a) Documentaries
Booth, Clark. Agganis: The Golden Greek – Excellence to the End. WGBH Documentary. Boston, 2013.
“Hometown Stories: The Greek-Americans of Charlotte.” PBS, WTVI Charlotte. Youtube. 2008.
Description: “They’re known for their festival, their restaurants, and their civic contributions. Their story runs much deeper, though, back to the turn of the 20th century when Charlotte was barely on the map. The Greeks survived poverty, foreign occupations, and war, yet managed to bring a wealth of culture and community to their new home: America. WTVI’s Hometown Stories presents “The Greek-Americans of Charlotte,” an inspiring documentary that explores the numerous contributions the Greeks have made to Charlotte over the past 100 years.”
Contis, Angelike. From Hip Hop to Zeimbekiko. Jericho: Greek Films in America/ERT, 1999.
Iliou, Maria “The Journey: The Greek American Dream.” 2007.
Description: “While conducting research on a feature film ‘A Friendship in Smyrna,’ filmmaker Maria Iliou discovered a wealth of previously unseen archival photographic and film footage from over fifty public and private collections which tell the fascinating history of Greek immigrants to the United States. Along with historian Alexander Kitroeff and several scholars and guests, she brings these stories and photographs to life in order to explore and document a very special story from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.The film narrates the Greek immigration to America from 1890 to 1980. Interviews with prominent Greek Americans including Senator Paul Sarbanes, writers George Pelecanos and Elias Kulkundis, poet Olga Broumas, film critic/historian Dan Georgakas, Ellis Island Archivist George Tselos, Modern Greek Studies Professors Martha Klironomos and Artemis Leontis, researcher Gus Chatzidimitriou, Father Bob Stephanopoulos, and historian Alexander Kitroeff complement the photographic and filmic archival footage.”
Ludlow: Greek Americans in the Colorado Coal War [Ludlow, Οι Έλληνες στους Πολέμους του Άνθρακα]. 2016. Leonidas Vardaros Director, Frosso Tsouka Researcher. Apostolis Berbedes Non-Profit. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5865450/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl
Thoma, Lamprini C. (Producer/Writer), & Ventouras, Nickos (Director/Editor). Palikari: Louis Tikas and the Ludlow Massacre [Motion picture]. Original Score: Manos Ventouras. A Non-Organic Production, 2014. [https://www.palikari.org]
Olympia. Directed by Harry Mavromichalis, A Little Different Productions, Stunning Cuts, Ella Bean Productions, 2018.
The Greek Heritage Society of Southern California. The Promise of Tomorrow: The First Generation: 1940-1960. 2009
Description: “The Promise of Tomorrow, Part Two of the Greek Heritage Society’s award winning series, The Greeks of Southern California Through the Century, is the universal story of the Greek American experience as seen through the eyes of those who settled in Southern California. The Documentary is currently in production and will highlight the first and second generation of Greek Americans and the changing face of our community. Academy Award winner Olympia Dukakis will return to host the documentary, with additional narration by John Kapelos, as it explores the way in which the Greek American community has become an integral part of American history while maintaining a strong and unique Greek identity.” (www.greekheritagesociety.org/PromiseofTomorrow.html)
Immigrant Magazine. “The History of Greek Americans in Southern California.”
Voice of Immigrants in America. June 6, 2010.
Kαρπόζηλος, Κωστής και Κώστας Βάκκας. [Karpozilos, Kostis and Kostas Vakkas]. Ταξισυνειδησία – Η Άγνωστη Ιστορία του Ελληνοαμερικανικού Ριζοσπασμού. [Greek-American Radicals: the Untold Story]. Idea Films, 2013.
