(LOS ANGELES, CA. – February 2, 2026) Los Angeles Greek Film Festival (LAGFF) concluded its successful inaugural documentary festival, LAGFF-doc on February 1 with a Closing Night Orpheus Awards Ceremony hosted by Vivianne Linou and Reception catered by PETROS. In addition to the Orpheus Awards, LMU Classics & Archaeology Department presented the LMU Prize for Social Justice to one outstanding film.
LAGFF-doc presented 12 feature documentaries, 9 short films, and a webinar across two venues; the Gianopulos Family Theater, Saint Sophia and Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Broccoli Theatre. The event was
presented in collaboration with and co-sponsored by the Loyola Marymount University Department of Classics & Archaeology, under the guidance of Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts Dean Richard Fox and Professor Katerina Zacharia. The Classics & Archaeology Department has offered courses on Greek Cinema for 25 years and deeply values its 10-year LMU–LAGFF community partnership, which provides supervised internships to LMU students under Prof. Zacharia’s mentorship.
“As LAGFF marks its 20th year, we are thrilled for the success and support of the 1st LAGFF-doc, dedicated to the creative perspectives of documentary filmmakers. Showcasing 8 International premieres, 10 North American premieres, and 3 LA premieres, Greek and Cypriot documentary films receive a valuable exposure in the US market.” states LAGFF Artistic & Festival Director Aristotle Katopodis. “
The inaugural LMU Prize for Social Justice reflects Loyola Marymount University’s Jesuit mission of service and dedication to promoting justice through education that confronts our world’s most pressing challenges. As part of LMU Greek Cinema Week, the $1,000 award, selected by Prof. Katerina Zacharia in partnership with the LAGFF jury, honors a filmmaker who has spent his career documenting the consequences of our choices and giving voice to those who bear the heaviest burdens of our failures. We proudly present this year’s prize to Yorgos Avgeropoulos for Mankind’s Folly: Climate Crisis and Energy in the Arctic. Through powerful visual evidence and rigorous analysis, Avgeropoulos demonstrates that the Arctic crisis, where permafrost thaws, communities collapse, and fossil fuel extraction continues on sinking ground, represents a global emergency of bitter irony, and reveals that there can be no social justice without environmental justice. When Indigenous peoples lose ancestral lands and traditional ways of life to short-term economic gain, we witness injustice at its most fundamental level. “Avgeropoulos’s honest, objective, and genuinely frightening documentary gives voice to those bearing our failures’ heaviest burdens while demanding the moral courage to confront difficult truths—embodying our commitment to service, justice, and speaking truth,” explains Zacharia.
And The Winners Are…
ORHEUS AWARD
FEATURE FILMS:
The stuff we are made of, directed by Siamak Etemadi.
For many of us, sexual expression and intimacy provide our greatest joy. But for people with physical disabilities, these experiences are challenging at best and sometimes denied. An entry in this year’s festival sensitively and intelligently examines sexuality and intimacy within the physically disabled community. Beautifully filmed with thoughtful, engaging participants, this documentary provides insight into rarely examined issues.
The award for Best Feature Documentary goes to “The stuff we are made of”, directed by Siamak Etemadi. Congratulations to all involved in the production of this lovely, ground-breaking film.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- “Lo“,directed by Thanassis Vasiliou
Honorable mention for its portrayal of personal memory and its intersection with an important chapter of Greece’s collective history. The simultaneous interrogation of personal and national memory asks important questions that deserve recognition and further discussion.
It is our pleasure to award the film “Lo“, directed by Thanassis Vasiliou with the Honorable Mention Award. Congratulations!
- Waves Won’t Stop”directed by Ioannis Papaloizou
An intimate and moving first-person narrative from childhood into adulthood. Using stock and archival footage, the director constructs a mesmerizing portrait of first love, longing, and pathos—marked by separation, reunion, and the internal conflict of two men who can never fully be together. The film draws you into a profoundly recognizable emotional space, capturing the perennial tug-of-war between what the mind dictates and what the heart wants. It is our pleasure to award “Waves Won’t Stop” directed by Ioannis Papaloizou with the Honorable Mention Award.
Audience Award
The Orpheus Audience Award for Feature Documentary film, goes to Mankind’s Folly, directed by Yorgos Avgeropoulos
SHORT FILMS:
ORHEUS AWARD
Change Makers, directed by Casey Beck
The film we honor tonight demonstrates how a few individuals with tenacity and ingenuity can positively impact the world in a huge way. While creating a school of commercial fishing, the charismatic young man, founds an organization that now removes and recycles plastic from the oceans bordering five countries. The Award for Best Short Documentary goes to the expertly crafted, engaging, and well-paced film that shares this story, “Change Makers”, directed by Casey Beck and produced by Mary Cardaras
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- Requiem in Salt and the directors Sylvia Nicolaides & Nicolas Iordanou
For its exceptional artistry in cinematography and visual language that is informed by the art of Motoi Yamamoto, we would like to award Requiem in Salt and the directors Sylvia Nicolaides & Nicolas Iordanou
- My Ioannina Odyssey and the directors Gary Glassman, and Manya Branham Glassman
For its deeply moving portrayal of a personal family history and mythology that resonated profoundly, we would like to award My Ioannina Odyssey and the directors Gary Glassman, and Manya Branham Glassman
AUDIENCE AWARD
My Ioannina Odyssey and the directors Gary Glassman, and Manya Branham Glassman
LMU Social Justice Award
Mankind’s Folly, directed by Yorgos Avgeropoulos
The 20th edition of Los Angeles Greek Film Festival will be held over 7 days from June 1 to June 7, 2026. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization brings films and filmmakers from Greece, Cyprus, and films about Greece to Hollywood and the United States. Over the past 19 years, LAGFF has screened more than 800 films and hosted over 700 filmmakers supporting their films. For Ticket info and details please visit: www.lagff.org
