Smuggling Hendrix
2018, 93 minutes, Digital
Cyprus / Germany / Greece
Language: In Greek, Turkish, and English with English subtitles
Director: Marios Piperides
Cast: Adam Bousdoukos (In the Fade), Fatih Al, Vicky Papadopoulou, and Özgür Karadeniz
Screening within our Baltimore Greek Film Festival, which runs Nov. 2–4. Read more about the festival and the other films in the lineup here.
Yiannis, a fading musician, is planning to leave crisis-ridden Cyprus for a better life abroad. His plans are put on hold when his dog Jimi runs away and crosses the UN buffer zone that divides the “Greek” from the “Turkish” side of the island. Since animal exchange between the two “sides” is prohibited, Yiannis reluctantly joins forces with Hasan, a Turkish settler, and a cast of unexpected characters to smuggle his best friend back. Through the simple story of a man who loses his dog, Smuggling Hendrix gives a vivid demonstration of how the fences we build, both real and imagined, between ourselves and others, can be broken down once we recognize the familiarity in the face of the unknown.
“[A] delightful, droll, and intelligent comedy… captures the absurdity and tragedy of a complicated political situation with a consistently light touch.”
— Alissa Simon, Variety
“An amiable affair that gradually grows on the viewer.”
— Allan Hunter, Screen International
Best International Narrative Feature Award
Tribeca Film Festival
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