LA Greek Film Festival Calls for Entries; Announces 2022 Dates

The 2022 LA Greek Film Festival is officially accepting submissions for 2022. The LAGFF announced on Tuesday that the upcoming festival will be held from May 9 to May 15, 2022.

The festival’s organizers also described this coming year’s hybrid event format, which will mix in-person, LA-based screenings with online screenings and live events held on their digital platform.

“New films completed in the last two years by Greek filmmakers of Greek descent as well as new films inspired by Greek themes and/or about Greece and Cyprus are eligible for submission. The selected films will compete for the Best Feature, Documentary, Short Film, Animation Film, as well as Best Director, Best Performance Orpheus Awards.”

Early bird submission deadline:

January 10

Regular submission deadline:

February 28, 2022

2021 LAGFF Orpheus Award Top Winners

The top prize for best feature film went to “Pari”, directed by Siamak Etemadi, an Iranian filmmaker living in Greece. The story follows an Iranian mother who goes to Athens to visit her student son Babak, only to realize he is missing.

Pari, the titular mother of the movie, searches the underground world of Athens to discover what might have happened. Though “Pari” focuses on one family’s harrowing story, it also comments on the difficulties Pari encounters navigating an unfamiliar, and at times chaotic, city.

Melika Foroutan, who plays the Iranian mother of the film, won the Special Jury Award for Best Performance.

The 2021 LAGFF Best Documentary Award went to “Being Present”, known as “Parontes” in Greek, directed by Yorgos Avgeropoulos. The documentary is extremely relevant to modern times, as it seeks to understand the impact of the COVID public health crisis on an already stressed Greek economy and public sector.

Other 2021 LAGFF Orpheus Award winners include Nikolas Kisker from “Daniel ’16” and Janis Rafa as Best Director for “Kala Azar”.

The festival’s Special Jury Award went to “Passage to Europe” by Dimitra Kouzi. The poignant film takes a long hard look at immigration to Europe, and specifically Greece. Best Short Film went to “Iskioma” by Kostas Gerampinis.

Animation: A Brand New Category

For the first time in its history, the 2021 LAGFF featured an “Animation” category. Two films were honored as first-time animations winners. The Best Animation award went to “Parrot Lady” by Michalis Kalopaidis. The Special Jury Award for Animation went to “Lazy Dragon” by Fokion Xenos and Joan Zhonga.

Festival Director Aris Katopodis was incredibly impressed with the wide selection of high-quality films from Greek filmmakers around the world in 2021. He emphasized that the jury’s job was harder but also more enjoyable due to these circumstances. As Katopodis put it, “a lot more films, a lot more fun, a lot more to experience.”