Entire documentary w/ english subtitles [YouTube]
H άγνωστη ιστορία του ελληνοαμερικανικού ριζοσπαστισμού από την εποχή της μαζικής μετανάστευσης στις Ηνωμένες Πολιτείες έως τα χρόνια του Μακαρθισμού σε ένα ντοκιμαντέρ. Μία ιστορία συλλογικών αγώνων, ριζοσπαστικών ιδεών, συναρπαστικών διαδρομών και ξεχασμένων παραδόσεων που διαπλέκεται με τις εποχές της αναστάτωσης, τα κοινωνικά και πολιτικά κινήματα, τις διώξεις και τις συλλογικές απογοητεύσεις. Παρακολουθώντας τα χρόνια της Μεγάλης Ύφεσης, τους ελληνοαμερικανούς εθελοντές στις Διεθνείς Ταξιαρχίες του Ισπανικού Εμφυλίου, τις δραστηριότητες των Ελληνικών Εργατικών Εκπαιδευτικών Συνδέσμων και τις απελάσεις του Μακαρθισμού το ντοκιμαντέρ Ταξισυνειδησία – η αγνωστη ιστορια του ελληνοαμερικανικου ριζοσπαστισμου φέρνει στο προσκήνιο μία εναλλακτική αφήγηση της ελληνοαμερικανικής ιστορίας, η οποία υπογραμμίζει τους μετασχηματισμούς και τις αλληλεπιδράσεις της εθνοτικής καταγωγής, της τάξης και του πολιτικού και κοινωνικού ριζοσπαστισμού στον Αμερικανικό 20ο αιώνα.
The documentary narrates the story of Greek-American radicalism from the era of mass migration till the McCarthy period in the 50s. A history of collective struggles, radical ideas, exciting journeys and forgotten traditions interwoven with the times of upheaval, social and political movements, persecutions and collective disillusionments. Focusing from the Great Depression to the demise of ethnic radicalism in the 50s, the documentary Greek-American Radicals: the Untold Story brings forth an alternative vision of Greek-American history that highlights the transformations and multiple interrelations between ethnicity, class and radicalism.
Rigopoulos, Tassos. (Uploaded). “Greek Cultural Center Tribute Video.” June 28 June 2019.
A short documentary celebrating the Greek Cultural Center’s 30th Anniversary in 2004. Directed and edited by Tassos Rigopoulos. Cinematography: Joanna Yuen.
The Greek Heritage Society of Southern California. The Greeks of Southern California Through the Century: The Pioneers 1900-1942. 2002.
The Pioneers 1900-1942 highlights many of the historical features of the Greek community in the Los Angeles area. This documentary celebrates the heritage, traditions, cultural background, and achievements of early Greek immigrants. In English. Narrated by Olympia Dukakis Approx. Running Time: 57 min.
Scotes, Athena, A Last Song to Xenitia
Skevas, Giorgos. Naked Hands. Town Film, 2013.
Dimitris Mitropoulos conducted his orchestras without a baton, with his bare hands. In Giorgos Skevas’ documentary, Lefteris Voyiatzis meets Dimitris Mitropoulos. Taking its cues from the letters the maestro exchanged with his dear friend, Kaiti Katsogianni, and from rare archive footage, the film covers the years in which Mitropoulos lived in the United States as chief conductor of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, and later the New York Philharmonic, through until his tragic death in La Scala, Milan, in 1960, conducting Mahler’s Third Symphony.
Stamelos, Valantis. Hello Anatolia. Crescent Street Films, LLC, 2012.
After working in the corporate world for years, Greek-American filmmaker Chrysovalantis Stamelos decided it was time to satisfy his desire to search for his roots in Anatolia, the historical birthplace of his ancestors. So, he picked up and moved to the homeland of his great-grandparents: Turkey.
His family and friends thought he was crazy. Maybe he was, but he couldn’t shake off the stories he heard growing up…of old Smyrna and Asia Minor.
Hello Anatolia follows Stamelos’ reconnection with his ancestry through the exploration of neighborhoods, interviews with Greeks of Turkey, and his immersion into the art and culture. Stamelos will break down barriers between two cultures with a history of feuding, as well as build a bridge from the Aegean to the US.
Produced by Crescent Street Films, LLC (www.csfilms.org).
Executive produced by Greek America Foundation and Gregory Pappas.
