Note from the 2020 SF Greek Film Festival:

• The 2020 San Francisco Greek Film Festival (SFGFF) will take place October 3-10, with a Festival highlight of an in-person drive-in screening of Topkapi, the wonderful caper film that created the "light heist flick" genre that is copied to this day. Celebrating the Year of Melina Mercouri - Μελίνα Μερκούρη, Topkapi will show on October 4, 2020, at Par 3 at Poplar Creek in San Mateo, with tickets (tickets are $0)*

​

• With the exception of the drive-in event, all other screenings will be online and available free of charge. ​In this time of need, the SFGFF gives back to the community that has supported it for the past 17 years, with this year’s free, virtual Festival. Tickets and details for the online screenings are online at grfilm.com and the virtual platform sfgff2020.eventive.org. ​

 

• “During this difficult time in our world, our team felt strongly it was important to continue to celebrate the Greek and Cypriot films produced this year,” says SFGFF Director Maria Nicolacakis. “We may not be able to come together in person at the film festival, but we will bring the films to your homes.The week-long online streaming of the films, which is a first for us, will be provided free of charge as an expression of gratitude to our community that has supported us for the past 17 years.  We hope that this along with the drive-in experience, another first, will be enjoyed by all.”​

​* The Greek Culture Ministry has declared 2020 the “Year of Melina Mercouri” in commemoration of what would have been the 100th birthday of the internationally-acclaimed actress politician and culture champion. The SFGFF presents this event in honor of Melina Mercouri.

Note: the drive-in event is a ticketed event with food options for purchase.

Happy New Year greetings from the Jewish Film Institute in this unprecedented time when family, friends, and community are very much needed for a sweet and special new year. Here are two highly recommended films for low cost rental or live streaming.

• Regina, documentary filmmaker Diana Groo reconstructs the life of the world’s first female rabbi.
• Rabbi Wolff: A Gentleman Before God, a documentary about Rabbi Willy Wolff, now in his late 80s, who leads two small communities in Germany, Schwerin and Rostock, commuting back and forth from his home in England. 

​​Both films available to rent online and live streaming: Vimeo (Regina) and Amazon, Prime (Rabbi Wolff) 

AUDIENCES ACROSS THE COUNTRY URGED TO GET INTO GOOD TROUBLE

  NATIONWIDE WATCH OF DOCUMENTARY ABOUT JOHN LEWIS, PLUS VIRTUAL CONVERSATION WITH NATIONAL CIVIC LEADERS, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

Luther Burbank Center for the Arts invites its patrons to join in a nationwide watch, in collaboration with over 60 of the nation’s arts and cultural institutions, of the riveting new documentary, John Lewis: Good Trouble, which looks at the impact of Lewis’s life and work. Luther Burbank Center for the Arts audiences will be able to rent the film directly from Magnolia Pictures, then take part in a live virtual conversation about John Lewis’s remarkable legacy.The free virtual conversation takes place at 4 p.m.on Monday, September 21 on Zoom.

• Registration is available here.

The online conversation and coordinated effort among the country’s performing arts centers is produced by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) of Newark, NJ. This event is part of NJPAC’s ongoing initiatives designed to offer both a greater understanding of current racial disparities and a forum for learning about the actions all citizens can take to advance the cause of equality.

• Rent the documentary film, here

Feature Films in the 2020 San Francisco Greek Film Festival [partial list]

• The films are online and can be viewed anywhere, details coming soon​

Entwined - Greece, 2019, 88min, Directed by Minos Nikolakakis
City doctor Panos relocates to a remote village in order to offer his services to the community. It’s love at first sight when he sets eyes on Danae, who lives in isolation, with a mysterious skin condition. Determined to cure her, Panos will soon discover Danae is not the helpless princess he thought she was and time is of the essence for both of them.
*Toronto International Film Festival: World Premiere

My Name is Eftihia - Greece, 2019, 122min, Directed by Angelos Frantzis
Inspired by the life of the most prolific Greek female poet and lyricist, Eftihia Papagianopoulou, an extraordinary woman and artist who has created a massive volume of timeless and popular songs. 
She got married when she was too young and she quickly became a mother of two little girls. She travelled from Smyrna to Greece, with only one little pillow clutched between her arms. 
On board the ship that took her away from her home for ever, she decided she would never let life pass her by. She vowed to live on her own terms. Her name means Happiness but destiny made sure she knew very little of it. She challenged death every day of her life, hoping to ward off its cold, ruthless grip.
*Hellenic Academy Award Winner for Best Feature Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Production Design, Best Sound and Best Make-Up

• Trailer for, My Name is Eftihia

Siege on Liperti Street - Greece, Cyprus, 2019, 88min, Directed by Stavros Pamballis
Austerity took everything but the roof over their heads, and today it will come for that too. But this time, they will finally fight back, like a family with nothing left to lose… Set beside the UN Buffer Zone that divides the city of Nicosia, SIEGE ON LIPERTI STREET tells the story of one bankrupt family's struggle to hold on to their home, no matter the price.
* Thessaloniki International Film Festival: Winner of the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Award, Greek Federation of Film Critics Award, Audience Award (Greek Section) and ERT (National Broadcaster) award.

