In addition to our own events, we always keep a lookout for other great film happenings to recommend. This month brings us online editions of some of our favorite local festivals, chances to stream titles we had selected for the 2020 SFFILM Festival, and more.

San Francisco Greek Film Festival

Through October 10

The 17th annual San Francisco Greek Film Festival is now in full swing with its online edition, with all screenings available free of charge. Seven new feature films and 13 shorts from Greece are available to stream this week!

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After sifting through nearly 400 submissions, the San Francisco Greek Film Festival boiled its lineup down to 18 films, which were available for attendees to access online and free of charge from Oct. 3-10. Now, the table that served this film feast has been cleared, so it’s time to digest the art we consumed.

“The Distance Between Us and the Sky”

Brilliantly episodic, “The Distance Between Us and the Sky” captures two alluring strangers (Nikolakis Zeginoglou and Ioko Ioannis Kotidis) who meet at an old gas station on the outskirts of Athens. Director Vasilis Kekatos composes a sharp script, softened only by the swelling heart pulsing in the film’s remarkable leading performances. “The Distance Between Us and the Sky” premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, garnering the Short Film Palme d’Or and making Kekatos the first Greek filmmaker to win in this category. The camera captures the electric intimacy that binds its leads, a cinematic drive only detoured by the indulgent excess of close-ups. Kekatos effortlessly maximizes the nine-minute duration of “The Distance Between Us and the Sky” to tell a sensitive, compelling story about queer connections and intimacy.

“Electric Swan”

Director Konstantina Kotzamani’s film “Electric Swan” allegorizes incisive commentary on class disparities and infuses poetic elements of magical realism. Kotzamani employs stunning cinematography to depict a Buenos Aires apartment complex and its stoic security guard, Carlos (Juan Carlos Aduviri). À la “Snowpiercer” and its train, the apartment in “Electric Swan” cleverly literalizes class structures of privilege and wealth — the rich elite reside on the polished top floor, while the poor live on the squalid nadir. When an unexplainable force causes the building to tremble, the residents’ anxieties reflect their class position, as the wealthy fret over their potential fall and the poor are afraid to drown. Carlos dwells in the apartment’s gray, dingy and desolate basement, devoting his days to doting on three female tenants. Aduviri portrays a hypnotic, haunting lead, yet his character’s underscored obsession with the cruel and wealthy teenage ballerina Catalina (Elisa Massino) feels indecisive and discordantly perverted. The more noteworthy performance comes from Nelly Prince, who glimmers as Madame Capdepont, the demanding elderly matriarch of the top floor. While they inadvertently clot the film’s pace, the sumptuous visuals in “Electric Swan” elevate the execution of this sophisticated and deconstructed fairy tale.

“When Tomatoes Met Wagner”

After debuting at the Berlin International Film Festival, “When Tomatoes Met Wagner” paraded through festival circuits and gleaned the Hellenic Film Academy Award for Best Documentary. Directed by Marianna Economou, “When Tomatoes Met Wagner” transports viewers to the modest Thessalian plains in an agrarian village called Elias. Elias and its graying populace stand on unsteady ground, as the young people have retreated to cities and the national economic crisis has uprooted the community’s financial security. The documentary follows Christos and Aleco, a pair of cousins who collaborate with the elderly villagers to export jars of organic tomato recipes around the globe. The film lifts its title from an early conversation between Christos and Aleco as they amble through a field, musing whether tomatoes will taste better if they listen to Wagner or traditional Greek music. This early scene encapsulates the balance of humor and heart redolent throughout the documentary. “When Tomatoes Met Wagner” traces how a local community embarked on a new international frontier with remarkable sensitivity and compassion.

