The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center has announced the return of its Park your Cinema outdoor film screening series at the Stavros Niarchos Park Great Lawn.
The free events, presented in collaboration with the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, will feature a selection of popular musicals for adult audiences.
A concurrent children's program, Park your Cinema Kids, will show films about friendship and family curated by the Athens International Children's and Youth Film Festival.
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation provides a grant that makes the screening program possible, supporting the majority of events at the cultural center.
The Natural Gas Hellenic Energy Company will again support both series. The company is adding a specially designed public lounge area and organizing creative activities for children before each kids' screening.
Musicals under the stars
The adult program, curated by the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, approaches the musical as a cinematic language that uses rhythm and melody to express emotion. The lineup features four iconic films.
The series opens Friday, August 7 at 21:00 with the 1972 film Cabaret, directed by Bob Fosse. Liza Minnelli delivers a commanding performance as American singer Sally Bowles at the Kit Kat Klub in 1930s Berlin, set against the rise of the Nazis. Michael York, Helmut Griem, Joel Grey and Marisa Berenson co-star in the film, which offers a portrait of decadence and impending threat. It won eight Academy Awards, including Best Actress, Best Director, Film Editing, Original Score, Cinematography and Best Supporting Actor.
On Friday, August 14 at 21:00, the park will screen the 1952 classic Singin' in the Rain. Directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, the movie stars Kelly alongside Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds. The plot follows silent film stars navigating the transition to sound cinema in the late 1920s. Don, his friend Cosmo and rising actress Kathy hatch a plan to turn a potential disaster into a triumph in this golden age of Hollywood classic.
Martin Scorsese's 1977 musical New York, New York will play on Friday, August 21 at 21:00. The post-World War II jazz story follows a passionate relationship between ambitious saxophonist Jimmy and charismatic singer Francine, played by Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli. Lionel Stander also stars in the film, which serves as a tribute to the American metropolis.
The adult schedule concludes Sunday, August 30 at 21:00 with the 2008 film Mamma Mia!, directed by Phyllida Lloyd. Sophie dreams of a perfect wedding and wants her father to give her away, but must first discover his identity. Based on the Broadway musical featuring songs by ABBA, the movie explores true loves lost and found. Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Stellan Skarsgard, Colin Firth, Julie Walters and Christine Baranski star.
The screenings for Singin' in the Rain, New York, New York and Mamma Mia! are specially adapted for people with autism and sensory processing issues.
Family summer stories
The Park your Cinema Kids program, themed Ohana at the Park, draws inspiration from the 2002 animated film Lilo & Stitch. The lineup features stories set in summer locations.
The family series begins Saturday, August 8 at 21:00 with Anchors Up, a 2017 film directed by Simen Alsvik and Will Ashurst. The story follows Elias, a rescue boat who saves a ship during a storm and gets a new job. After a fight with a local gang, he uncovers an illegal mining operation of a precious metal that emits weather-altering electromagnetic waves, and must ask his old friends for help. The film is dubbed in Greek.
On Saturday, August 15 at 21:00, the center will screen Cattle Hill, a 2018 movie directed by Lise I. Osvoll. The Greek-dubbed film follows a city cow named Clara who dreams of being a music star. After receiving a letter from her estranged father, she visits his country farm, where she makes her first friend and helps save the property from a greedy businessman. This screening is adapted for people with autism and sensory processing issues.
The 2022 film Dolphin Boy, directed by Mohammad Kheirandish, will play Saturday, August 22 at 21:00. The Greek-dubbed movie tells the story of a boy raised by dolphins, similar to Tarzan in the forest, who lives happily until a villainous octopus threatens their underwater universe. With help from a good captain and his favorite dolphin, the boy travels from the seafloor to mysterious islands.
On Saturday, August 29 at 21:00, audiences can watch the 2023 live-action remake of Disney's The Little Mermaid, directed by Rob Marshall. Based on the Hans Christian Andersen tale, the movie stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, the youngest daughter of King Triton, who makes a dangerous deal with the sea witch Ursula to meet Prince Eric. Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy and Javier Bardem co-star. The Greek-dubbed version features singer Marina Satti providing the voice for Ariel's songs, originally composed by Alan Menken, who won two Academy Awards for the animated original.
September screenings
The kids' program continues Friday, September 4 at 20:30 with Stand By Me, the 1986 film directed by Rob Reiner. Based on a Stephen King coming-of-age novel, the movie follows four boys on a journey to find the body of a boy they heard is lying dead near train tracks. Along the way, they confront a gang of older boys seeking the same discovery. Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Kiefer Sutherland star. The screening features Greek subtitles and is adapted for people with autism and sensory processing issues.
The series concludes Friday, September 11 at 20:30 with Lilo & Stitch, directed by Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders. The Greek-dubbed Disney film explores the bond between a Hawaiian girl named Lilo and Stitch, a wanted alien genetic experiment hiding on Earth. Lilo adopts him thinking he is a dog, teaching him the meaning of ohana, or family.
