Thomas Papathanassiou is a theatre-maker with insatiable energy.
Calling him an actor is insufficient when after one sees his one man show, Looming the Memory.
Papathanassiou plays over 18 characters in the play, “It’s a one man show and I play over eighteen characters I play papou, yia yia, I play ghosts, and even a chicken.”
He loves chickens, “I had an intense love of kotes and I used to play with chickens at home, I love them…” he thinks a little and adds, “It’s kind of weird, isn’t it?”
For all its comedy there is also seriousness, Looming the Memory is about Papathanassiou’s memory as well as the memories we all share; it is immigrants’ zeitgeist in looking for home and not finding it.
Papathanassiou won the Best Actor 2006 by the WA Equity Guild Awards, and the work received the 2007 Best Production Blue Room Awards.
Some of the better Greek Australian theatre does not come from Australia’s Greek city, Melbourne, but from cities such as, Perth, where Thomas works and lives.
Maybe, it is because of the isolation, or the need to really define one’s identity, that allows for creative freedom, unlike the comfort zone of Melbourne’s overwhelming Hellenism.
Looming the Memory is set in the cellar of a house in a Greek village, an old woman whispers to herself as she weaves on her loom.
Back in Australia, her grandson endeavours to understand his life by unravelling his family’s stories.
But, the memories don’t make sense, so he journeys back to Greece to visit his family.
Along the way he uncovers dark truths about his family’s past.
Papathanasiou says, “It is about a guy’s search for home, it’s about a guy going back to Greece to find home its not there.”
He adds, “When I was in Greece, the locals make me feel that I don’t belong there, and when I come here I sometimes feel I don’t belong here.”
Looming the Memory is about migration, but it is far from typical, it is a funny, bittersweet, dark and overtly surreal.
Papathanasiou adds, “The stage has a loom and a rug on it, it is symbolic, memory is critical in defining who we are. I remember visiting my grandmother in Greece when I was young, and she had a rug, and in that rug I saw a button and various materials, weaved in it, they were so poor that they would use all sorts of materials, and now I think ‘this button belonged to someone’, it has a history, so in a sense the rug is symbolic of the looming of memories.”
With all of its 18 characters, including grandmothers, ghosts, and a chicken are bought to life in a sensitive and comic 75 minutes.
This is a journey by Papathanasiou into myth, memory, and identity through powerful Homeric storytelling and highly physical theatre.
It is a homage to our difficult, honest and largely comedic Hellenic narrative that frames us all.
Looming the Memory is on between May 21 and 31 at LaMama, Carlton
(source: neos kosmos)
Looming the memory (A bittersweet story about home and place)
FMYLIFE Moments in Greek Mythology
The fmylife posts and similar websites have become a recent sensation in the internet. McSweeney’s Quarterly has published a list with FMYLIFE Momnets in Greek Mythology. The stories are really funny and clever. Enjoy!
Aeneas
After the Greeks began to burn down my city, I was ordered to leave. I was hurrying out of Troy with my son, my father (who can’t walk), and my household gods. The one thing I forgot? My wife. Now she’s dead. FML
Icarus
Today my father made wings out of feathers and wax so that we could escape the king’s castle. But I flew too close to the sun and the wings melted. I then fell into the ocean below. I can’t swim. FML
Odysseus
Today I came up with a plan that helped my country win a 10-year war. But, because I forgot to pray to Poseidon, I won’t get to go home for another 10 years. FML
Polyphemus
This morning, I came home to find a bunch of guys sitting around my cave, so I locked them inside to teach them a lesson. Afterward, I got drunk and passed out. I woke up with a horrible pain in my eye. Those men had poked my eye out with a huge sharpened stick. I’m a 50-foot-tall giant and they were 5-foot-tall humans. Oh, and did I mention I was a Cyclops before I met them? FML
Oedipus
I’ve been really busy. I solved the riddle of the Sphinx, gained entrance to the city of Thebes, killed the king and took his place, and then married his wife and had several kids. As it turns out, the guy that I killed to become king was my dad. And the chick that I married and had kids with was my mother. FML
Source: http://mcsweeneys.net/links/lists/24JonMitchellEdgeandTimCaine.html
Monument for Greek-American Veterans
A beautiful plot of land on which to build a monument for Hellenic American Veterans has been purchased by Hellenic Post 343, Department of Illinois – American Legion. The monument will be built in the River Grove area of Chicago, IL in Elmwood Cemetery.