“Last Stop”

“Last Stop” only lasts six minutes. Christos Zenios’ film follows an old man (Andreas Vasiliou) confined to a nursing home and his gentle attempt to rejoin the outside world. Vasiliou’s unnamed character treads in an insular milieu captured by deceptively simple camerawork. While the mere shortness of this short film may cast doubt on its storytelling merits, Zenios rounds out a bittersweet conclusion that justifies the film’s brevity and grounds its importance; he suffuses “Last Stop” with subtly. The refreshingly enigmatic ending is underscored by cinematic reflexivity that probes inquisition instead of providing resolution. The film leaves audiences to wonder what happens to its characters after they exit frame and return to the wings. While it’s the shortest movie on this list, “Last Stop” is a testament to the importance of precision over runtime, and it encourages audiences to marvel at the minute.

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San Franciscans who’ve been pining for re-opened movie theaters got big news this week with the announcement that as part of the continued cautious relaxation of COVID restrictions, those indoor venues will be permitted to operate again as of next Wed/7, with limited capacity and other restrictions. As of this writing, there were no specifics yet on just what movie houses will be back in business right away, let alone what they’ll be playing. But no doubt somebody will be throwing Tenet on a local screen ASAP.

Otherwise, for the time being, things are proceeding as they have been these last few months, which means that a number of festivals and other special events are happening—albeit primarily on a “virtual,” online basis. That includes the arrival of the San Francisco Greek Film Festival, which runs Oct. 3-10. A highlight will be the Sun/4 evening tribute to late screen diva Melina Mercouri via screening at the Par 3 drive-in of 1964’s all-star, Istanbul-set caper comedy Topkapi, one of many films she made with her blacklisted American director husband Jules Dassin. Mercouri was made for the big screen—indeed, it’s hard to imagine not fleeing in a panic from her overscaled personality in any smaller-scaled environment.

Other, newer films in the festival include Minos Nikolakakis’ Entwined, a sort of folkloric supernatural mystery-romance in which a new village doctor is held spellbound—then held rather literally captive—by a forest-dwelling woman who is not what she appears to be. My Name is Eftyhia is a biopic of Greece’s greatest 20th-century songwriter, while Siege on Liberti Street and When Tomatoes Met Wagner deal in different ways with the nation’s recent crippling economic crises. There are also a dozen shorts in the 2020 festival; full schedule and ticket details are available here.

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Details: In its 17th year, this thoughtfully curated San Francisco staple unites the old and the new, the latter with an Oct. 4 drive-in screening in San Mateo of Jules Dassin’s entertaining 1964 crime caper “Topkapi” starring the incomparable Melina Mercouri. Also worth taking in: a slew of shorts and five features – two of which are documentaries. A recommendation: “My Name is Eftihia,” a sweeping biopic on the Greek poet/songwriter Eftihia Papagianopoulou directed and acted to perfection. Keep tissues handy for this good cry.

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The San Francisco Greek Film Festival reigns as the first and longest-running film festival in the United States dedicated to promoting Greek film and empowering Greek and Cypriot filmmakers. The festival began as a fundraising event for the Modern Greek Studies Foundation, a nonprofit that supports the Center for Modern Greek Studies at San Francisco State University. Now, the festival will proudly celebrate its 17th anniversary this year from Oct. 3-10, a remarkable feat engineered by the close-knit and determined team of volunteers who spent all year organizing the event.

“It’s been a labor of love,” said Maria Nicolacakis in an interview with The Daily Californian. Nicolacakis has served as a director of the festival for 16 years, and under her and executive director Kleon Skourtis’ leadership, the event has blossomed into a treasured Bay Area tradition.

Nicolacakis attributes the festival’s following to the fact that the event gives “both Greeks, Greek Americans and people from the broader community an opportunity to really understand modern Greece. Usually, the Greek activities center around the Greek church, the food, the dancing and the fun, and those are all great … but there is another aspect that sometimes is a little more difficult for those of us (in the United States) to sense — and that is modern Greece,” she explained. “Art reflects reality and (the films at the festival show) the reality of Greece right now.”

Kyveli Short, another director of the festival, echoes Nicolacakis’ observation. A native of Greece, Short discovered the film festival in 2015 during a San Francisco sojourn.

