Zak Kostopoulos
Biography: Zacharias "Zak" Kostopoulos (Greek: Ζαχαρίας «Ζακ» Κωστόπουλος; 22 August 1985 – 21 September 2018) was a Greek-American activist, defending the rights of LGBT people, HIV-positive people, sex workers and refugees. He was also a drag performer under the name Zackie Oh. He was killed at the center of Athens. The trial ended on 3 May 2022, with two men having been found guilty. Zak Kostopoulos was killed on September 21, 2018, from a fatal injury in an incident that took place in the area of Omonia Square in Athens. In particular, Kostopoulos was found trapped inside a jewelry store on Gladstonos Street under unspecified circumstances. He was beaten by the shop owner and a bystander broker, mistaking him for a robber. Following the beating, the bloodied Kostopoulos was arrested by at least 8 police officers who rushed to the scene of the violent incident. Kostopoulos expired while being transported by ambulance to the hospital. After his death, protest marches and gatherings were held in various cities of Greece, while associations, parties and other organizations issued statements, mainly condemning the phenomenon of self-righteousness, which occupied the Greek public opinion for a number of months. Annual marches and commemorative events are held on September 21 in Athens, Thessaloniki and other cities.
Place of Birth: Not available
Birthday: August 22, 1985
Deathday: September 21, 2018
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Known For
Chained (Agora II)
2020-02-13
Chained (Agora II)
Overview: For four and a half years, between 2015 – 2019, acclaimed filmmaker Yorgos Avgeropoulos observed Greek society on multiple levels. As well as having exclusive access to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, he followed others, including a refugee couple from Syria and a mother whose child was murdered by Golden Dawn. The result is a unique and multiple story-lined film: a tale which evolves and unfolds with the characters over time as they face difficult decisions, even to partially achieve their goals.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: el
Release Date: 2020-02-13
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Bitter September
2022-07-01
Bitter September
Overview: September 2018, a terrible assassination takes place in the center of Athens. Zak Kostopoulos, human rights activist and drag queen, is killed in the middle of the day in a busy street. At that moment, Sophia Farantatou is preparing a film about Zak who is her childhood friend. She decides to confront his absence and make this film as a tribute to her friend, a victim of extremism and hatred on a daily basis. With the images at her disposal, she proposes a narrative highlighting the qualities of Zak, a recognized activist and an artist who, beyond his absence, continues to influence her life.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: el
Release Date: 2022-07-01
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Grief – Those Who Remain
2023-03-07
Grief – Those Who Remain
Overview: A descent into the world of mourning and loss through three homicide stories that shook Greek and European society: the cruel murders of Shahzad Luqman, Pavlos Fyssas, and Zak Kostopoulos. The grieving families of the victims converse with their absences, defend the memory of the dead, and turn their suffering into a fight for justice.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: el
Release Date: 2023-03-07
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This is Right: Zak, Life and After
2020-12-01
This is Right: Zak, Life and After
Overview: This is Right: Zak, Life and After is a portrait of Zak Kostopoulos, a well-known queer AIDS activist who was publicly lynched to death in Athens in 2018. Zak's chosen family and community highlight Zak's activist life and the response that his murder has galvanized. Commissioned by Visual AIDS in 2020 as part of TRANSMISSIONS, a program of six new videos considering the impact of HIV and AIDS beyond the United States.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: el
Release Date: 2020-12-01
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This is Right; Zak Life and After
2020-09-27
This is Right; Zak Life and After
Overview: The voices of Zak Kostopoulo's community in a film about her, life and the after. This is Right: Zak, Life and After is a portrait of Zak Kostopoulos, a well-known queer AIDS activist who was publicly lynched to death in Athens in 2018. Zak's chosen family and community highlight Zak's activist life and the response that his murder has galvanized. Commissioned by Visual AIDS in 2020 as part of TRANSMISSIONS, a program of six new videos considering the impact of HIV and AIDS beyond the United States.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: el
Release Date: 2020-09-27
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AKOE/AMFI: The Story of a Revolution (*Just to sleep on their chest…)
2023-03-11
AKOE/AMFI: The Story of a Revolution (*Just to sleep on their chest…)
Overview: Greece, 1977. A proposed law brings gay men and “transvestites” together in a historic event and sparks the creation of the first Greek LGBT movement. For the next 13 years, AKOE and its magazine Amfi, would define the way LGBT Greeks think about themselves. This film celebrates their story and legacy.
Genres: Documentary History
Original Language: el
Release Date: 2023-03-11
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Avant-Drag!
2024-05-23
Avant-Drag!
Overview: Avant-Drag! paints portraits of ten drag artists of varying gender expressions and sexualities who take to the streets of Athens to query, problematise and (yes, please!) undermine social strictures. Employing wildly imagined personas – like riot housewives and Albanian turbo-folk girls – who perform acts as revolutionary as praising abortion and as charming as drawing childish pictures, these artists call for social justice by taking aim at conservatism, patriarchy, patriotism, racism and sexism.
Genres: Documentary
Original Language: el
Release Date: 2024-05-23
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Orfeas2021
2021-11-08
Orfeas2021
Overview: A retro-futurist story of utopian politics, ideological conflicts, supernatural leaders and totalitarian spectacle. Cyberpunk queer pirates against rainbow homo-capitalist normies. Revolution vs reformism; logic vs affect. The trappings of post-internet identity politics through a contemporary take of the myth of Orpheus.
Genres: No genres available
Original Language: el
Release Date: 2021-11-08
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