Exploring Minoan Food and Culture: Talk and Food Tasting.

You are warmly invited to explore the Minoan food and culture from the Greek island of Crete with Dr. Jerolyn E. Morrison who will offer an overview of the country’s cuisine, its regional variations and cultural highlights. It will be a unique experience as the food will be served in hand-made ancient-style clay pots similar to those that people used in their homes thousands of years ago in Bronze Age Crete.
The event will take place on April 27th and you can reserve your spot following this link:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/exploring-minoan-food-and-culture-talk-and-food-tasting-tickets-33484236252?aff=es2

ANCIENT DINNERS

  Cordially Invites You

To the first ever ‘Ancient Dinner’, a private dinner in an intimate setting inspired by the Ancient Greek Symposia at IRON GATE, one of Washington’s very best historic restaurants.

Jerolyn E. Morrison, Ph.D., an archeologist and potter will present “Minoan Tastes”, a cultural and culinary exploration featuring ancient flavors from the land, sea and sky of the Greek island of Crete.

She will illustrate the culinary history of Minoan Crete by serving a meal created in collaboration with Iron Gate’s Chef Anthony Chittum. The ancient inspired dishes will be cooked in clay pots and served in Minoan-style hand-made cooking vessels using food ingredients available during the Minoan period (ca. 3000-5000 BCE).

Minoan Feast Menu Highlights:

1st course

Sesame crusted feta, vin cotto, honey.

Spring pea bruschetta, Iron Gate’s sourdough, ricotta, torn spearmint.

Braised wild greens, meyer lemon, olive oil, crispy garlic.

Brown lentils flavored with coriander and honey and topped off with fresh olive oil and sea salt

2nd course

Pork slow cooked and tossed with cracked wheat and wild Cretan sage.

Octopus and wild onions simmered in wine and flavored with honey and herbs

Castle valley grains flatbread, oregano, kefalotyri.

3rd course

Sheep’s milk yogurt, dried fruit, almond, local honey.

Wine

Join us for the ultimate dining and cultural experience!

You can reserve your spot here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/first-ever-ancient-dinner-tickets-33476621476

Chevalier at the AFI EU Film Showcase

The Greek film Chevalier is participating at this year's American Film Institute EU Film Showcase. The film is directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari and co-written by Tsangari and Efthymis Filippou. It won the Best Film Award at the 2015  London Film Festival and it is the Greek entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the 2016 Academy Awards.

Showtime is Thursday December,8 at 7 pm at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center.

For the trailer and more information please click here:

http://silver.afi.com/Browsing/Movies/Details/m-0100001090

Two Greek films in the 29th AFI European Union Film Showcase

For the 29th year, the  AFI European Union Film Showcase is ready to offer to the DC audience a great selection of EU films. This year, the festival includes 47 films from 28 countries among which 14 countries' official Oscar^® submissions for Best Foreign Language Film.

Greece is represented by two films:
- Chevalier by Athina Rachel Tsangari
Official trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxAkbc2_vds
- Suntan by Argyris Papadimitropoulos
Official trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcGXr8D1Lzc

More information can be found here:
http://www.afi.com/silver/eushowcase/

"How 560 Greek priceless treasures got to Washington DC and National Geographic's Saving the Past initiative"

Dr. Fred Heibert, National Geographic’s Fellow Archeologist and Dr. Zoe Kosmidou, Director of the Hellenic Foundation for Culture in the USA will share insights on how the recent National Geographic Museum's exhibition: “THE GREEKS: From Agamemnon to Alexander the Great” set sail with 560 priceless treasures from 22 museums across Greece, to bring an extraordinary cultural experience to Washington, D.C. 

In their conversation, they will narrate the fascinating story of the diplomatic way that the exhibition was born six years ago.  Dr Heibert will conclude by introducing the recent National Geographic’s initiative about preserving World’s Cultural Heritage.

This event has been organized by the Delegation of the European Union to the United States in collaboration with the Hellenic Foundation for Culture. It is part of the "Protecting our Heritage" initiative, a program supported by UNESCO and organized by the Washington Network of the European Union National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC), under the 2016 Italian presidency held by the Embassy of Italy and the Italian Cultural Institute in Washington DC. The program was created in order to raise awareness on the need to act against the growing threats posed to cultural heritage by wars, international terrorism, criminal organizations, climate challenges - or more simply, by neglect.

The event is free, but reservations are required. Join us by RSVP here:

https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07edct62mp57e8a30e&oseq=&c=&ch=
 

5000 years of Greek History in Washington. D.C.

National Geographic is hosting in Washington D.C. the blockbuster exhibit "Greeks: Agamemnon to Alexander the Great"! During whole summer the audience will have the opportunity to admire artifacts that had never been presented outside Greece before while also attending events that celebrate all things Greek!
 For more information, please visit the official page of the exhibition:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/thegreeks/

A tribute to Greece from the National Gallery of Art in DC!

