Brando with a Glass Eye, the internationally acclaimed debut feature by writer-director Antonis Tsonis, will kick off its theatrical season with a special screening at Lido Cinemas, Hawthorn on Wednesday 25 June at 8:00pm, marking a landmark moment in Greek-Australian independent cinema.
The film has enjoyed a remarkable festival run, including its World Premiere in the Narrative Features competition at Slamdance 2024 — the first Greek-language film in that prestigious category and went on to screen at over 20 international festivals, including in Athens, Thessaloniki, Sofia, Ferrara, Berlin, and London, where it won Best Film at the New Renaissance Film Festival. Described by New York University’s Weird Wave Archive as ‘a pivotal work in contemporary Greek cinema’, the film has captured global critical attention for its haunting blend of realism, performance, and poetic fatalism. “Brando with a Glass Eye worms its way into your soul,” wrote Steve Kopian of Unseen Films.
Set in the moody heart of Athens, the film follows Luca, a struggling actor who commits a botched robbery and befriends the man he injured without revealing his guilt. As he prepares for a life-changing audition in New York, Luca becomes a man caught between illusion and authenticity, performance and fate.
Starring Yiannis Niarros, whose performance has been hailed as ‘emotionally layered’ and ‘transformative’, the film explores themes of guilt, identity, and artistic obsession through a bold Russo-German handheld visual style and a score recorded live in Prague. Produced by Tia Spanos Tsonis and Blake Northfield, and executive produced by Maria Drandaki, Wayne Blair and Panagiotis Fafoutis, the film signals the arrival of Antonis Tsonis as ‘the new voice of Greek cinema’ (Movies We Texted About).
Set in the moody heart of Athens, the film follows Luca, a struggling actor who commits a botched robbery and befriends the man he injured without revealing his guilt. As he prepares for a life-changing audition in New York, Luca becomes a man caught between illusion and authenticity, performance and fate. Starring Yiannis Niarros, whose performance has been hailed as ‘emotionally layered’ and ‘transformative’, the film explores themes of guilt, identity, and artistic obsession through a bold Russo-German handheld visual style and a score recorded live in Prague. Produced by Tia Spanos Tsonis and Blake Northfield, and executive produced by Maria Drandaki, Wayne Blair and Panagiotis Fafoutis, the film signals the arrival of Antonis Tsonis as ‘the new voice of Greek cinema’ (Movies We Texted About).