Yet another triumph for the Greek cinema this year- Phylipos Citos's comedy "Plato's Academy" left the film festival in Locarno on Saturday with several awards. The movie got the Universal Award and third award for newcomers, and Andonis Kafedzopoulos, the leading actor, got the precious Leopard for the Best Actor.

Andonis Kafedzopoulos didn't miss the opportunity to talk about the December events in Athens when on the stage in Piazza Grande, as well as the "movie-makers in the fog" movement in Greece. He made it clear that the "movie-makers in the fog" are not going to present their movies at the Thessaloniki film festival if a new cinema law is not enacted until September 1. "We are 65 producers and directors that have opposed the institutions and started producing independent movies" said Andonis Kafedzopoulos. Since September is really close, he emphasized that they are going to stand by their word and not play a single scene of a Greek movie at the Thessaloniki International Festival.

To be noted, it has been a while since a Greek actor had won an award at a foreign festival; at the same festival in 2002, Georgios Karayannis, still a kid back then, had the leading part in Peni Panayotopoulo's "Harsh farewells: my dad" and received a performance award.

Andonis Kafedzopoulos admitted that this was his first participation in a foreign festival, where he received his first award. The director Phylipos Citos on the other hand, said he felt like received an Oscar. Their emotions were even more promoted by the warm welcome the movie received from the audience with its first show.  "The audience was convinced that we were going to get the first award. And we probably would, if it were not a comedy but a heavy psychological drama," jokes the director.

The "Plato's Academy" comedy tells the story of a kiosk owner (Andonis Kafedzopoulos), suffering from xenophobia, who finds out that an Albanian laborer from the neighborhood is his brother.

Phylipos Citos, the director, left Locarno with great impressions not only from the festival itself; he said that the citizens were not only audience but a part of the festival. As if it was taking place in their homes." This explains the great interest- 160 000 people, and on each "Plato's Academy" screenplay there were 2 500 people present, with all the tickets for the movie sold out.

Interest towards the festival was also shown by foreign distributing companies, as Germany and Switzerland have already bought the rights to show the movie in their movie theaters. In Greece the movie will be in the cinemas during fall, and the official premier will take place at the Athens festival "Premier nights", between September 16 and 27.