In 2019, the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival is shining its spotlight on incredible Greek women in film, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes.
The lineup of films this year includes “Olympia” , a film about the esteemed Greek-American actress Olympia Dukakis. The movie will be presented at a special screening sponsored by Earth Friendly Products at the Egyptian Theatre, on Saturday, June 8, at 5:45 pm.
Preceding the screening of Olympia, the short film “Flickering Souls Set Alight” will have its world premiere at LAGFF. Directed by Iakovos Panagopoulos and shot by Petros Antoniadis, the film is a powerful portrayal of a family dealing with the neurodegenerative condition of ALS.
In addition to female-focused films, female directors Maria Lafi and Tonia Mishiali both have feature films screening at the festival. Several female filmmakers have their shorts in competition as well.
At the Orpheus Awards ceremony that closes out the festival on Sunday, June 9, highly respected Greek-American casting director and producer Valorie Massalas will receive an Honorary Orpheus Award.
As Festival co-founder Ersi Danou put it, “it seems like a strike of chance that we have so many female creators and films about women this year. But it cannot be just chance. I think it is a sign of something greater, of a global movement that has turned attention to women and their issues. It is as if women from all corners of life have stepped into the sunlight for everyone to see.”
Hollywood and other film centers around the world have historically underrepresented women, both as independent characters not secondary to men on screen, as well as behind the scenes and behind the cameras in the filmmaking process.
However, incredible female filmmakers and female-driven films are rising up through the ranks faster than ever before. The 2019 LAGFF film festival lineup is hopefully a reflection of even more diversity and representation of women in the future of Greek cinema and cinema worldwide.
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