When Tomatoes Met Wagner - Greece, 2019, 72min, Directed by Marianna Economou
Do tomatoes taste better when they listen to the music of Richard Wagner? 
Elias, a small farming village in central Greece, is dying out. But two cousins team up with the village grannies to cultivate tomatoes. With a little help from Wagner’s music, the villagers export their little jars with organic tomato recipes across the world. The film follows the protagonists of this unlikely story, as they struggle to make their dream come true. Humorous and bittersweet, this surreal story speaks to us about the importance of reinventing oneself in times of crisis and the power of human relationships. 
*Berlinale: World Premiere
*Hellenic Film Academy Award for Best Documentary 

Window to the Sea - Spain, Greece, 2019, 105min, Directed by Miguel Ángel Jiménez 
Faced with life changing news, Maria, a fifty-five year old Spanish woman from Bilbao, chooses to take a trip to Greece with her closest girlfriends against the advice of her son and doctors. A spontaneous decision leads her to the island of Nisyros, a tiny haven of peace and calm that immediately feels like home. While exploring the beautiful island and soaking in its hidden treasures, she meets Stefanos and finds herself falling in love against all odds. What seemed like a brief escape from reality soon turns into an unexpected chance at happiness, in a luminous story of a woman, who takes a leap of faith and dares to live for the moment on her own terms.
*San Sebastian International Film Festival: World Premiere

Short Films in 2020 San Francisco Greek Film Festival [partial list]

A Jar of Nuts - Cyprus, 2019, 17min, Directed by Savvas Stavrou
Isolated in his apartment, the lonely forty-year old Giorgos meticulously devises an intricate plan to take his life after his beloved mother chokes to death on a pistachio. 
As the day progresses, Giorgos allows excuses, obstacles and people to hinder his final deadly leap from the balcony, completely oblivious to the true reason behind all his stalling.
*Tirana Film Festival: Best Balkan Film Award

Electric Swan - Argentina, France, Greece, 2019, 40min, Directed by Konstantina Kotzamani
Buildings are not supposed to move. But on Avenida Libertador 2050 , a building moves and the ceiling shivers, causing a strange nausea that devours its residents. Those who live on the top are afraid they'll fall - the ones who live beneath are afraid they'll drown.
*La Biennale di Venezia: World Premiere
*Hellenic Film Academy Award for Best Short Film

In the Room - Greece, 2019, 14min, Directed by Yeorgia M. Sotirchou
When God is absent, someone has to take his place. In a modern day urban environment, three characters come together: an old ill man, the young woman who looks after him and his unemployed middle-aged daughter, all face the fine line that separates ethics and freewill.
*Drama International Short Film Festival: World Premiere

Last Stop - Cyprus, 2019, 6min, Directed by Christos Zeniou
Trying to find his way back to where he belongs, the stimulus for the outside world is a bus stop.

Rouge - Greece, 2019, 18min, Directed by Kostis Theodosopoulos
A sexist violent incident fires tension in Danai's friendship with Ilona and Toufa. Torn between theory and practice, the three friends realize that patriarchy won't die with bottles (only), and they now have marks to prove it. 
*Drama International Short Film Festival: National Premiere; Best Newcomer Director, Best Screenplay, Best Make-Up
*International Film Festival Rotterdam: International Premiere

The Distance Between Us and the Sky - Greece, France, 2019, 9min, Directed by Vasilis Kekatos
Night, national road. Two strangers meet for the first time at an old gas station. One has stopped to gas up his bike, while the other is just stranded. Lacking the 22.50€ he needs to get home, he will try to sell him the distance that separates them from the sky.
*Cannes: World Premiere; Short Film Palme d’Or and Short Film Queer Palm

The Dude - Greece, 2019, 17min, Directed by Alexandros Kakaniaris
Stratis, a 12 year old boy, is the greatest dude in his 'hood. He is such a great dude, that everybody calls him The Dude. Almost everybody, that is. All he has to do is prove himself. To those who don't believe him. Almost everybody, that is.
*Drama International Short Film Festival: World Premiere

As additional SFGFF programming and details are confirmed, they will be announced on the organization’s website, and Facebook page.

The 17th Annual San Francisco Greek Film Festival (SFGFF) announces its 2020 event, taking place October 3-10 online with one in-person drive-in event, and all virtual screenings available free of charge.

Last year’s exciting, successful San Francisco Greek Film Festival was highlighted by a screening at the Castro Theatre for the first time, for the opening night program including Olympia, the documentary feature on Olympia Dukakis that is now in virtual cinemas.

In preparing for this year's SFGFF, festival organizers maintain the spirit that “the show must go on,” and are thrilled to present this year’s 17th annual San Francisco Greek Film Festival.