Trailer [Youtube]
Vassilis Vassileiadis. The Sponge Diver’s Dance. O horos ton sfougaradon (original title). 2003. IMDB
Description: “Kalymnos islanders’ dangerous lines of work in Greece and the U.S. from sponge diving to bridge painting. Kalymnos is the last island of the Aegean Sea known for its involvement with one of the deadliest professions of the 20th century, sponge diving. The Sponge Diver’s Dance explores how a heroic act of survival, leaving their island and families for half a year, risking their lives, has become a tradition. Sponge diving as a profession is in decline; but the need to keep the tradition alive has forced the younger generations of Kalymnians to pursue similar occupations–to extreme heights and extreme depths across the world, whenever they have migrated, continuing the death-defying circle of life established by their ancestors.”
Xanthopoulos, Lefteris. “George Papanicolaou Documentary.” 2013. Greek with English subtitles.
b) Other Documentary Material (short and amateur documentaries, identity narratives, etc)
C.P. Cavafy: From Ithaca to Tarpon Springs. 1996. For more information, contact Prof. James Babanikos
“A 30-minute impressionistic documentary on Tarpon Springs, Florida, and on the Greek poet C.P. Cavafy.”
“Greek American Documentary.”, January 2009.
Film
Journal of Modern Hellenism, Special issue
Georgakas, Dan. “Introduction.” Journal of Modern Hellenism 32 (2016): 1–3.
Saltz, Barbara. “The Greek American Image in American Film: Creation of a Filmography.” Journal of Modern Hellenism 32 (2016): 4–10.
Georgakas, Dan. “From ‘Other’ to ‘One of Us’: The Changing Image of Greek Americans in American Film: 1943-1963.” Journal of Modern Hellenism 32 (2016): 11-30.
Katsan, Gerasimus. “The Hollywood Films of Irene Papas.” Journal of Modern Hellenism 32 (2016): 31–44.
Giallelis, Stathis. “Before and Beyond America America.” Journal of Modern Hellenism 32 (2016): 45–53.
Thomopoulos, Elaine. “And the Winner is Olympia Dukakis.” Journal of Modern Hellenism 32 (2016): 54–65.
Kalogeras, Yiorgos. “Working Through and Against Convention: The Hollywood Carer of A.I. Bezzerides.” Journal of Modern Hellenism 32 (2016): 66–81.
Yiannias James Vicki. Creating Images for Hollywood Classics. Journal of Modern Hellenism 32 (2016): 82–95.
Lagos G. Taso. “Forgotten Movie Theater Pioneer: Alexander Pantages and Immigrant Hollywood.” Journal of Modern Hellenism 32 (2016): 96–114.
Karalis Vrasidas. “John Cassavetes and the Uneasy Conformism of the American Middle Class.” Journal of Modern Hellenism 32 (2016): 115–128.
Jacques, Geoffrey. “Promises, Trust, Betrayal: The Art of Elia Kazan.” Journal of Modern Hellenism 32 (2016): 129–157.
c) Documentaries – Reviews
Anagnostou, Yiorgos. “The Diaspora as a Usable Past for a Nation-in-Crisis: Media Readings of Palikari: Louis Tikas and the Ludlow Massacre.” Filmicon: Journal of Greek Film Studies, 2014 (November 5) [review essay, available online ]
“This analysis shows that the structure of Tikas’s media history story in relation to Greece resembles that of narratives that societies purposefully excavate from the past to address crises that confront them in the present. To effectively generate hope and guide action, such narratives animate a shared story from the past, which bears a close metaphorical association with the present they seek to reshape. This link is evident in the case of Palikari. Subjected to dual oppression – ethnic because of racism and economic because of immigrant exploitation – Tikas rose against abuse by performing a venerable national heritage, heroic resistance to foreign rule. Similarly, stigmatized as a nation and put under onerous economic strains, Greek people today are called to once again act out this heritage as a way to escape from humiliating dependency on global institutions. In this parallelism, an immigrant’s American story is turned into a Greek narrative via the recognizable trope of national heroism. A historical event situated in the intersection of immigrant experience and U.S. modernity is brought to Greek audiences, and incorporated into the nation as a familiar story of diaspora courage. The film and its meta-commentary therefore expand collective national memory to include Greek immigrant history, animating in this manner a suitable usable past for a nation-in-crisis.”
Anagnostou, Yiorgos. “‘The Promise of Tomorrow 1940-1960’: Regional History, Community, Scholarship.” 23 May 2020,
Andrews, Thomas, G. Review of Ludlow: Greek Americans in the Colorado Coal War [Leonidas Vardaros, Writer and Director]. Ergon: Greek/American Arts and Letters. 8 August, 2018. https://ergon.scienzine.com/article/documentaries/ludlow-greek-americans-in-the-colorado-coal-war
Catsoulis, Jeannete. “‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2’ Is Something Tired, Something New.” The New York Times, March 24, 2016.
Kalogeropoulos, Householder. 2009. My Life in Ruins. Hellenic Communication Service. June 18.
Λαλάκη, Δέσποινα. [Lalaki, Despina]. Aμηχανία της Ελληνικής Διασποράς. [The Embarrassment of the Greek Diaspora]. Χρόνος 3. Ιούλιος, 2013. [Chronos 3. July, 2013].
Η φτωχοποίηση την οποία έχει επιφέρει η πρόσφατη οικονομική κρίση στην ελληνική κοινωνία αποτελεί πηγή μεγάλης αμηχανίας για την ελληνοαμερικανική διασπορά, η οποία ήδη από τις αρχές του 20ού αιώνα κατέβαλε μεγάλες προσπάθειες να συμβιβάσει την εθνοτική της ταυτότητα με τις επιταγές του εξαμερικανισμού. Ενός εξαμερικανισμού στη βάση των θεμελιωδών αρχών της μεσαίας αστικής τάξης και του «λευκού» προτύπου, και σε αντιδιαστολή με την εργατική ταξική συνείδηση ή τα εργατικά κινήματα. Η ίδια αμηχανία έγινε ιδιαίτερα αισθητή κατά τη διάρκεια της συζήτησης που ακολούθησε την πρόσφατη προβολή του ντοκιμαντέρ Ταξισυνειδησία – Η Άγνωστη Iστορία του Eλληνικού Pιζοσπαστισμού στο Σταθάκειο Πολιτιστικό Κέντρο στην Αστόρια. Σχόλια από το κοινό όπως «ο Έλληνας δεν είναι ποτέ κομμουνιστής» και «οι Έλληνες, είτε στην Ελλάδα είτε στη Νέα Υόρκη, δεν υπήρξαν ποτέ κομμουνιστές» έκαναν σαφές ότι η ιστορία του ελληνοαμερικανικού ριζοσπαστισμού που αφηγείται το ντοκιμαντέρ, από την εποχή της μαζικής μετανάστευσης στις Η.Π.Α. στις αρχές του 20ού αιώνα έως τα χρόνια του μακαρθισμού και της ενσωμάτωσης των μεταναστών στο «αμερικανικό όνειρο», αποτελεί πρόκληση. Πρόκληση για το επίσημο ιστορικό αφήγημα (τόσο της ελληνοαμερικανικής διασποράς όσο και της «μαμάς» πατρίδας) σύμφωνα με το οποίο το ιδεολόγημα του ελληνισμού είναι ασυμβίβαστο με την ιδεολογία του κομμουνισμού και της εργατικής ταξικής συνείδησης.
Despina Lalaki’s review translated into English by Nicholas Levis, “The Predicament of the Greek Diaspora: Economic Crisis, Immigrant Radicalism and Greek-American Ethnic Identity.” Χρόνος, τεύχος 9, Ιανουάριος (2014). LINK
Χριστόπουλος, Δημήτρης. 2014. «Την ύφεση την συνηθίζεις διότι έρχεται αργά σαν την αρθρίτιδα». Χρόνος, τεύχος 9, Ιανουάριος [review Greek American Radicals – The Untold Story]
d) Documentaries – Interviews
In connection with the special section on Public Scholarship published in the May 2015 issue of the Journal of Modern Greek Studies the editors conducted an interview with Kostis Karpozilos, the historian behind the acclaimed documentary Greek-American Radicals: The Untold Story, on questions regarding public scholarship, Greek-American radicalism, and the hidden folds of history.
Immigrant Magazine. “The History of Greek Americans in Southern California.” Voice of Immigrants in America. June 6, 2010.