Greece’s Oscar Entry ‘Arcadia’ Screens in California

Greece’s official submission to the 98th Academy Awards is heading to Northern California for a special one-night screening in San Bruno, and this time audiences will experience it with the filmmaker himself. Arcadia, directed by Yorgos Zois, will screen in a special standalone event presented by the San Francisco Greek Film Festival, with Zois appearing in person for a post-screening Q&A. The screening takes place on Wednesday, 19 November at the Cinemark Century Tanforan in San Bruno, offering local cinephiles a chance to engage directly with one of Greece’s most distinctive contemporary directors.

Arcadia arrives with strong credentials. The film was honoured with the Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2025 San Francisco Greek Film Festival, and its selection as Greece’s official Oscar submission has positioned it as one of the country’s most significant cinematic works of the year. Its presence back in the Bay Area, now in the glow of awards season, feels perfectly timed.

At the heart of Arcadia is the intensely atmospheric story of neurologist Katerina and former doctor Yannis, who travel to a remote seaside town to identify the victim of a tragic accident. As the autumn wind cuts across the dunes and the silence between them thickens, the couple begin to unravel not only the circumstances surrounding the death but the emotional fractures within their own lives. Katerina’s solitary excursions to a rustic beach bar named Arcadia give the film a dreamlike pulse, drawing her deeper into a mystery that is as psychological as it is physical. What follows is a haunting exploration of memory, grief, acceptance and the quiet ways people learn to let go.

Zois, whose work often lingers in the space between realism and the uncanny, creates a landscape that feels both familiar and unsettling. The coastal setting, with its shifting light and empty resort atmosphere, becomes a character of its own. His presence at the screening will allow audiences to hear directly about his creative process, influences and the thematic undercurrents that have shaped Arcadia’s success on the festival circuit.

The event also reflects the continued strength of the San Francisco Greek Film Festival, now the longest-running Greek film festival in the United States. For more than two decades the Festival has championed Greek and Cypriot filmmakers, bringing their stories to audiences far from home while sustaining a vibrant cultural connection with Northern California’s Greek-American community. The Festival has screened more than 400 films since its inception and hosted over 75 filmmakers, demonstrating its commitment to elevating Hellenic cinema and supporting emerging and established voices.

This special screening embodies the Festival’s mission, in that it is not simply about showcasing new work; it is about building a space where Greek storytelling can be experienced with the depth, nuance and conversation it deserves. Zois’ presence adds an intimacy to the evening, turning it into more than a screening. It becomes an encounter with the creative force behind one of Greece’s most talked-about films of the year.

Advance tickets are recommended, and the screening promises to be a highlight for Bay Area audiences who follow Greek cinema closely or who appreciate the kind of introspective, atmospheric filmmaking that lingers long after the lights come up.

ARCADIA special screening

Cinemark Century Tanforan XD, 1188 El Camino Real 4th Floor, San Bruno, CA 94066

Wednesday, November 19, 7:00 PM

Director Yorgos Zois in person for Q&A after the film

Purchase tickets here.

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