya, Sultan Amir, Rea Pediaditaki, Themis Bazaka, Errikos Litsis, Dorothea Howlader, Petros Santovito

Wednesday 04:45 by Alexis Alexiou

On Tuesday 23 January at 19:00 and on Wednesday 24 January at 21:00 the thriller WEDNESDAY 4:45 (Greece, 2015, 116 min, colour) by Alexis Alexiou will be screened in cinema Utopia in the original Greek version with English subtitles. The film is not suitable for children.

Synopsis

Stelios is a serious jazz lover whose dream of running a music venue is crumbling during the onset of Greece's debt crisis. He owes a fortune, the club isn't earning enough to make payments and the loan shark called has decided that Stelios has a day to pay him back in full.

In a vortex of adultery, drug abuse, violence, guilt and self-deceit, Stelios has a few hours left to save his club, salvage his crumbling marriage, battle the mafia loan-sharks, baptize his employee's kid and show up at school to receive his son's report card as a responsible parent.

Cast: Stelios Mainas, Dimitris Tzoumakis, Adam Bousdoukos, Giorgos Simeonidis, Mimi Branescu, Maria Nafpliotou, Mimi Branescu

Xamou | Ξα μου (2016) by Clio Fanouraki

On Tuesday 12 December at 19:00 and on Wednesday 13 December at 21:00 the film Xamou (Greece, 2016, 87 min, colour) by Clio Fanouraki will be screened in cinema Utopia in the original version with English subtitles. The film is not suitable for children.

Synopsis

 

“Xa mou” means “to do whatever I feel like” in the Cretan idiom. Johnny, the film’s main character, is a French man who lives in Crete. He unexpectedly loses his job, but he is reborn when he discovers the small pleasures of everyday life.

When Johnny suddenly loses his job as a hotel manager amid Greece’s economic crisis, his response is to retreat into his own cave. Drawn out by his wife and children, and carried away throughout Crete by circumstance and fellow travellers, Johnny finds himself in unfamiliar, unpredictable and often invigorating experiences, bringing him face to face with his own willpower and with all the things that surround us that we’ve stopped being able to see.

Based on the Cretan land, which constitutes not only a field of action but an organic part of the film, and, and through the reminiscence of the “allegory of the cave” by Plato, “XAMOU” is not a film about the Greek crisis. It is an optimistic film about all the crises, those who refute the established and force us to reinvent ourselves and our relationships with people, land… and the world around us.

 

The City of Children (2011) | Η Πόλη των Παιδιών by Yorgos Gikapeppas

On Tuesday 21 November at 19:00 and on Wednesday 22 November at 21:00 the film  The City of Children (Greece, 2011, 96 min, colour) by Yorgos Gikapeppas will be screened in cinema Utopia in the original version with English subtitles. The film is not suitable for children.

Tickets for Greek films can no longer be bought at Utopia's cashiers. They will be sold at a separate desk by the cinema's entrance. Reservations and card payments are no longer possible either; tickets are on a first come, first served basis. The ticket costs 9 euros (5 euros for members). Please kindly have the exact amount of you.

Synopsis

 

The arrival of children, as seen through the stories of four different couples, just when a pregnancy comes along and conflicts with their lives. A marital crisis becomes a family tragedy; a mad man’s gun forces a young couple to reconsider a premature pregnancy; a long struggle of in-vitro fertilizations brings together and forces apart two sterile women who have shared the same man; and a young Iraqi immigrant, all alone in her apartment, is forced to give birth to her child with the help of her Greek stalker and next door neighbour. The stories unfold within a day and collide in a violent and fatal incident.

The Short Film Festival in Drama travels to...Luxembourg

On Tuesday 17 October at 19:00 and on Wednesday 18 October at 21:00 the 2016 INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL IN DRAMA (142 min, different program each day) will be screened in cinema Utopia in the original version with English subtitles. The films are not suitable for children. 

Tickets for Greek films can no longer be bought at the box office of the cinema. They will be sold at a separate desk by the cinema's entrance. Reservations and card payments are no longer possible.

The ticket costs 9 euros (5 euros for members). You are kindly requested to bring the exact amount with you.


The films were also screened in various festivals in Europe, but they are coming for the first time in Luxembourg. Some that we have particularly liked: Alice in the Café by Dimitris Nakos, Cube by Alexandros Skouras and Fox by Jacqueline Lentzou.

Full Lineup after the jump

Afterlov | Άφτερλωβ (2016) by Stergios Paschos

On Tuesday 19 September at 19:00 and on Wednesday 20 September at 21:00 the film Afterlov (Greece, 2016, colour, 94 min) by Stergios Paschos will be screened in cinema Utopia in the original Greek version with English subtitles. The film is not suitable for children.

Tickets will be sold at a separate desk by the cinema's entrance. Reservations and card payments are not available. The ticket costs 9 euros (5 euros for members). Please have the exact amount with you, if possible.

Synopsis

It’s summertime in Athens and Nikos, a 30-year-old broke musician, is taking care of a luxurious villa in the suburbs that belongs to a friend of his. Between poolside cocktails and fooling around with the dog that he is meant to take care of, Nikos has a plan. Still unable to get over his recent break-up with Sofia, he figures this is a unique opportunity to get some much-needed answers and he invites her over for the weekend. Sofia delightfully accepts not knowing, of course, that Nikos’ plans are not as innocent as they seem. Nikos locks Sofia in the house and refuses to let her leave until she provides some rationale for the break-up, turning their alleged carefree holiday into a mess of games, fights, laughs and introspection. Is Nikos ever going to get the answers he was looking for? Is Sofia ever going to be able to explain why they broke up? Afterlov is a funny, poignant and scathing post-love story between two people who refuse to grow up.

Cast: Haris Fragoulis, Iro Bezou

Suntan (2016) by Argyris Papadimitropoulos

On Tuesday 13June at 19:00 and on Wednesday 14 June at 21:00 the film Suntan (Greece, 2016, colour, 104 min) by Argyris Papadimitropoulos will be screened in cinema Utopia in the original Greek version with English subtitles. The film is not suitable for children.

Tickets for Greek films can no longer be bought at Utopia's box office. They will be sold at a separate desk by the cinema's entrance. Reservations and card payments cannot be accommodated. The ticket costs 9 euros (5 euros for members). You are kindly asked to have the exact amount with you.

Synopsis

On a hedonistic Greek island, a middle-aged doctor becomes obsessed with a young tourist when she lets him tag along with her group of hard partying friends.

For middle-aged Kostis, life has passed him by. As the newly appointed doctor of a tiny island, Kostis spends a dreary winter alone. By the time summer arrives, though, the island has turned into a thriving, wild vacation spot with nude beaches and crazy parties. When Kostis meets the beautiful and flirty Anna, he falls hard for her and goes out of his way to conquer and impress her. Before long, Kostis is spending nearly all of his time getting drunk, partying hard, and even making out with Anna. What starts as a rediscovery with his lost-long youth, though, slowly turns into an obsession as Kostis is willing to do whatever it takes to keep his Anna. Suntan celebrates the beauty and strength of the youthful body, while simultaneously embracing its inevitable decay.

Invisible | Αόρατος by Dimitris Athanitis

On Tuesday 16 May at 19:00 and on Wednesday 17 May at 21:00 the film Invisible (Greece, 2015, colour, 84 min) by Dimitris Athanitis will be screened in cinema Utopia in the original Greek version with English subtitles. The film is not suitable for children. The screenings will be followed by a Q&A with the director.

NOTE: Tickets for Greek films can no longer be bought at Utopia's box office. They will be sold at a separate desk by the cinema's entrance. Reservations and card payments will not be possible. The ticket costs 9 euros (5 euros for members). It would be very helpful you had the exact amount with you. Thank you!

Synopsis

Aris, a 38 year-old worker in a factory gets fired without any warning. He is shocked. As his attempts to be re-hired fail, he gradually becomes obsessed with the idea to take justice in his own hands. He buys a gun with the last of his money. He is ready to fulfil his goal when his ex-wife dumps their 6 year-old son on him.

Cast: Yannis Stankoglou, Kora Karvouni, Kostas Xikominos, Eva Stylander, Menelaos Hazarakis, Nikolitsa Drizi, Virginia Tamparopoulou, Christos Benetsis

About the director
Awarded Greek film director, born in Athens, with cinema and architecture studies. His debut film Addio Berlin gained Jury's Prize and Critics Mention at Thessaloniki FF for its innovating style, while No Sympathy for the Devil was nominated for Golden Alexander and gained the Best Actress Award in TIFF. 2000+1 Shots was selected by B. Mousoulis among the 10 best films for 2001 in Senses of Cinema. Three Days Happiness had 4 major nominations at Greek Film Academy Awards, showing in a number of festivals.

Stratos | Το Μικρό Ψάρι (2014) by Yannis Economides

On Tuesday 25 April at 19:00 and on Wednesday 26 April at 21:00 the film STRATOS (Greece, Cyprus, 2014, colour, 138 min) by Yannis Economides will be screened in cinema Utopia in the original Greek version with English subtitles. The film is not suitable for children.

