AMERIKA SQUARE
" One of the best European films to date on the subject of immigration." The Hollywood Reporter.
A feature film drama in the Greek language, directed by Yannis Sakaridis. Several stories interwoven against the backdrop of the current immigrant crisis prevailing in Athens. Filming was completed in January 2016. The film stars award winning actors, Yannis Stankoglou, Makis Papadimitriou, Vassilis Koukalani and introducing Ksenia Dania.
Yannis Sakaridis’ debut film Wild duck was world premiered in Toronto IFF 2013 and was official competition in festivals such as Busan, Chicago, Sao Paulo, Beijing and Thessaloniki. A veteran film editor has worked mainly in London, on seventeen award winning feature films and on many documentaries for British TV.
Amerika Square had its World Premiere at the Busan International Film Festival in October 2016. In November 2016, it screened at 57th Thessaloniki International Film Festival where it won Best Greek Film 2016 and the Special Jury Award. In 2017, the film has won awards at the Trieste International Film Festival (Erasmus Jury Award winner) and an Audience Award at the Beijing International Film Festival. The film was nominated for six Hellenic Film Academy Awards 2017 and won Best Editing.
Amerika Square opened in Greece on 23rd March 2017, playing at cinemas in Athens, Patra and Thessaloniki. After a successful seven week run, the film will now tour the towns and islands of Greece playing atopen air cinemas this summer.
On 14th May, 2017, Amerika Square had a special screening at the Museum of Moving Image in New York as part of Panorama Europe 2017. The film was presented by the Consulate General of Greece and the Onassis Foundation USA.
At the 70th Cannes Film Festival, 2017, U.S. distributors, Corinth Films, acquired North America screening rights for Amerika Square. Deals have already been closed with CADA in Spain and Fabula Films in Turkey, while HBO Europe holds TV rights for Eastern Europe. We are proud and humbled to be progressing so well in our own journey.
On 11th June, 2017, Amerika Square won The Orpheus Award for Best Feature at The Los Angeles Greek Film Festival.
Amerika Square won Best Film at the prestigious 'Open Frontiers Contest' 2017, held by the Ventotene Film Festival and achieved a Special Jury and audience award at the Burgas International Film Festival in August 2017.
Amerika Square will be representing Greece in the 90th Academy Awards (Oscars) Ceremony as it has been put forward for consideration in the category of 'Best Foreign Language Film'.
Amerika Square will have its UK Premiere in London at the Raindance Film Festival on Tuesday 26th September, 2017 and will follow this with a New York Premiere at the NYC Greek Film Festival on Saturday 30th September, 2017.
DIRECTOR'S NOTE
"Greece seen today as a melting-pot, where all the scum rises to the top when you bring the refugee crisis to the boil. A fast pace character driven triptych, revealing the opposing forces of today’s humanitarian challenges.
Two friends, Billy, a “tattoo” artist, and Nakos, a “banal” Greek racist, come head to head in central Athens because of the survival journey of Tarek, a Syrian refugee. The area is one of the liveliest areas in Athens. It has an increasing number of refugees and a global cultural mix. Once, the “Via Veneto” of Athens, the favourite place of artists, film makers. Wannabes, such as Maria Callas, used to parade America Square day and night back in the 1950’s."
"After living for 18 years in London, I find fascinating the different cultural references in Amerika Square. I will try to stay fresh with the hectic, hot, colourful Athenian cityscape, which unveils a passionate, fragile world living on the edge of society.
I always wanted to make a political film about a current issue with protagonists who speak an everyday language, who are not wearing suits and who are not part of the establishment. The three main actors have made their roles by believing in it, by adding something of them to it and by playing it personally. The film’s aim is to draw credible characters in a recognisable setting without losing sight of the big social picture."
Yannis Sakaridis, director