LOS ANGELES, CA – Several hundred guests attended the Closing Night of the 18th Los Angeles Greek Film Festival on June 9 at Silver Screen Theatre, at the Pacific Design Center.
The critically acclaimed MURDERESS (FONISSA), starring Karyofyllia Karabeti and directed by Eva Nathena, was featured and included a live dialogue with the film’s star and director. The screening was preceded by a lively red carpet hosted by influencer Becca Brazil and followed by the Orpheus Awards.
The Orpheus Awards hosted by Arianna Papalexopoulos honored renowned Greek actress Karyofyllia Karabeti with the 2024 Orpheus Award.
Awards Presenters were Angelo Hatgistavrou: Best Animation, Maria Korinthiou: Best Short Film, Jaswant Shrestha: Best Documentary, Eliza Gerontakis: Honoree Award, Elena Evangelo: Best Performance and Best Director, Marie Avgeropoulos: Best Film.
LAGFF 2024 showcased 80+ films over 9 days in theatres and one week online (June 9-16), including feature films, shorts, documentaries, animation, and retrospectives, highlighting the depth of the Greek Film Industry today. The online portion of the Festival (June 9-16) offered virtual screenings and events on the LAGFF platform powered by Eventive and presented by the GREEK NATIONAL TOURISM ORGANIZATION. On June 13, a Distribution Agreements Webinar with Entertainment Attorney Carol T. Contes and Freestyle Digital Media’s Head of Digital Film Distribution Bill Vergos is geared toward independent filmmakers.
LAGFF 2024 Jury Panelists: Spiro Skentzos, Colin Campbell, Andrew Wagner, Jaswant Shrestha, María Elena de las Carreras, Eugene Brancolini, Cheng Guo, Portlynn Tagavi, Chris Tsirgiotis, Hugh O’Gorman,
Lisa Ogdie, and Jourdain Searles.
The 2024 Orpheus Winners
ANIMATION
“Ready” by Eirini Vianelli – Best Animation
“Claw Machine” by George Salameh – Special Jury Award
SHORTS
“Wings” by Fivos Imellos – Best Short
“Buffer Zone” by Savvas Stavrou – Special Jury Award
DOCUMENTARIES
“Kristos, the last child” by Giulia Amati – Best Documentary
“Laughing in Afghanistan” by Anneta Papathanassiou – Special Jury Award
BEST PERFORMANCE
Best Performance – Dimitra Vlagopoulou for her role in Animal
Special Jury Award – Karyofyllia Karabeti for her role in Murderess
BEST DIRECTOR
Best – Adonis Florides for Africa Star
Special Jury Award – Eva Nathena for Murderess
BEST FILM
“Animal” by Sofia Exarchou
AUDIENCE AWARDS
Audience for SHORT
ONE NOTE MAN by George Siougas
Audience Award for DOCUMENTARY
Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field by Michael Selditch
Audience Award for FEATURE FILM
“JAUNT” by Alexi Papalexopoulos
Discovery Days Honorable Mention
Four Funerals And A Wedding (Montenegro)
Director / Writer: Nikola Mijovic
Producer: Maja Kecojevic (Parangal Film)
Discovery Days Winner
Nearby Faraway
(Greek, Germany)
Director / Writer: Sonia Liza Kenterman
Producer: Myrto Stathi (BYRD)
The DISCOVERY DAYS story and screenplay lab, now in its 10th edition, continues to be an influential platform for the development of international feature film projects, particularly fostering connections between filmmakers from Southern Europe and the Balkans with the Los Angeles cinema community. Under the leadership of director Araceli Lemos, this year’s lab saw a record number of submissions, ultimately selecting seven standout projects for further development.
The lab’s notable alumni include the film “MEDIUM” directed by Christina Ioakeimidi, which is featured at this year’s Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF). The Discovery Days team, comprising Joel Garber (Producer), Karina Logothetis (Producer), and Nasos Gatzoulis (Programmer), plays a pivotal role in the selection and mentoring process.
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Discovery Days, Greek sculptor Kyriakos Rokos designed and crafted this year’s award, marking a significant milestone in the lab’s history and celebrating its ongoing contribution to the international film industry.
2024 Discovery Days winners with Discover Days Director: Araceli Lemos and Team Photo by Vanessa Skopeo-HeartSparkStudios
DISCOVERY DAYS 2024 Jury: Mo Perkins, Orly Ravid, Dea Vasquez, and Jonathan Wysocki.
DISCOVERY DAYS 2024 Mentors – https://www.lagff.org/discovery-days/meet-the-experts-2024/
LAGFF 2024 Sponsors – https://www.lagff.org/support/sponsors/
Other sponsors supporting LAGFF: AT&T, Gibson Dunn, Theane Evangelis, Dr. Stephen & Dr. Anna Yallourakis, Greek Film Centre, Greek National Tourism Organization, Elios Charitable Foundation, Los Angeles County Arts & Culture, Dept. of Cultural Affairs-City of LA. (Ersi can double check if there is anyone else missing from her grants), West Coast Investors, Jim Gianopulos, UCLA, Aegialis, Simpson Travel, and Delphi Greek, and Aris Anagnos Charitable Trust.
LAGFF is held under the auspices of General Secretariat for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We wish to express our gratitude to Secretary General for Greeks Abroad and Public Diplomacy, Prof. John Chrysoulakis, for his continued effort to unite the Hellenes abroad and support all efforts for culture, arts, and issues that Hellenes face away from the homeland.
LAGFF expresses gratitude to Honorable Christina Valassopoulou, Consul General of Greece in Los Angeles, for her commitment to serving the Greek-American community and supporting initiatives that promote Greece.
About: LAGFF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that focuses its attention on bringing films and filmmakers from Greece, Cyprus, and the rest of the world to the United States. Over the past 17 years, LAGFF has screened over 520 films and hosted over 500 filmmakers supporting their films.
For Ticket info and details please visit: https://www.lagff.org
About: Global Greek Film Initiative is strategically designed to establish an array of new annual programs to promote cultural exchange between Greece, the US and the Hellenic Diaspora, service opportunities for employment and economic growth within Greece and be the North American hub and global one-stop collective for Greek film programs and initiatives.
