Occasioned by the screening of the wonderful movie “Smyrna, My Beloved” which is taking place today, Friday 29/4, at the Directors Guild Theater and on Sunday 1/5, at Museum of the Moving Image, in New York, we spoke with Mr Jimmy DeMetro, the man who for fifteen years now is working relentlessly for a dream, to make the Greek cinema known in America.
Exlusive interview to Eva Metis Koutoumanou for the HDN
His journey so far was full of joy, as he tells us. It all began 15 years ago and since then Mr DeMetro, the Founder and Chairman of the Hellenic Film Society USA, has done remarkable things in order to support the work of Greek filmmakers and promote it in the United States.
Every Sunday, once a month, there is a screening of a selected Greek movie, with English subtitles, at the prestigious Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, during the established event «Always on Sunday». In addition to that, the Hellenic Film Society USA offers the option to watch movies On Demand via their website ιστοσελίδας https://hellenicfilmusa.org/past-events/2021-on-demand.
Also, every year, the Hellenic Film Society USA organizes the annual film festival, New York Greek Film Expo, in New York, and they have also reached to other cities but, unfortunately due to Covid-19, things have been on hold at the moment.
Mr DeMetro admires the Greek filmmakers, Greek himself as well, born in the US. His father comes from Nisyros and his mother has many homelands inside her, as Mr DeMetro said. Born in Samos and raised in Lemnos, her best memories from Greece are from Piraeus where she studied before coming to America with her husband for a better future, as many other Greeks. Mr DeMetro carries inside him all these intense, beautiful, images of Greece that he often visits while he also speaks perfectly Greek.
Financing a film is challenging in any country, as Mr DeMetro says, but in Greece is even harder. For that reason, he made it his mission to help as much as he can the difficult task of Greek filmmakers, along with the other volunteers of the Hellenic Film Society USA. All the people working relentlessly for the cause of the Hellenic Film Society USA, they do so on voluntary basis and the Hellenic Film Society USA is a non-profit organization.
Apart from the support of the Greek filmmakers, the Hellenic Film Society USA has also another high cause, to promote the Greek films and the Greek language to the Americans and the Greeks of the Hellenic Diaspora.
It is very important for the Greeks of the Hellenic diaspora to come in contact with the Greek language and their routes. Apart from the entertaining character, the screening of Greek movies in America has also an educational purpose, Mr DeMetro was actually a professor for many decades at the City University of New York. “Art is the most fun way to learn”, Mr DeMetro said to us and we couldn’t agree more.
As for the Americans who watch the movies screened once a month, “Always on Sunday”, by the Hellenic Film Society USA, they consist roughly ¼ of the audience, based on the online reservations, which is astonishing if we take into account the fact that Americans don’t really watch foreign movies because they don’t really like subtitles.
All the Greek-speaking movies that are screened by the Hellenic Film Society USA under the project «Always on Sunday» have English subtitles and all the screenings take place at the prestigious Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria.
The cost of booking a projection hall in America, and particularly in New York, is astronomical, as Mr DeMetro explains but with a lot of work, love and relentless effort they manage to cover the costs. “It is never about making profit, it is about minimizing loses”, Mr DeMetro said and he continued saying “we are not a business after all, we make it for the sake of doing it, for the cause”.
Major benefactors to this effort are the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the Kallinikeion Foundation along with many Greeks in America who, as Mr DeMetro said with pride, come and watch a Greek movie and decide to support this effort by donating as much as they can. “We feel grateful for the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation and the Kallinikeion Foundation but we also feel very happy that simple people come and support us spontaneously”.
How the films are selected? First of all, now that the organization is well-known after 15 years of continuous presence, with the exemption of the time that screenings were not allowed due to the pandemic, many filmmakers send the films themselves to the Hellenic Film Society USA. All Greek filmmakers can submit their films, with no submission fee, at https://hellenicfilmusa.org/submit-film
Apart from the films submitted, the Committee of the Hellenic Film Society USA visits every year the Film Festival in Thessaloniki, in Greece.
Mr DeMetro selects the films primarily but he also consults with the other Committee members.
The criteria for selecting a film are two. First of all, he selects films that the viewers will enjoy. This is the most important, as Mr DeMetro explains, because the spectators must enjoy it and feel happy with their choice.
Apart from the popularity, of course, quality is also important. Mr DeMetro is adamant that there are a lot of good Greek productions that have to be accordingly promoted and he hopes that more Greek people will watch Greek movies, not only in America but also in Greece.
In few hours, today, Friday, 29/4, there is a special screening of the marvellous film by Mimi Denissi, “Smyrna, My Beloved” at the Guild Theater (110 West 57 Street, New York, NY) στις 07:00 pm (local time) and on Sunday 1/5 there will be a screening at the Museum of the Moving Image (36-01 35 Avenue, Astoria, NY), at 4 pm.
It is a masterpiece in all aspects, Mr DeMetro says. The production is probably the most expensive Greek production ever made so far and it is immaculate on all levels: the costumes, the props, the locations selected, everything gives the sense of how Smyrna must have been at the time. On top of that, the scenario is really powerful. So, as a result, the spectators will enjoy a unique experience during the almost two hours that this amazing film lasts.
Mr DeMetro personally and the Hellenic Film Society USA as an organization, wish to honor in the best way the 100 years' anniversary of the destruction of Smyrna. For that purpose, apart from the screening of the wonderful Greek movie “Smyrna, My Beloved” this week, they are also planning a series of events in October on the actual anniversary of the 100 years.
Of course, there are many other interesting screenings planned in the meantime by the Hellenic Film Society USA and Mr DeMetro. To view the upcoming events and book your tickets visit https://hellenicfilmusa.org/always-on-sunday
Our lovely discussion with Mr DeMetro is coming to an end for the time being but we promised each other to speak again soon for more interesting news. It was such a pleasure listening to a man who speaks with such passion about the Greek cinema, the Greek filmmakers and the remarkable work of the Hellenic Film Society USA. So don’t forget «Always on Sunday» (Πάντα την Κυριακή)! At the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria. See you there!
You can watch the trailer of the movie "Smyrna, My Beloved"
To buy tickets https://hellenicfilmusa.org/always-on-sunday
