Greek-American Film ‘Promakhos’ to Be Screened in Washington, D.C.

The Greek Culture Foundation, the Department of Modern Greek Studies at Georgetown University and the Pillars of Greek Culture Foundation have organized a screening of the film “Promakhos” at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, May 28.

“Promakhos,” referring to the statue of goddess Athena, is a love story between two Greek lawyers and their judicial dispute with the British Museum for the Parthenon Marbles’ return to Greece. Andreas (Pantelis Kodogiannis), who was forced to leave Greece as a child, returns to Athens in 2011 amid the economic and social crisis in order to collect data and reveal to the world that Parthenon Marbles were sold to the British Parliament in 1816 illegally with the use of forged documents. He falls in love with his colleague Eleni (Kassandra Voyagis) on the way back to London to initiate the legal proceedings.

The film screenwriters, producers and directors are Coerte and John Voorhees. This was the Greek-American brothers’ first feature film. Coerte Voorhees came up with the idea while completing his dissertation at Georgetown University on the Parthenon Marbles. The two brothers wrote the script during their postgraduate studies: Coerte at the University of Southern California School of Film Arts of and John at the Stanford University Business Administration School.

The high artistic and moral value of this film focuses on the love between a man and his country or between a man and a woman.

The film directors are advocating the Parthenon Marbles’ return to Greece, which will allow for the restoration of the Parthenon as a monument. A key element of their argument is the revelation that the sculptures’ sale was based on forged documents. They hope that when more people in the international community understand the Parthenon Marbles’ history, they will be able to pass on their significance to the next generations.