The members of Hellenic Post 343 of the American Legion feel the time has come for all Veterans who have served our County and those who have died, to be recognized. What better way to do this than to dedicate a Monument in their Honor.
The organization calls for action “We ask everyone to help us create awareness of the Memorial and to contact Veterans. Please begin by registering Veterans in your family, in your Post, and also Veterans in your community. Encourage all of your family members to spread the word about this special project. We need the names and all pertinent information of veterans, past and present in our Greek-American community, who have served in the United States Armed forces, so that they may be placed on the monument for posterity. Your assistance in this most worth while project would be most deeply appreciated.”
The exact location of the monument will be at:
Elmwood Cemetery
2905 Thatcher Avenue
River Grove, IL 60171
Names of Greek-American Veterans and donations for this most worthy project can be sent to:
Brother A. Steve Betzelos
Chairman
Hellenic American Veterans Memorial Committee
5765 North Lincoln Avenue
Suite 11
Chicago, Illinois 60659-4730
Tel: 773-561-9227
Fax: 773-561-9545
registry@hellenicpost343.org
For more information, please visit their website at www.hellenicpost343.org.
Talking with Paris Mavroidis about Experimental Animation
Paris Mavroidis, (www.parismav.com ) a finalist in the 36th Student Academy Awards for his animated short “Divers,” spoke to us about his movie and his Greek background.
“Divers” is an experimental animation created by Mavroidis while pursuing his MFA in digital Arts at Pratt institute. As part of the project he developed a choreography based toolset which he subsequently used in the animation process. Experimental animation that was inspired by Busby Berkeley, mass gymnastics and experimental cinema from the 20s and 30s.
So, Paris, first of all, tell us a little about your Greek heritage.
My dad is Greek and my mom is Chinese. I was born in Greece, but I moved away when I was 8 and have since lived in England, Switzerland and the US. I do speak Greek though I’m afraid I’m pretty out of practice! So I’m technically Greek but it’s hard for me to identify with just one culture or nationality because I’ve spent so much time in other places and have friends and family all over.
So, Paris- son of Priam, king of Troy, best-known for his elopement with Helen, queen of Sparta, which caused the Trojan War and for fatally wounding Achilles in the heel with an arrow. Since you live in the USA most people probably think you are either named after a glittering city in Europe or an heiress to the Hilton fortune. Is there a story attached to your name? Why your parents chose it, what it means to be named after a Prince?
My full first name is Paraskevas, after my grandfather, but my parents shortened it to Paris (I’m guessing for simplicity’s sake). I like having a unique name and one with several very different things associated with it!
What about family- are you married, single, still living at home? And Where is home?
I’m happily engaged to a girl here in Brooklyn who’s a very talented artist and jewelry designer. My parents split their time between Switzerland and Greece and I travel there as often as I can to see them.
So you have a cosmopolitan background. Would you agree that travel is the best education?
Yes, moving around a lot was a great way to grow up and I think it has shaped me in a very profound way. If I had stayed in one place I don’t think I’d be as open-minded and my perspective on things wouldn’t be as nuanced. And the friends I’ve picked up along the way are a very mixed and interesting crew: doctors, bankers, filmmakers, designers, artists etc. from all over the place. On the flipside, I’m not strongly rooted anywhere and I feel like somewhat of a foreigner no matter where I am. One of the reasons I’ve loved living in New York for the past few years has been how diverse it is and how easily I blend in.
Tell us a little bit about living in London and Switzerland.
I spent a couple of years living near Windsor, where I learned to speak English, tie a tie and wear a uniform to school every day. After getting adjusted I had a great time and didn’t want to leave. Then I was in Zurich for eight years where I attended Zurich International School. Zurich is a perfect city to spend your high school years because it’s a very safe and beautiful place where a teenager can have a lot of freedom and fun.
What about mentors in your education. Who inspired you?
I did my undergraduate studies at Brown University and I also took classes at RISD, where I had a couple of professors (Michael Bierylo, Ann Lavigne) who were very supportive and encouraged me to continue pursuing my creative endeavors. Judy Budnitz (at Brown) and Jacob Burckhardt (at Pratt) exposed me to some very inspiring writing and film, respectively. Also at Pratt, my professor (and boss at the research lab I worked in) Rob O’Neill was very helpful and supportive of my film. And my Thesis Advisor Claudia Herbst-Tait gave me great guidance all the way throughout its production.
It looks like you had a background in computers which moved into a very creative realm. “Divers” is absolutely stunning and there are some definite influences I can see…like Escher. Can you tell me a little about the human aspect of how your career developed, what your interests are, which artists inspire you?
I started out in computer science and slowly began to realize that I had an artistic itch. I saw computer animation as a way to make films and be creative while still using some of my technical skills. Some of the work that influenced me early on: Michel Gondry’s music videos, Busby Berkeley dance sequences, Terrence Malick’s earlier movies. I still like to program and dabble in other things like music and writing from time to time.
You are nominated for and in receipt of a handful of awards and accolades. Which has meant the most to you and why?
It’s a bit too early to say. I appreciate any recognition the film gets and I’m just happy to have people watch something I made!
Ok, now I am your fairy Godmother. I wave my wand and you get whatever you desire. What is it? Forget the great sex and mounds of food; tell me about your mega buck major life altering invention/movie/alchemy.
That’s a good question but I’m having a hard time answering it. Let’s come back to it later perhaps?
You like to dabble in music and writing. Sounds like you are developing an uberforce of creative skills. Does that mean that one day we are going to see movies written, directed, composed for and designed by a Gondryesque impressario, Paris Mavroidis? Maybe that’s what your fairy godmother is going to bring, the amalgamation of all your skills into fruition. Tell us more.
I play guitar, bass and drums. I used to play in bands in high school and I’ve recorded a few songs on my own over the years, mostly as school assignments and very quickly put together. They’re kind of all over the place stylistically and don’t include much I’d want to share with the world! I did write and record the soundtrack for a short documentary my cousin made (www.topwomanshooter.com) a few years ago, which was a lot of fun. At some point, I’d like to record music over a longer period of time so I can craft something more complete and presentable. As far as writing is concerned, I’ve written some short stories that won’t ever see the light of day and some random scribblings here and there, but I enjoy it and it’s definitely something I’m going to continue playing around with.
And your lovely fiancée…is she going to design your wedding rings? And, without spoiling the surprise, what are your wedding plans?
Her jewelry website is http://www.discreet-charm.com Also a short interview about her work, http://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight/fresh-shops-discreetcharm-2869/
And yes, she’s currently in the process of designing our wedding rings. We’re having a low-key ceremony in Illinois in July with our families and closest friends.
Thanks for talking to us Paris and congratulations.
Duff is back and …"Loaded"
I was at the Blender Theater at Gramercy in New York on Tuesday night, where Duff McKagan who many of you know from Guns n’ Roses and the youngsters from Velvet Revolver gave an amazing performance with his new band “Loaded”.
Duff was really loaded with surprises and a very entertaining night along with his band members Geoff Reading in drums Jeff Rouse bass and Mike Squires in lead guitar and the surprise of the night Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (currently in lead guitar of the new Guns n Roses). I loved the medley where we got to listen from IGGY POP, JOURNEY, ZZ TOP, JUDAS PRIEST , AC/DC and more…
“Loaded” took me back to my childhood with some songs such as So Fine, It’s so easy, Dust ‘n’ Bones.My favorite song from their recently released album “Sick” is IOU and I got to listen to it live! The two things that impressed me the most were 1) The amazing vocals including moments of acapella 2) Finally an artist that doesn’t do the encore and goes on and on!