The National Gallery of Art  is hosting the exhibition Power and Pathos:Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World. The exhibition presents some 50 bronze sculptures and related works that were created during the Hellenistic period ( from the fourth century BC to the first century AD). the sculptures are originally kept in archaeological museums all over the world (e.g. Austria, Denmark, France, Georgia, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Spain, Tunisia, the United States, and the Vatican).


To accompany the exhibition , the National Gallery of Art is also hosting a Greek Documentary Series (from January 5th to March 20th), The series includes 9 documentaries and there are screenings almost everyday! The schedule is available here: http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/calendar/film-programs/greek-docs.html?pageNumber=1

At the same time, the National Gallery of Art, is hosting a special event dedicated to the New Greek Cinema. Starting on January 9th until February 28th, the audience has the opportunity to get familiar with the work of a new generation of filmmakers! The schedule is available here:
http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/calendar/film-programs/Athens-Today.html?pageNumber=1




All events are free of charge, but for the screenings seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis.


Enjoy!

The AFI European Union Film Showcase is an excellent opportunity for Washington audiences to watch European cinema. This year the event takes place from December 1 to December 20 and includes international film festival award winners, European box–office hits and debut works by promising new talents, plus many countries' official Oscar^® submissions for Best Foreign Language Film.

 In this showcase, there are two Greek films that participate:

A BLAST
Sat, Dec. 12, 9:40 p.m.; Sun, Dec. 13, 7:15 p.m.
Angeliki Papoulia (DOGTOOTH) is galvanizing as Maria, a wife and mother driven to extremes by the collapse of her family, business and belief system in Syllas Tzoumerkas' scathing thriller. The film cross-cuts between the present, where Maria takes off in her SUV with a suitcase full of money and a fire behind her, and the past, where the interplay of marital and family relationships is revealed, and where her shopkeeper parents' mounting debt reflects Greece's recent economic crisis. This drama of family tensions, rages and sexual passions leads to an explosive conclusion. Official Selection, 2014 Locarno, 2015 Rotterdam, Karlovy Vary Film Festivals. DIR/SCR Syllas Tzoumerkas; SCR Youla Boudali; PROD Jeroen Beker, Maria Drandaki, Ellen Havenith, Titus Kreyenberg. Greece, 2015, color, 83 min. In Greek, English and German with English subtitles.
WEDNESDAY 4:45 [TETARTI 04:45]
Fri, Dec. 4, 9:20 p.m.; Sat, Dec. 5, 9:20 p.m.
Alexis Alexiou's hyper-stylish neo-noir follows 32 hours in the life of jazz club owner Stelios (Stelios Manias) as he tries to raise the money he owes gangster The Romanian (Mimi Branescu). Stelios tries to collect from the various characters who owe him money, but everyone from his drug dealer to the Albanian strip club operator to his cop brother have the same excuse: the economic crisis. Official Selection, 2015 Tribeca, Karlovy Vary Film Festivals. DIR/SCR Alexis Alexiou; PROD Thanassis Karathanos. Greece/Germany/Israel, 2015, color, 116 min. In Greek, German and Romanian with English subtitles.

 http://afi.com/Silver/EUshowcase/default.aspx

The Hellenic Foundation for Culture in cooperation with the Municipality of Rhodes, the Institute of International Relations and the Centre of Eastern Studies for Culture and Communication organize the 2nd International Cultural Academy on the topic “Public & Cultural Diplomacy in Times of Crisis”, that will take place in Rhodes, on 22 – 26 October 2015. The International Academy is placed under the auspices of the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO. The Academy is targeted at people starting a PhD, researchers from academia, professionals from cultural field and junior diplomats. The general themes that will be covered are the following:

• European Crisis as Economic, Political and Cultural Question

• Cultural Heritage as a Diplomacy Tool

• Globalization and Cultural Diplomacy

• The Role of Cultural Diplomacy in Grand Strategy

• Environmental Diplomacy Initiatives

For more information: http://hfc-worldwide.org/blog/2015/07/31/international-cultural-academy-2015/

Six years of operation for the Acropolis Museum! An exhibition space of over 14,000 square meters to be explored!
http://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en

Greece is celebrating the European Music Day with 3 days full of events all over the country.
The official website is : http://www.europeanmusicday.gr/?lang=en

The First Line – Film Screening in Washington DC

 

As part of the European Month of Culture in Washington DC, the Hellenic Foundation for Culture in cooperation with Georgetown University Modern Greek Studies and Pillars of Greek Culture organized the screening of The First Line, a love story and legal thriller built around the case for the return of the Elgin Marbles.

The First Line is a love story about two Greek Attorneys who sue the British Museum for the return of the Parthenon Marbles to Greece. Andreas (Pantelis Kodogiannis) was forced to leave his homeland of Greece as a child but he now returns at the invitation of the Director of the Acropolis Museum (Giancarlo Giannini) to pursue the case against the British Museum. As he gathers evidence to prove that documents were forged to allow for the sale of the Marbles to the British Parliament in 1816, the city of 2011 Athens finds itself in the state of economic and social crisis. Andreas is assisted by his co-worker and love interest Eleni (Kassandra Voyagis) as they go to London to begin the legal proceedings.