Short expressed her admiration that the small group of volunteers could execute such an extraordinary film event. “For me,” she said, “it was very exciting, and I hoped I could bring my knowledge from Greece and (put) that to good use to the festival.”

In past years, the San Francisco Greek Film Festival encompassed a week’s worth of events to entertain guests and visiting filmmakers, also doubling as a networking opportunity for up-and-coming filmmakers.

This year, however, the pandemic cast the festival into uncharted waters. Yet instead of allowing their ship to capsize, the organizers revised their original plan and remapped this event to a virtual format. They turned this challenge into an opportunity to reward the loyal participants who sustain the festival and will present all films selected for the San Francisco Greek Film Festival available free of charge.
“We just felt very strongly that in this time of need, we wanted to do our very little part to bring a little bit of joy into people’s lives,” Nicolacakis explained. “And so the films this year are on us!”

After receiving close to 400 submissions, the festival narrowed the program to 18 films, spanning diverse genres, lengths and topics. “We’re excited to share all our films in the sense that this is very much a curated, hand-picked selection,” said Short.

One of the films stirring excitement among both Greeks and Greek Americans is “My Name is Eftihia,” directed by Angelos Frantzis. A triumph at the Greece box office, Frantzis’ biographical film follows the life of the most prolific Greek female poet and lyricist, Eftihia Papagianopoulou.

On the global stage, Greek cinema chimes in on contemporary concerns about inclusivity, visibility and representation. “Modern films reflect modern Greece,” said Nicolacakis. “I think modern Greece is dealing with a lot of these issues.”

Short agreed that progress in inclusivity persists at the filmmaking level and also at the festival level. This year, the Drama International Short Film Festival, the biggest short film festival in Greece, announced a new award category called “Drama Queer,” acknowledging and celebrating Greek and LGBTQ+ filmmaking. On a local scale, the San Francisco Greek Film Festival’s lineup reflects the diverse perspectives enriching the broader Greek cinematic landscape.

In addition to the feast of films online, the 2020 San Francisco Greek Film Festival will host a drive-in screening of “Topkapi.” The organizers selected this family-friendly film to honor its star Melina Mercouri, as 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of this renowned Greek celebrity’s birth.

“We thought (the drive-in event) is one you can attend with your whole family,” Short elaborated. “So that was also one of the reasons why ‘Topkapi’ seems like a good fit.”

While organizing an online film festival ushered new challenges in abundance, the process has also illuminated potential benefits to virtual platforms. Nicolacakis suggests the organization may add virtual screenings of classic films during the festival’s offseason, offering an enticing promise for those inquisitive and interested in Greek and Cypriot films and filmmakers.

In the meantime, the passionate and inspired directors of the San Francisco Greek Film Festival seem to be on a promising path toward executing an exciting event that celebrates Greek cultural contributions.

The San Francisco Greek Film Festival will take place from Oct. 3-10 with the drive-in screening of “Topkapi” occurring Oct. 4.

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Melina Mercouri in a publicity shot for “Topkapi” (1964), a classic caper filmed in Mercouri’s native Greece by director Jules Dassin.

The Greek Culture Ministry declared 2020 the Year of Melina Mercouri, in honor of what would have been the internationally known actress, singer, politician and one-woman tourist ambassador’s 100th birthday on Oct. 18, and the 17th San Francisco Greek Film Festival is on board, presenting one of her classic films for a drive-in audience.

Mercouri (1920-94) had her biggest hit in 1964 with the colorful international comedy caper “Topkapi.” The breezy, “Ocean’s Eleven”-like heist film is directed by Mercouri’s husband at the time, American Jules Dassin, who was spoofing his own landmark heist film from 10 years earlier, “Rififi.”

The bright Technicolor of “Topkapi” should pop on the drive-in screen at 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, at Par 3 at Poplar Creek in San Mateo. Otherwise, the S.F. Greek Film Festival runs online — for free — Saturday, Oct. 3, through Saturday, Oct. 10.