After the show I had the pleasure to meet the band and all guys where really cool sharing their passion for music and I got to talk with Duff about the times he had visited Greece and how much he enjoys the concerts there.
The new album “sick” definitely deserves attention as it’s a breath of fresh air and a variety of interesting tunes.
They might visit Greece this summer so keep your eyes and ears open and don’t miss it!
Many thanks to the band and my friend Mk!
Award Presentation to Hillary Clinton from CEH
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met at the State Department with His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios and National Coordinated Effort of Hellenes (CEH) Cyprus Conference leaders. Secretary Clinton was presented with an award for unprecedented steps taken in the right direction on Hellenic and Orthodox issues as part of the 25th Annual Cyprus and Hellenic Leadership Conference.
The event followed CEH’s meetings yesterday with 34 key Members of the U.S. House of Representatives, 10 key U.S. Senators and numerous key Administration officials from the White House and State Department.
CEH Board Members meeting with Secretary Clinton and participating in this conference included: Philip Christopher, Andrew A. Athens, Andy Manatos, Peter Papanicolaou, Nikos Mouyiaris, George J. Tsunis, Mike Manatos, Tasos D. Zambas, Zenon Christodoulou, and Michael Galanakis. CEH leaders also invited to the meeting with Secretary Clinton and to the conference Nick Karacostas, Supreme Vice President of AHEPA.
Secretary Clinton was presented with an award that contains soil from the location in Athens, Greece where democracy was born and from the United States Capitol Building, the seat of the world’s greatest modern democracy. The text above the soil reads, “From this hallowed earth have come the world’s greatest minds, ideas and actions.”
Secretary Clinton has played an important role in beginning to slowly turn the huge ‘American ship of state’ in a just direction on issues regarding Hellenism and Orthodoxy, but it still has a long way to go to make up for the damage of recent years. In an unprecedented step, Secretary Clinton, as well as President Barack Obama, mentioned in major public remarks in Turkey the subject of religious freedom and the need to reopen the Halki Patriarchal seminary.
As well, on Cyprus, Secretary Clinton overturned her Department’s attempt to bring de facto recognition to the occupied area of Cyprus by having her meet with Turkish-Cypriot leader Mehmet Talat prior to meeting with the leadership of the Republic of Cyprus. And she has held two bilateral meetings with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cyprus in just her first three months in office. (In addition, President Obama, while addressing the Turkish parliament, called for a just and lasting settlement of Cyprus into a bi-zonal and bi-communal federation, contradicting public positions taken by Turkish leaders. This was the first time a U.S. President has done so in many years.)
Secretary Clinton also aligned the U.S. position on the FYROM issue with Greece’s at the recent EU-US Ministerial meeting in Prague. She said FYROM must resolve the name issue before joining NATO. (In addition, President Obama selected only Greece from among all European countries with which he had a bi-lateral meeting on his recent trip to Europe).
CEH leaders included in their conference heads of several other major Greek-American organizations, in addition to AHEPA, including: AHI Executive Director Nick Larigakis; SAE Coordinator of for the U.S. Ted Spyropoulos; Pan-Macedonian Association President Nina Gatzoulis, among others.
Watch the Video here.
Brumby praises book on Vietnam veterans
The Premier of Victoria, John Brumby met with a group of Greek Australian Vietnam veterans on Thursday and was presented with Greek Australians in the Vietnam War, a book prepared by Vietnam veteran Steve Kyritsis.
The book is a compilation of oral histories in Greek and in English, from over 30 veterans of Greek background who served in Vietnam. 128 Greek Australians in total served in the Vietnam War between 1962 and 1972.
“It took me over four years to bring together, It was not easy to get the veterans to join in,” said Mr Kyritsis.
He thanked the veterans for taking part in the book and expressed his gratitude towards George Lekakis the Chairperson of the Victorian Multicultural Commission who supported the project, and added, “We are proud as Greeks to have served in the Australian Defence Force.”
While many veterans were conscripted Mr Kyritsis underscored that others enlisted and were career soldiers like Peter Diamond, who saw 20 years service in the Australian Army.
“I served twice in Vietnam in 1965 and 1970. It does not matter if you are conscript or a regular soldier in Vietnam. We were all doing our duty,” added Mr Kyritsis.
Mr Kyritsis concluded by saying, “If there is one good thing that came out of the Vietnam War, it was the friendships. We were mates and we will always be mates.”
The Premier was visibly moved in his reply, “My father saw service in the WWII and he kept up with all his mates right through. This book will strengthen the friendships and bonds you have established as brothers in arms,” said the Premier.
Mr Brumby said, “I think the history of the Vietnam War is an important one to document, we have not had a book like this one before. The fact that this has been written in Greek and in English is such a unifying thing.”
He pointed to the bitter debate over the war “back home” and the fact that veterans came back to face hostility. “It was not that easy for our veterans when they came home.”
The Premier suggested that “by tackling the history and relating it to the real people like those surveyed here which is all of you,” is a way of dealing with a past.“I think this is such an important contribution to our history, and you fought for our freedoms,” Premier Brumby said highlighting, “The Greek community’s sense of pride, it is a proud community.
“I was recently with the community on Greek National Day at the Shrine of Remembrance where thousands of Greek Australians marched to commemorate the struggle for freedom.”
The head of the Victorian Multicultural Commission, George Lekakis, said, “When Steve (Kyritsis) came to me I thought of my father as a soldier in the Greek Army during WWII and the importance of recognising the contribution of these Greek Australians.”
“It is a great book with gripping stories. Some are very raw and with honest feelings. It is an excellent primary historical source” added Mr Lekakis.
(source: neos kosmos)
Yorgos Lanthimos won Award at the Cannes Film Festival
Yorgos Lanthimos’ Dogtooth won the top prize of The Un Certain Regard section in Cannes. The Greek film received warm praise from the few reviewers who have seen it. The second feature film for Lanthimos, following debut film Kinetta in 2005, portrays a deranged, dysfunctional family cut off from the outside world. Living a recluse existence, the three children have no choice but to abide by the rules their father has imposed. The only person allowed to visit is Christina, an employee at the father’s business, to satisfy the sexual urges of the son…
Until now nobody has acquired the rights for distribution in the USA. It will be interesting to see if it will make it over here and we will have the pleasure to watch it in Theaters.
Yorgos Lanthimos studied directing in Athens, at the Stavrakou school. Since 1995, he has juggled filmmaking, theater directing, dance videos and a number of spots for the television. In 2004, he was part of a the group that organized the closing ceremonies of the Athens Olympics.
Acting is hard work. Not in Greece!
There are a lot of things that are difficult about being an actor. Unsteady work, unsteady pay check, too much traveling and being your own life coach/agent/receptionist/therapist/accountant/PR firm to name but a few. But I think one of the most difficult aspects of an actor’s life is acting itself. Sure, we’re artists and we love it – actually we thrive off it, we live to perform – but the honest to goodness truth is that acting is hard work.
It takes an incredible amount of natural talent for someone to stand in front of a camera or on stage and perform well, but the ability to truly convey emotions honestly needs to be honed. Like any other form of art it can be mastered with careful study, thorough dedication, skill and motivation. This enormous respect for my craft and for the arts in general is also probably why I sat paralyzed with horror the first time I ever turned on a television in Greece.
For those of you who have never actually been to Greece I can’t even begin to convey to you the state of their television programming. With the very rare exception almost all Greek television series (at least from what I gathered both watching and actually working on set over four years) have a very specific, homogenous recipe. First we begin with a very melancholy main character who is sitting somewhere by themselves lamenting about one thing or the other (usually a break-up or someone from the opposite sex who did something mean, stupid or downright wrong). Soon afterwards a twist of fate brings this person to a very large dinner gathering where by some remarkable coincidence they will bump into the aforementioned object of their desire/pain/melancholy. From that point, copious quantities of food, alcohol, and tobacco are consumed and you’re now ready for the yelling that is bound to ensue. At least one if not two women will cry or faint and at least one man will bang his fist on a table or break something. The crowning jewel however, is towards the end when someone always (and I do mean always) starts chasing someone else around the dinner table. The End.
