The Cinematheque

“The essence of Greek cinema is its diverse and intricate embrace of how to picture life’s experiences.”

Christos Dikeakos

“When people think of Greek culture, they often associate it with the ancient past,” says Christos Dikeakos, visual artist and co-founder of the VGFF. ​“We hope that the third annual Vancouver Greek Film Festival will continue our tradition of introducing a more contemporary experience of Greek culture to diverse audiences in the Lower Mainland. We’re excited to be able to share this tightly curated program that offers a unique chance to discover the richness and layers of Greek cinema.”

We commence this 2024 festival with Z, the chef d’oeuvre of internationally renowned auteur Costa-Gavras, which arguably inaugurated the famous cycle of political thrillers based on true events in the 1970s and 1980s. We also celebrate the acclaimed filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos (maybe the hottest director on the planet!) with The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer, important transitional works between his Greek Weird Wave films and his Oscar-winning The Favourite and Poor Things. Our friends at the Greek Film Archive have helped to restore Face to Face, an important nouvelle vague-inflected film of the 1960s, which we are honoured to present to Vancouver audiences. Cult classic Singapore Sling and John Cassavetes’s early studio picture Too Late Blues round out the program, which concludes with Sofia Exarchou’s multiple-award-winning Animal, about a wild summer at an all-inclusive resort on an unnamed Greek island.

The themes this year are eclectic, but if there is a single one that ties them together, it might be breakout films by major artists. With so many outstanding and thrilling choices, it’s hard to contain our enthusiasm!

Enjoy yourselves!
καλά να περάσεις
Harry Killas
Curator, Vancouver Greek Film Festival