A deposition of the British Museum curator (Michael Byrne) turns confrontational as Andreas presses the case against the Museum. The General Council for the British Museum (Paul Freeman) comes to the defense of his client and exploits the over-confidence of the Greek legal team. Evidence about the structural condition of the Parthenon at the time of the taking of the Marbles is also presented by the Acropolis’s Head Archaeologist (Georges Corraface) using the latest 3D technology. The two lawyers and lovers face a long, hard road to reunification that ultimately brings them to an appeal at the International Court of Justice.

The main cast is joined by other supporting roles including Yorgo Voyagis, Spiros Fokas, and other Greek and international talent.

The film was written, produced, and directed by Coerte Voorhees and John Voorhees. This is the Greek-American directors’ first feature film. The idea for ΤHE FIRST LINE was originally inspired by Coerte’s thesis research on the Parthenon Sculptures at Georgetown University. Coerte and John co-wrote the script while Coerte has been pursuing a Masters of Fine Arts in film production at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and John was finishing his MBA at Stanford.

Coerte and John made The First Line because they were interested in exploring the deeper meanings of the Parthenon Sculptures. The Parthenon itself is a cinematic composition that, through sculpture, tells the story of the birth of Athena and her contest to have justice preside over the people of Athens. Having lived in Athens, John and Coerte wanted to relate this ancient myth to modern times and to demonstrate that the Marbles are still important to the people of Greece today.

The story is also about the love between a man and his home country, just as a man may love a woman. The Athenians chose the goddess Athena to represent them, so that they could “fall in love with her” as Pericles famously said. This love and devotion drives at the heart of The First Line.

The directors are supporters of reunification because it allows for the more fully completed Parthenon to be seen and appreciated. The legal argument for the return is presented because of the rich history it offers. Central to this argument is the discovery that a name was changed on one of the documents to allow for the sale of the Marbles. It is the directors’ hope that at the very least, more people in the international community will understand the history of the Parthenon Marbles and that their sacred meaning will be retold to a new generation.

Greece may be a small country but produces high quality goods! 109 Greek Products won the 2015 Superior Taste Award from The International Taste & Quality Institute! Honey, oil, dairy products and fisheries are only some of them!


Check out he list for all 2015 winning products here:
http://www.itqi.com/…/awarded-pr…/awarded-products-2015.html

Athens and Epidaurus Festival 2015

Three months full of art and culture in the region of Athens thanks to the "Athens and Epidaurus Festival"(http://greekfestival.gr/en)!
 This event that has lasted for 56 years (summers specifically) was the reason for National Geographic to put the city of Athens among the best trips for the summer 2015!
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/best-summer-trips-2015/#/athens-epidaurus-festival-greece_90108_600x450.jpg

The Greeks – Agamemnon to Alexander the Great

Are you visiting Quebec this summer?
The Canadian Museum of History hosts an exhibition on 5,000 years of Greek Culture! It showcases over 500 priceless artifacts garnered from 21 Greek museum!

http://www.historymuseum.ca/thegreeks/

Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF)

The 9th Annual Los Angeles Greek Film Festival took place on June 3 - 7, 2015! 
It showcased new films from Greece and Cyprus, and included works by international filmmakers of Greek descent.
Congratulations to all participants!
http://lagff.org/
 
 

Are you familiar with Greek wine?

Greek wine producers will try to increase their exports to US. According to a survey conducted by the Association of Greek wine producers, 80% of the Americans drinking wine on a weekly basis said that they are familiar with Greek labels and 14% answered they had tasted Greek wine within the month asked.
For more information, please read the article posted in Greeknewsagenda:
http://www.greeknewsagenda.gr/2015/06/greek-wine-american-market.html

The First Line - Greek film screening at Georgetown University

What is your opinion on international art repatriation? Are you aware of the Parthenon Marbles issue?
Join us on Thursday, May 28 for the screening of the film called "The First Line"!
The trailer can be found here: https://vimeo.com/112039858
Panel discussion and reception will follow!
Book your place immediately by emailing us: rsvp@greekculture.us

"The Iliad", Wine, and Cheese

Come to the Embassy of Greece TONIGHT (05/29) at 7PM and enjoy a night of classic Greece. There will be a staged reading of the Homer's "The Iliad," followed by a wine and cheese reception with the cast, director, and embassy officials.

For more information, visit http://www.scenatheater.org/currentshow.htm.

What Would YOU Do With 100 Tons of Pure Marble?

The Greek Marble Initiative gives Greek and foreign sculptures the chance to showcase their talents and give 120 sculptures to Myro Antiques House. The project seeks to attract and revive Greek contemporary sculpture.

Source: Greek News Agenda