If it sounds like I’m exaggerating, I can promise you I’m not. So the next time you’re sailing through the Greek Islands do us both the favor of turning on your TV for a moment just so that we can both feel good about the fact that I’m right.
Now, I’ve asked myself many times how it’s possible that the very birthplace of theater and drama could produce such terrible acting? Even more disturbing still, how so many people could enjoy it? The bigger picture is however that every country, particularly those who truly have a film industry, have a kind of signature style. Bollywood movies look like one big Michael Jackson video, English films have too much rain and a lot of dark humor, Greece has fainting, hysterical women and brooding, hysterical men, and America has its blockbuster larger-than-life yet understated style that has made its movies the blueprint for cinema.
That’s not to say that in every Greek film someone will faint, or that in every Bollywood film someone will put on their dancing shoes – just most of them. What this means for an actor is simple. Know your market and know what’s expected of you.
In one of my first meetings with a big Hollywood agent a couple of years ago he had asked to see my demo tape which I gladly gave him. When I showed up for our second interview he looked less than impressed. My introductory clip on my demo was from a comedic television series I did in Greece and I put it at the beginning thinking that perhaps it would be intriguing. It was 45 seconds long. The agent didn’t even get that far.
“You might want to put something other than a clip of a lot of people yelling at one another in your introduction.”
Needless to say, I didn’t land the agent. I also never used that demo tape again.
I realized during that time that I had learned a valuable lesson between working in both countries. It was almost like being a chameleon – when I went to set in Greece I got to yell and scream and run around kitchens, and when I worked in North America I was subtle and nuanced. Truthfully, Greek television is ridiculous and I was never entirely comfortable working in that environment. It can be very funny but you have to be familiar with the culture to appreciate it, otherwise it looks exactly like what that agent had said – a lot of people running around yelling at each other. In Hollywood, unless it was a specific project that type of acting would never fly.
So we all need to know what we’re getting into once we buy that plane ticket and pack our bags for la la land. And this isn’t a profession where you can fake it to make it – you either can do it or you can’t. As I said much earlier, acting is hard work and American cinema can be really tricky. One small gesture, one facial movement if done well can speak volumes and those are the kinds of choices that will help you to get noticed in the casting room in Hollywood. Subtlety is the key here and they abhor nothing quite as much as ‘kitch’; unless of course you’re Paris Hilton.
My old demo tape is still tucked away safely in an old box in the corner, along with a couple of other pieces of “evidence” I hope will never see the light of day again. It is still a good reminder for me of what I feel is one of the most fundamental aspects of being a successful artist – being adaptable to your surroundings – and I do occassionally pull it out and watch it for laughs. Kind of like a karaoke machine or really bad party favor. Because at the end of the day you just never know when one may have to run around a kitchen table in a black satin bathrobe and fuzzy green slippers?
LAGFF to Honor Penelope Spheeris
The Los Angeles Greek Film Festival will honor director Penelope Spheeris who will be in attendance on Friday, June 26 at the Egyptian Theatre. The evening will celebrate a blend of her professional landscape of documentary and fiction independent filmmaking. The event will begin with a special screening of Spheeris’ documentary short NO USE WALKIN’ WHEN YOU CAN STROLL (1998) and her eighties cult classic feature SUBURBIA (1984), followed by a panel discussion with Spheeris, Ross Albert, Christina Beck, and Bert Dragin, moderated by UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television Dean Robert Rosen. The event will conclude with a reception.
Spheeris’ career began with a love for music. In 1974, she formed her own production company, ROCK ‘N REEL. It was the first production company in LA to specialize in music videos. After producing, directing, and editing videos for major bands throughout the seventies and eighties, she directed the 1979 documentary on the Los Angeles punk scene, THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION, which was received with unanimous critical praise.
Still fascinated with the subject, she wrote and directed her first narrative film, SUBURBIA produced by industry legend Roger Corman. The drama revolves around the lives of “The Rejected”, a group of punk kids who have abandoned their homes escaping abuse, and have squatted a Los Angeles bungalow. NO USE WALKIN’ WHEN YOU CAN STROLL is the moving and honest short portrait of Penelope Spheeris’ mother, which sheds light onto the director’s unusual and turbulent childhood years that would later inform the majority of her film works.
Spheeris never veered far from exploring desolation of youth which continued to dominate her subsequent fiction films, including THE BOYS NEXT DOOR (1984) with Charlie Sheen and Maxwell Caulfield; DUDES (1987) with Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, Lee Ving, and Daniel Roebuck; and THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION, PART II: THE METAL YEARS (1988) with commentaries from Ozzy Osbourne, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Alice Cooper.
In 1992, Spheeris directed her seventh feature and first studio film, WAYNE’S WORLD (Paramount Pictures), followed by THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES (Fox, 1993), THE LITTLE RASCALS (Universal, 1994), BLACK SHEEP (Paramount, 1996), and SENSELESS (Dimension, 1998). THE KID & I (2005), starring Tom Arnold and Eric Gores about a brilliant young actor with cerebral palsy is the last film she directed. Spheeris wrote LOVE ABOVE THE STRIP, a romantic heavy metal comedy set in the summer of 1987, and is in development of ROTTEN: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs John Lydon’s best-selling biography.
Panel discussion will be moderated by Robert Rosen, Dean of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Rosen has published widely in the field of media preservation and has guided the growth of the UCLA Film & Television Archive in original film and television materials. He also holds the following leadership positions: Founding Director of the National Center for Film and Video Preservation at the American Film Institute, the Executive Committee of the International Federation of Film Archives, member of the National Film Preservation Board of the Library of Congress, and Board Member of the Stanford Theater Foundation and the Geffen Playhouse. For ten years he was the film critic for KCRW National Public Radio and he is an active member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
Panelists include Ross Albert, Christina Beck and Bert Dragin. Ross Albert started his career making a series of experimental short films, for which he was awarded several film festival prizes. He received his first editing credit for SUBURBIA. Since then, he has worked with Spheeris on nine projects including THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES, LITTLE RASCALS, BLACK SHEEP, and THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION PART III. He has also edited a wide range of other feature films including BLUE CITY, WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE, LISA, DEAD AND BURIED, 2010, BUSHWHACKED, WHAT WE DO IS SECRET, BABY ON BOARD, and THE PEST. Christina Beck began her career as a performer in Spheeris’ SUBURBIA, BOYS NEXT DOOR and DUDES. Beck has directed, written and starred in several short films including SLICE, produced by Fox Searchlight’s New Directors program screened at Cannes short film corner, SO HOT FOR YOU, and THE OPHELIA PROJECT. Her first feature film, PERFECTION is currently in production. Bert Dragin is the writer and director best known for his classic eighties horror flicks SUMMER CAMP NIGHTMARE (1987), co-written with Spheeris and produced by Roger Corman and TWICE DEAD (1988). He also produced Spheeris’ SUBURBIA.
The third annual Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF) takes place June 25-28 in Hollywood at The Egyptian Theatre. LAGFF showcases new films from Greece, Cyprus, and filmmakers of Greek descent worldwide.
The Tribute to Penelope Spheeris will be held on Friday, June 26, 2009, 7:00 p.m. at the Egyptian Theatre, located at 6712 Hollywood Blvd in Hollywood, CA 90028. A reception will follow. The event will be presented by The Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation – ERT SA. Greek Reporter is a media sponsor of LAGFF.
For more information on the festival please visit www.lagreekfilmfestival.org or call 818.728.0720.