Contemporary Greek Cinema launch party + Alps (18)

To launch our Greek Contemporary Cinema season in style, we're thrilled to be partnering up with our friends & neighbours at The Life Goddess, just a short walk away on Store Street. For the occasion, they will be providing a sampler platter of their most delicious & authentic Greek treats, as well as a fantastic glass of wine - all included in your ticket. You'll have the chance to mingle with fellow members over these nibbles, and to purchase some of their excellent deli products in the pop-up shop in our bar area.

After this, we'll head into the screen for Alps, Yorgos Lanthimos' second and last Greek-language feature, that solidified his reputation as an auteur with a unique, absurdist vision, for which he is now globally known. The film will be followed by a panel discussion, with Dr Tonia Kazakopoulou, Dr Eddie Falvey, and season curator Erifili Missiou. They will dive into Lanthimos' work and the development of Greek cinema since the turn of the century.

Event timings:

15:00 - 16:30  Greek wine, nibbles & pop-up shopping

16:30 - 16:40  Introduction by season programmer Erifili Missiou

16:40 - 18:15  Screening of Alps

18:15 - 19:00  Panel discussion

Tickets are available for £18.50, which includes a glass of Greek wine, a sampler plate, and an unallocated seat for the screening and panel discussion. They are restricted to 2 per member, meaning you can bring a friend along and introduce them to the cinema.

Important info:

The team behind The Life Goddess will provide a variety of tasty nibbles, all of which are suitable for vegetarians. If you have any dietary restrictions or allergies, please notify us by emailing membership@thegardencinema.co.uk at least 72 hours in advance, so we can try to cater for them. Although we will do our best, we may not be able to provide substitutes for certain dishes.

About the film:

The Alps is a secret society including a nurse, a gym coach, a gymnast and a paramedic. They offer a unique service: the recently bereaved can hire them to act as surrogates for the deceased loved ones - wearing their clothes, adopting their mannerisms, etc. - in order to help them adjust to their loss.

About the panellists:

Dr Tonia Kazakopoulou is a Lecturer in Film & Television at the University of Reading. Her research interests include women's cinema of small nations, and particularly of Greece; contemporary European and world cinemas; the politics of representation in film and television. She has been the curator of the international standing conference Contemporary Greek Film Cultures, and she has also published on women's cinema, on Greek women screenwriters, on contemporary Greek cinema and motherhood, as well as on the female characters in Yorgos Lanthimos' films.

 

Dr Eddie Falvey is an independent film scholar. He completed his AHRC-funded PhD in Film Studies at University of Exeter in 2018 and his work mostly focuses on industrial film histories and the diversities of cult cinema. He is author of Re-Animator (2021) and New York on Early Films: The Archive and the City (forthcoming), as well as editor of ReFocus: The Films of Nicolas Winding Refn (with Kate Moffat and Thomas Joseph Watson, forthcoming), The Cinema of Yorgos Lanthimos: Films, Form, Philosophy (2022), and New Blood: Critical Approaches to Contemporary Horror (with Joe Hickinbottom and Jonathan Wroot, 2020).

Erifili Missiou is a writer/ director from Greece, with extensive professional experience in Film and Fine Arts. She currently serves as Head Programmer at The Garden Cinema and Artistic Director of EFN Short Film Festival. She is the curator of Women Aren't Funny, Who is Luis Buñuel, Ealing Comedies, Contemporary Greek Cinema and Queer Cinema at The Garden Cinema. She has a track record of curating disability-focused film programs that promote inclusivity and accessibility and facilitating events tailored to the needs of neurodivergent, Deaf, and hard-of-hearing communities.

About The Life Goddess:

The Life Goddess, greek deli divine, is a genuine cuisine project aiming to become a reference of new hellenic kitchen to the world. The cooking philosophy is based on a rustic tradition, so unrefined and simple that is deeply friendly and relaxing. The journey of the senses starts from mother-earth and finishes at a feast on a table where all the family, friends and companions share the same nourishment and enjoy the sublime result of their efforts. For Greeks preparing a meal for someone is the ultimate token of respect, gratitude, friendship and love. Our philosophy is that good quality sustenance is the epitome of a healthy and happy life!