13th New York City Greek Film Festival

13th New York City Greek Film Festival

Under the auspices of the Consulate General of Greece in New York


The 13th edition of the New York City Greek Film Festival was held in Manhattan from October 17 to 23 and was placed under the auspices of the Consulate General of Greece in New York. The Festival is a celebration of Greek cinema with a record fifty films. The line-up included films with narratives and themes that resonate with Greek American and International audiences.

This year, for the first time ever, the Festival introduced a new selection of films by emerging, international cinematographers, who have produced films around topics of Greek interest.  Additionally, this year marked the launch of an online edition of the Festival, featuring international short films from around the world.  In addition, a special tribute was held in honor of cinematographer’s Nikos Perakis’s comedies (Living Dangerously, Loafing and Camouflage, Sirens in the Aegean)

The 2019 edition is dedicated to Alexander the Great. The Festival kicked off with a retrospective tribute to Alexander the Great as part of the opening night ceremonies. This exceptional exhibition was organized in collaboration with the Hellenic Institute for Byzantine and Post-byzantine Studies of Venice and included the digital presentation of a unique byzantine manuscript of the 14th c. kept in the museum of the Institute. In tandem, the Festival held a special lecture by Archaeologist and Byzantine Art expert Flora Karayanni, on “the legend of Alexander the Great from Hellenistic to the Byzantine Oecoumene”. The lecture is jointly organized by the Pan-Macedonian Association USA and the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity. 

The closing ceremony of the Festival was dedicated to women who have suffered abuse in modern society. The ceremony included a musical performance by female Greek New Yorkers singing songs of empowerment, written by renowned Greek composers. This musical ensemble was directed by notable jazz pianist and composer, Glafkos Kontemeniotis.