Aristotle (Aris) Katopodis

Aris Katopodis graduated from UCLA with studies in Chemistry and Film, subsequently earning an MBA. He has been involved in the Los Angeles theater scene as a director and producer for more than twenty years. He also worked as a technology Program Manager with various Information Technology industries in Southern California. Katopodis was born in Athens, Greece, with roots in Corfu and Lefkas, and the films of all the great masters, Kurosawa, Ozu, Fellini, Antonioni, Bertolucci, Visconti, Wenders, Tarkovsky, Ford, Huston, Kubric, Scorsese, Cassavetes, Coppola, Peckinpah, Cohen, Lynch, Burton, as well as in films by Greek filmmakers, such as Kakoyiannis, Angelopoulos, Voulgaris, Koundouros, and Damianos. These works have been not only an inspiration, but also a continuous education, informing every aspect of film as the ultimate synthesis of expressive arts. An evolving art form, modern cinema continues to offer a milieu for innovation, creativity, and groundbreaking opportunities for expression and social commentary. Modern Greek cinema exists in a particularly pivotal and critical point in its history, as Greece moves through unique socio-economic times. Greek cinema reflects and questions the changes and upheaval that the Greek society experiences with a bold and at times unnerving look. Since 2014 Aris Katopodis has been the Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival.