lAGFF 2020 Events

Featuring a variety of guests, the events for the 2020 Los Angeles Greek Film Festival spotlight the work and careers of Hollywood luminaries (Jim Gianopulos, Nia Vardalos, Greg Yaitanes) and a selection of acclaimed Greek filmmakers whose work is featured in this year’s festival.
01

LAGFF SHORT FILM PANEL: FESTIVAL DARLINGS COLLECTION

FRIDAY OCTOBER 9TH – 11AM PST | 9PM GREECE A discussion with the filmmakers from our “SHORTS: THE FILM FESTIVAL DARLINGS COLLECTION.” These films have recently screened to great acclaim around the world at festivals including Cannes, Venice, Locarno, Clermont-Ferrand and Drama. Filmmakers scheduled to appear include Konstantinos Antonopoulos (POSTCARDS FROM THE END OF THE WORLD), Konstantina Kotzamani (ELECTRIC SWAN), Vasilis Kekatos (THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US AND THE SKY), Nicolas Kolovos (INDEX), Efthimis Kosemund Sanidis (ALL THE FIRES THE FIRE), and Thanasis Neofotistos (ROUTE-3). FREE *Moderated by Yannis Sakaridis, Filmmaker (AMERICA SQUARE) and Artistic Director of the Drama Short Film Festival

02

“MY NAME IS EFTIHIA:” Q&A WITH DIRECTOR, CAST & CREW

SATURDAY OCTOBER 10TH – 11AM PST | 9PM GREECE Join us for a discussion with award winning director, Angelos Frantzis, producer Dionyssios Samiotis, screenwriter Katerina Bei, along with the cast, Karyofyllia Karabeti, Katia Goulioni, Pygmalion Dadakarides, Thanos Tokakis, Phoivos Delivorias and make up artist Dimitra Giatrakou, for the most watched (over 700,000 tickets sold) and multi awarded film of the year. Best picture, best director, best actor, best actress, best supporting actor and actress, best costumes and best make up at the 2020 Hellenic Film Acadamy IRIS awards. Watch it and join the conversation! FREE *Moderator is the film critic Thodoris Koutsogiannopoulos

03

Q&A WITH SYLLAS TZOUMERKAS

SUNDAY OCTOBER 11TH – 11AM PST / 9PM GREECE A conversation with director Syllas Tzoumerkas whose feature film THE MIRACLE OF THE SARGASSO SEA makes it’s West Coast Premiere at the 2020 LAGFF. Syllas is a writer, director and actor whose films have screened at over 80 festivals around the world including the Locarno Film Festival, the Berlinale Panorama, and at the Venice Critics Week. FREE *Moderated by filmmaker Argyris Papadimitropoulos whose film MONDAY recently premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival. Syllas and Argyris co-wrote the film SUNTAN (2016).

04

MASTERCLASS WITH GREG YAITANES

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 13TH – 11AM PST / 9PM GREECE Join us for a conversation with the Emmy award winning showrunner and television director Greg Yaitanes who will share an inside look at his production process with insights on developing a new show, running a writer’s room and crafting a show bible. Emmy Award-winning director Yaitanes has directed and produced nearly 300 hours of television including most recently serving as executive producer and director of Castle Rock for J.J. Abrams and Stephen King and The Twilight Zone with Jordan Peele hosting. Prior to that he served as showrunner, executive producer, and sole director of Netflix’s Manhunt: Unabomber. In addition to his recent projects, Yaitanes’ extensive résumé includes such series as Quarry, Genius, Snowfall, The Old Man, Banshee and House, M.D. It was his work on House, M.D. that earned him an Emmy Award in 2008 for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series. Between House and Banshee, Greg has led his team to 29 Emmy nominations and 6 wins, including the first Emmy nomination for content aired exclusively online for the Fox series, Drive. FREE *Moderated by filmmaker and International Project Discovery Forum director Araceli Lemos (HOLY EMY)

05

MASTERCLASS WITH JIM GIANOPULOS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14TH – 10AM PST / 8PM GREECE A conversation with Paramount Pictures chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos. Mr. Gianopulos oversees the studio’s film and television operations worldwide, including production, marketing, distribution and all other facets. A first-generation Greek-American, Mr. Gianopulos has been a leading figure in the global entertainment industry for more than 30 years. Previously he served as Chairman and CEO of Fox Filmed Entertainment, overseeing Twentieth Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox International Productions and Twentieth Century Fox Animation/Blue Sky Studios. He began his career as an attorney specializing in entertainment law. FREE *Moderated by Los Angeles Greek Film Festival co-founder Angeliki Giannakopoulos

06

MASTERCLASS WITH NIA VARDALOS

THURSDAY OCTOBER 15TH – 11AM PST / 9PM GREECE An inside look into the creative process of Academy Award® nominated writer and actor Nia Vardalos focusing on her work as a screenwriter, playwright and author. Screenwriter of the number one romantic comedy of all time, Ms. Vardalos joins the 14th Los Angeles Greek Film Festival for a live conversation centered on her work as a writer. Ms. Vardalos recently wrapped three sold-out seasons on stage in her New York Times Critic’s Pick play Tiny Beautiful Things at The Public Theater in New York and at the Pasadena Playhouse in Los Angeles. Published and licensed by Samuel French, Vardalos’s adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s book is one of the Top Ten Most Produced Plays of 2019/2020. Vardalos wrote MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, receiving an Academy Award® nomination for Original Screenplay and Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress, and won the Independent Spirit and People’s Choice awards. She is also the New York Times Bestselling author of her memoir Instant Mom and donates all proceeds from the book to adoption charities. To date, the information from the book has placed 1700 children in permanent homes. Along with her onscreen work, Ms. Vardalos has also written and directed I HATE VALENTINE’S DAY, co-written LARRY CROWNE with Tom Hanks, and written MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2. FREE * Moderated by Producer Dorothea Paschalidou (WORLDS APART)

07

Q&A WITH RINIO DRAGASAKI

TUESDAY OCTOBER 20TH – 11AM PST / 9PM GREECE Born in Athens, Rinio has studied film and documentary. She has written and directed four short films, a short documentary and a feature. Dad, Lenin and Freddy (2011) was selected at numerous international film festivals: Clermont-Ferrand, Sao Paolo, Chicago etc. and won several distinctions, such us Best Short 2012 from Hellenic Film Academy. Schoolyard (2014), her next short film, premiered at the 64th Berlinale and was nominated for the Crystal Bear. Cosmic Candy, her debut film, was selected to participate in Sundance If Screenwriter’s Lab. Premiered in Fantastic Fest, in Texas and won the Best Debut Director in Hellenic Film Academy Awards. *Moderated by filmmaker and International Project Discovery Forum director Araceli Lemos (HOLY EMY)

08

Q&A WITH GIORGOS GEORGOPOULOS AND ANTONIS KOTZIAS (YAFKA)

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 21ST – 11AM PST / 9PM GREECE Giorgos Georgopoulos has studied directing at the School of Cinematography and Television Likourgou Stavrakou, in Athens, Sociology at Universita Roma I: “La Sapienza” and European Culture at the Hellenic Open University. He has worked as Director of Photography in numerous classic Greek films, and as a film editor, director, and producer, mainly of TV commercials, documentary films and educational TV series for the National Broadcaster (ERT). His filmography includes two feature documentaries, “Education for whom” (2015), which was shot in Kenya and “The Outcasts” (2012). “Tungsten” (2011), his first full-length film, shot in B&W, won four awards at the 6th Cyprus International Film Festival (Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Editing), Best Film award at the 8th Transilvania International Film Festival and the Special Mention Prize at the 18th Festival International du Cinéma Méditerranéen de Tetouan in Morocco. His second feature fiction “Not to be Unpleasant but we need to have a serious talk” was awarded theJ.F.Costopoulos Foundation Award at the 60th Thessaloniki International Film Festival. Antonis Kotzias grew up in Athens Greece until the age of 18 where he relocated in London. After completing his bachelors degree in computer graphics he went to Glasgow to do a masters in Glasgow school of Arts. Subsequently, he remained in Glasgow and worked in a games and commercials company called Digital Animations. Returned to London to work in Pinewood studios as a 3d artist, soon I was promoted to studio supervisor. Contracts with History channel, Ancient Discoveries, was the spark that started Yafka. Yafka is an Emmy nominated multi-award-winning Visual Effects, 3D Animation, Motion Graphics, and Design facility. “Our work is viewed daily worldwide in feature films, TV documentaries, advertising, planetariums, museums, and theme parks. Our main clients are based in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, China, Germany, Holland, and Greece, and include the History Channel, Discovery Channel, Channel 4, ITV, S4C, BBC, National Geographic, Evans & Sutherland, The Match Factory, FilmNation Entertainment, Faliro House, and Ogilvy & Mather. Our reputation is built on our trusted relationships with some of the best directors, producers, and creative directors in the world. Yafka is based in Athens, Greece, reaching out wherever our clients and their needs are.” * Moderated by LAGFF Artistic & Festival Director Aristotle Katopodis