Synopsis

By night, Stratos works in a bread factory but by day, he's a professional hit man. He needs the cash to free Leonidas from prison because the latter once saved his life when he was behind bars. For Stratos, this is simply a question of honour. We've no idea how many people he's already killed, but we do notice that he still has a conscience. He attentively looks after a neighbour's child, eight-year-old Katharina, as well as her mother and an uncle. At last he has enough money for the prison break-out. But Leonidas is lured into a bloody trap, by his brother of all people, who disappears with the money. At the same time Stratos learns that little Katharina is in danger - both psychologically and physically. He must act, even if this means following one wrongdoing with another.

At age 19, Stratos committed a crime of passion. He spent half his life in prison, where underground boss Leonidas took him under his wing. One day during a rival gang attack, Leonidas saved his life. Stratos never forgot this.

A free man now, Stratos works the night shift at a bakery workshop, a far cry from the killing contracts he executes by day. He gives away all his money to spring Leonidas out of prison, funding an escape plan managed by Leo's brother, Yorgos.

The fulfilment of his debt is the only thing that matters to Stratos, everything else is indifferent and he lives detached, surrounded by ghosts and fallacies. The day of the escape, the most important day of his life, is near...

Forever (2014) by Margarita Manda

On Tuesday 21 March at 19:00 and on Wednesday 22 March at 21:00 the film Forever (Greece, 2014, colour, 87 min) by Margarita Manda will be screened in cinema Utopia in the original Greek version with English subtitles. The film is not suitable for children.

Synopsis

An ode to cinema as a sensation. A train thunders through a tunnel, seagulls screech above the water. An empty station, a bleak harbour and two lonely souls in a grey town. He’s an engine driver, she sells tickets for the ferry. He sees her every day in his train and is secretly in love. Is there hope for love in Athens?

Cast: Anna Mascha, Kostas Filippoglou

About the director

Born in Athens, she studied Political Sciences and French Literature at the Capodistrian University of Athens and Film Direction at the Stavrakos Film School in Athens. She has worked as Assistant Director for many Greek filmmakers. She assisted Theo Angelopoulos on the films: Ulysses’ Gaze, Eternity and a Day, The Weeping Meadow, The Dust of Time.

She has written and directed feature and short fiction films, medium- and feature-length documentaries, videos for stage productions, and corporate videos. She collaborated with renowned photographer Josef Koudelka and wrote for his book Periplanissis: Following Ulysses’ Gaze (Thessaloniki International Film Festival, 1995), as well as for the exhibition Periplus: 12 Magnum Photographers in Contemporary Greece (Benaki Museum, June 2004). 

Chevalier (2015) by Athena Rachel Tsangari

On Tuesday 14 February at 19:00 and on Wednesday 15 February at 21:00 the Greek Cinema Club of Luxembourg will screen the witty comedy Chevalier by Athena Rachel Tsangari at cinema Utopia in the original Greek version with English subtitles. 

Synopsis

In the middle of the Aegean Sea, on a luxury yacht, six men on a fishing trip decide to play a game. During this game, things will be compared. Things will be measured. Songs will be butchered, and blood will be tested. Friends will become rivals and rivals will become hungry. But at the end of the voyage, when the game is over, the man who wins will be the best man. And he will wear upon his little finger the victorious signet ring: the "Chevalier."

About the Director

Athina Rachel Tsangari's sophomore feature Attenberg premièred in competition at the 2010 Venice Film Festival, where it won the Coppa Volpi Award for its lead, Ariane Labed, and went on to win several directing and best film awards at festivals worldwide. She is the co-founder of Haos Film, a filmmaker-run production company based in Athens. Among Haos' producing credits are three films directed by Yorgos Lanthimos: "Kinetta", "Dogtooth" as associate producer, and "Alps". Tsangari's medium-length film The Capsule, commissioned by the Deste Foundation for Contemporary Art, was part of Documenta13, and premiered at the 2012 Locarno IFF. She was a co-producer on Richard Linklater's Before Midnight where she also appeared as an actor. For the 70th anniversary of the Venice IFF she contributed the science fiction short 24 Frames Per Century. Duncharon, her sci-fi comedy in development, was awarded the ARTE France Cinéma Award for best project at Rotterdam's CineMart.

CAST: Doctor - Yorgos Kentros, Yorgos - Panos Koronis, Josef Nikolaou - Vangelis Mourikis, Dimitris - Makis Papadimitriou, Yannis - Yorgos Pirpassopoulos, Christos - Sakis Rouvas