The movie also stars Robert Morley, Maximilian Schell and Peter Ustinov and features an astounding heist scene that influenced Tom Cruise’s invasion of CIA headquarters in his first “Mission: Impossible” movie. Christopher Nolan also considers “Topkapi” a personal favorite.

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To show their gratitude for years of support, San Francisco Greek Film Festival organizers are offering their 17th virtual lineup for free. The annual celebration kicked off Saturday when you could start streaming all features, documentaries and shorts. It ends Oct. 10.

Should you be interested in venturing out for a special Sunday drive-in screening of the comic crime caper “Tokapi,” Jules Dassin’s breezy 1964 confection starring Melina Mercouri, Robert Morley and Maximilian Schell, get ready to shell out $30 per vehicle. Doors open at 6 p.m. at San Mateo’s Par 3 at Poplar Creek, 1700 Coyote Point Drive. The film starts at 7 p.m. More info: https://grfilm.com/drive-in/

Here are five features from the virtual program to put on the must-see list.

“Entwined”: A doctor who’s devoted to science lands a job in a small Greek town filled with rustic residents skeptical of city folk. The doc, played by Prometheus Aleifer, soon falls under the spell of a mystical woman (Anastasia Rafaella Konidi) from deep in the woods, a sensual entity with a unique skin condition and an old lover. Soon the two become lovers and their opposites-attract worlds become intertwined. Director Minos Nikolakakis takes full advantage of Mother Nature for a genre bouncer that mixes in Greek mythology along with a debate on accepting both science and the supernatural. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbcLxkv1svg&t=12s

“My Name is Eftihia” (also known as “Eftyhia”): Passionate and sprawling, funny and tragic, and above all else, endlessly entertaining, this well-acted biopic on the indomitable Greek poet and lyricist Eftihia Papagianopoulou will give you the good cry you’ve been after. Katia Goulioni and Karyofyllia Karabeti share the honors of playing the ahead-of-her-times icon who ditched a wealthy husband to strike out on her own. Angelos Frantzis stocks up on handsome production values and allows for time to carve out for each of the secondary characters – including Efiihia’s lifelong friend and gay manny, played by scene-stealer Thanos Tokakis. It was a huge hit and award winner in Greece.

“Siege on Liperti Street”: Stavros Pamballis’ taut nerve-racker is as lean and efficient as it is political and outraged. During Cyrus’ economic and political crisis, a young couple (Constantine Markoulakis and Daphne Alexander) and their children get caught in the crosshairs when their house is threatened to be taken from them. A fatal accident thrusts both into a volatile standoff with both Turkish and Cyprus officials. Pamballis avoids the sentimental as he details the human factor that too often headlines and broken-down political talks fail to capture. Trailer: https://vimeo.com/404564607

“Window to the Sea”: Spanish actress Emma Suarez gives one of the best, most introspective performances of the year as Maria, a mother and grandmother presented with the terrible diagnosis that she has colon cancer. Presented with stifling options – such as living with her son and his family – in her ensuing days, she continues on with plans for a Greek vacation with her gregarious girlfriends. But the allure of the islands and a friendship with a emotionally wounded fisherman (Akilas Karazisis, also seen in “Siege”) lead her on a path of fulfillment. Madrid filmmaker Miguel Angel Jimenez hands the film to Suarez, who is such an aware actress that the look on her face reveals more than words do. Trailer: https://vimeo.com/352248591

“When Tomatoes Met Wagner”: How can a film live up to a title like that? Marianna Economou’s winsome documentary does. It peers into the quaint life of a Greek farming family familiar for their organic, old-school-style tomato lunches in a jar. To say they put love into their sauce would be insufficient since they take great care with their tomatoes (yes, playing Wagner). Economou’s film is a sneaky one, seemingly a simple charmer, but there’s much more astew here as she makes a lovely claim that happiness and traditions are preferential over greed and corporations. Trailer: https://vimeo.com/315176567

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