Papadopoulos & Sons

Papadopoulos & Sons is a 2012 British comedy-drama film written and directed by Marcus Markou and self-distributed in the UK and Ireland by Markou's own company Double M Films through an agreement with Cineworld[3] on 5 April 2013.[4] Cineworld initially agreed to distribute the film for one week only in a limited number of screens across the UK, but due to unprecedented audience demand, extended the run while expanding to more venues.[5]

Papadopoulos & Sons
UK release poster
Directed byMarcus Markou
Produced bySara Butler
Andrew Markou
Written byMarcus Markou
StarringStephen Dillane
Georges Corraface
Ed Stoppard
Georgia Groome
Frank Dillane
Selina Cadell
Cosima Shaw
Music byStephen Warbeck
CinematographyJames Friend
Edited bySebastian Morrison
Production
company
Double M Films
Distributed byDouble M Films
Release date
  • October 2012 (2012-10) (Dinard Film Festival)[1]
  • 5 April 2013 (2013-04-05) (United Kingdom)
Running time
105 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£825,000[2]

Plot

Greek immigrant Harry Papadopoulos has got it all: a mansion house, awards and a super rich lifestyle as a successful entrepreneur reigning over a financial empire in the food industry. But when the banking crisis hits, Harry and his family - shy horticulturist James, snobby fashion victim Katie, and precocious child prodigy Theo - lose everything. Everything, except the dormant and forgotten Three Brothers Fish & Chip Shop half-owned by Harry's larger-than-life brother Spiros who's been estranged from the family for years.

With no alternative, Harry and his family are forced to pack their bags and reluctantly join `Uncle Spiros´ to live above the neglected Three Brothers chippie. Together they set about bringing the chip shop back to life under the suspicious gaze of their old rival, Hassan, from the neighbouring Turkish kebab shop whose son has his own eyes on Katie. As each family member comes to terms with their new life, Harry struggles to regain his lost business empire. But as the chip shop returns to life, old memories are stirred and Harry discovers that only when you lose everything can you be free to find it all.

Main cast

Production

Papadopoulos & Sons was inspired by Marcus Markou's own family history and cultural roots, which fuelled his desire to focus on family unity: "I came from a very tight-knit Greek-Cypriot family", said the director. "However, as we grew older and grew up, my family, like so many other families, broke apart. I also lost so many of my Hellenic roots. In making the film I reached out to that sense of family that had been lost and I reached out to my Hellenic roots. [The film] is not about being Greek or Cypriot at all. I use that as backdrop. It really is about family unity at a difficult time".[6]

The film was shot in the London area. The crew found a street with two empty shops in Morden, South London, and took the lease on them. One became the chip shop The Three Brothers, the other the rival kebab shop. The bridge scene was filmed in Morden Hall Park. The city scenes were filmed in Central London and the mansion scenes in Croydon. Finally, the Papadopoulos factory was set in a real Greek food factory in East London.[7]

Reception

Papadopoulos & Sons was awarded three stars out of five by The Guardian, which described the film as "an ambitious attempt to rewrite Lear for laughter rather than tears. It's a throwback, but relaxed, sweet and funny with it: a first feature that makes an impression by not pushing too hard to make an impression".[8] The Daily Telegraph compared it to Raymond De Felitta's City Island and concluded that "it gets by almost wholly on hangdog charm, but that’s an underrated asset, and so is Dillane, delivering a terse and rueful performance that’s typically excellent."[9] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 71% based on 14 reviews, with an average rating of 5.73/10.[10]

It was shown at several film festivals across the world, including the annual Festival of British Cinema in Dinard, France,[11] the Palm Springs International Film Festival,[12] the Seattle International Film Festival[13] and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, where it received the Michael Cacoyannis Audience Award.[14] It was also screened at the European Parliament in November 2012.[15]

In June 2013, the film was released in 70 cinemas in Germany, with almost 24,000 admissions during the first weekend.[16] It was later screened in Nicosia, Cyprus for a week in late November 2013, with all proceeds being donated to a charity helping people who have been affected by the economic crisis.[17] The film was later picked up for TV distribution in the UK, France, Germany, Greece and the Middle East.[18]

Director Marcus Markou was nominated for the "Breakthrough British filmmaker" award at the London Film Critics Circle Awards 2013 for his work on Papadopoulos & Sons.[19]

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References
  1. "Reflections on the Dinard Film Festival, Part 1 (It's a Jumper)". Papadopoulos & Sons. 16 October 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  2. https://stephenfollows.com/full-costs-and-income-of-1m-independent-feature-film/
  3. The Guardian (16 April 2013). "Papadopoulos & Sons : the plucky underdog". Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  4. Cineworld. "Papadopoulos & Sons on Cineworld". Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  5. Birmingham Mail. "Brum fish and chips movie Papadopoulos & Sons set for wider release after beating Hollywood blockbuster in London". Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  6. Marcus Markou (1 April 2013). "Papadopoulos & Sons official Q&A session". Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  7. Marcus Markou. "Papadopoulos & Sons official Q&A session".
  8. The Guardian (4 April 2013). "Papadopoulos & Sons – review". Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  9. The Daily Telegraph (4 April 2013). "Papadopoulos & Sons – review". Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  10. "Papadopoulos & Sons (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  11. Dinard Film Festival official website. "Papadopoulos & Sons - British Film Festival". Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  12. Hollywood Reporter (11 January 2013). "Papadopoulos & Sons: Palm Springs Review". Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  13. Seattle International Film Festival (May 2013). "Seattle Film Festival : Papadopoulos & Sons". Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  14. Greek Reporter (11 November 2012). "Papadopoulos Wins Best Actor at Thessaloniki Film Festival". Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  15. BBC (12 December 2012). "Film-maker's shock at mothers begging on Athens streets". Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  16. Guardian (3 July 2013). "Film blog: Papadopoulos & Sons, The Export". Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  17. The Cyprus Daily (25 November 2013). "Papadopoulos & Sons". Retrieved 27 November 2013.
  18. "Full costs and income of a £1m independent feature film". Stephen Follows. 4 May 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  19. The Hollywood Reporter (17 December 2013). "'12 Years a Slave' Leads London Critics' Circle Film Awards Nominations". Retrieved 18 December 2013.
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