KAZANTZAKIS FILM PREMIER

Behold, the long-awaited tale by Yiannis Smaragdis a film that outlines the life of a Greek legend whose writings will carry on through the ages in print and on the big screen. Presented by The Federation of Hellenic American Organizations of Illinois (Enosis) & The Hellenic Leadership Council (HALC), the first previewing of the highly acclaimed movie "Kazantzakis" is finally coming to Chicago on April 30th of 2018 at the Pickwick Theater in Park Ridge IL.

Known for his films such as; ”Kavafis”, ”El Greco” and ”God Loves Caviar”, Yannis Smaragdis has now created a movie masterpiece to honor the beloved Nikos Kazantzakis. Smaragdis took on the enormous challenges in filming, having shot the the film at multiple locations: Greece, Crete, Athens, Aegina, the Aegean Sea, France, Paris and Antipolis, Austria, Vienna, Germany, Berlin and China. The Greek actors involved in the film are Odysseas Papaspiliopoulos as Nikos Kazantzakis, Marina Kalogirou as Eleni Kazantzaki, Thodoris Atheridis as Giorgis Zorbas, and Zeta Douka as Melina Merkouri.

“In Europe where tensions and differentiations exist, art has to play its part, namely to unite people and give them strength. We, the people of cinema, do this factually. Four different countries in Europe Greece, France, Germany and Austria join forces to create a film about Cretan Greek, European and Ecumenical writer Nikos Kazantzakis” said Yannis Smaragdis.

2017 was proclaimed to be the year of Nikos Kazantzakis. Hence, the first screening took place in Crete, at the place of origin of the great writer. The foreign ministry, as reported in a letter from the General Secretariat, highlights the political role of Kazantzakis as a special envoy of Eleftherios Venizelos in the Caucasus regions, who saved thousands of Pontic Greeks after genocide, and the film gives an emphasise to these actions.

There are few that you will encounter in this world (if any) who thought, felt and pursued as deeply as Nikos Kazantzakis. He who wrote a sequel to Homer’s Ulysses (no easy task). Kazantzakis decided that Ulysses does not find what he’s seeking, but it doesn’t matter because in the search he finds the meaning to life, and so Ulysses cries out “My soul, your voyages have been your native land.” Like Ulysses, the only home Kazantzakis found was in the search itself.

In the prologue of his autobiography "Report to Greco" Kazantzakis says something which is quite profound and applicable today, 'We ought to be warriors who struggle bravely to create meaning without expecting anything in return...'.

Just outside the city walls of Heraklion Crete lies Kazantzakis’ grave site and on cracked, unpolished marble there is no name or date just the words that translated say “I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free.”

Don't miss this special opportunity to celebrate the life of a gifted man, one who will inspire for ages to come.

Join us at the Pickwick Theater located at 5 S Prospect Ave Park Ridge, IL 60068

April 30th @ 5:00pm - 7:30pm.

Tickets can be pre-purchased through HALC ($10)