The 7th annual Los Angeles Greek Film Festival wrapped up on Sunday June 9th with the Orpheus Award ceremony. The night also included the LA premiere of the feature documentary “Mitsigan – Hardships and Beauties” and a screening of the short “Out of frame”.
Kimon Tsakiris, whose documentaries SUGARTOWN: THE BRIDEGROOMS and SUGARTOWN: THE DAY AFTER won over audiences at the 2007 and 2011 editions of LAGFF, returned this year with his new film, MITSIGAN – HARDSHIPS & BEAUTIES, about Mitsos “Mitsigan” Tsiganos, a modern-day Greek cowboy and the owner of “Hardships & Beauties”, a vegetable and fruit farm in southwestern Greece. The story follows Mitsigan on a journey throughout that region’s farming area, as he meets with old and new friends and comes to the realization that his country will never be the same again.
Watch an interview with ‘Mitsigan’ director Kimon Tsakiris:
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The screening and awards ceremony was followed by an exclusive reception for filmmakers, Gold Pass members & VIP guests, hosted by the Consul General of Greece in Los Angeles, Elisabeth Fotiadou.
While not a gold medal, the big prize at LAGFF is the Orpheus Award—named for the legendary Greek poet and “father of songs”—an annual prize to honor the best in Greek and Greek inspired cinema. Here are the 2013 Orpheus Award winners:
Short film: Chamomile by Neritan Zinxhiria
Documentary: One Step Ahead by Dimitris Athiridis
Feature Film: Welcome to All Saints by Sotiris Goritsas
Special Jury Orpheus Award: Joey by John Evagora
Audience Choice Orpheus Award: Archive by Chris Emmanouilides
Aegean Award: Athena Ego
2013 was a great year for LAGFF and its mission. The festival promotes Greek Cinema and cultural exchange while bridging the gap between Greek filmmakers and Hollywood. An impressive number of filmmakers attended the event and a record number of tickets were sold for the critically-acclaimed films and intriguing programs.
Sponsors of the festival included Earth Friendly Products, ERT and the Pabst Browing Company.
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