Los Angeles, CA (June 9) -
The Seventh Annual Los Angeles Greek Film Festival concluded its most successful festival yet on Sunday,
June 9 at the
Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, with the closing night U.S Premiere of
Kimon Tsakiris’ documentary,
Mitsigan - Hardships and Beauties. The screening was preceded by a reception and the Orpheus Awards ceremony,
hosted by E!΄s Fashion Police and fellow Greek-American George Kotsiopoulos.
First honors of the evening were introduced by the 2013 Jury Chairman, filmmaker
Tasos Boulmetis, and fellow jury members: Shorts Showcase΄s
Leanna Bonamici, veteran film marketer
John Butkovich, film critic and programmer
Robert Koehler, and stage and screen star
Anthony Skordi. The jury announced
Sotiris Goritsas΄ bittersweet medical drama,
Welcome To All Saints, as winner of the Orpheus Award for Best Feature , with Dimitris Athiridis΄ look at the mayor of Thessaloniki Yiannis Boutaris, One Step Ahead, taking top Documentary prize. Racking up another Best Short win was Neritan Zinxhiria΄s Chamomile, the story of a strong-willed old woman and her stubborn mule facing the elements together.
Recording artist and daughter of the late Telly Savalas, Ariana Savalas, took the stage next to award the Special Jury Prize, which went to the ensemble cast of the short Joey, from Australian director/writer John Evagoria. Skordi returned to the stage and elaborated on the jury’s choice of the short’s best casting ensemble.
Comedian Angelo Tsarouchas and Australian pop singing sensation Vassy presented the Audience Choice Award to Chris Emmanouilides’ short documentary, Archive, which was inspired by a family trip to Greece and reflected on the end of traditional photography and the birth of the digital universe.
"Banshee" producer/director Greg Yaitanes presented the final awards of the evening -- the Inaugural Aegean Award from the Project Discovery Forum to Georgis Grigorakis for his project, Et In Athena Ego, and a Mediterranean Film Institute scholarship to Paolo Marinou Blanco for his project, Carioca Olympics.
The Orpheus Awards and Closing Night event concluded the four-day festival,
which welcomed record audiences to its over 30 screenings, Q&As and Industry
Panels.
