Man of Grease
| Man of Grease | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Ezra Soiferman |
| Written by | Ezra Soiferman |
| Produced by | Ezra Soiferman |
| Starring | Tony Koulakis |
| Edited by | Mika Goodfriend |
| Music by | Josh Dolgin |
Release date |
|
Running time | 50 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Man of Grease is a Canadian documentary film, directed by Ezra Soiferman and released in 2000.[1] The film is a portrait of Tony Koulakis, a Greek immigrant who was the longtime owner of the Cosmos diner in the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough of Montreal, Quebec, as he begins his preparations to retire and hand over ownership of the restaurant to his son Nikos and daughter Niki.[2]
The film's title was selected as a pun, referencing both Koulakis's Greek heritage and the grease associated with cooking food in a diner.
Distribution
[edit]The film premiered at the Montreal World Film Festival on August 28, 2000,[3] and was screened at other film festivals before having a brief commercial run in 2001.[4]
It was later released on DVD in 2011.[5]
A sequel film, with the working title The Holy Grill, was in the works at the time of Koulakis's official retirement in 2002,[6] although there is no known record of its completion or release.
Awards
[edit]The film was a Jutra Award nominee for Best Documentary Film at the 3rd Jutra Awards in 2001.[7]
Followup
[edit]Several years after Tony Koulakis's retirement, he was stabbed to death in 2013,[8] with his son Yannis convicted of murder and sentenced to nine years in prison in 2016.[9]
Nikos and Niki Koulakis retained ownership of the restaurant until putting it up for sale in 2020.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ Marla Cranston, "Grease gastronomes dish diner details: Documentaries look at greasy- spoon culture". Halifax Daily News, September 21, 2000.
- ^ Bill Brownstein, "That Cosmo man: Film-maker pays tribute to Tony Koulakis and his greasy spoon as Montreal institutions". Montreal Gazette, August 26, 2000.
- ^ John Griffin, "The Reel Deal: World Film Festival honcho Serge Losique embodies event's ideals"]. Montreal Gazette, August 19, 2000.
- ^ Susan Schwartz, "Film-makers worship together". Montreal Gazette, November 11, 2001.
- ^ Bill Brownstein, "Man of Grease and his spatula finally on DVD". Montreal Gazette, December 2, 2011.
- ^ Bill Brownstein, "Man of Grease hands down spatula". Montreal Gazette, November 22, 2002.
- ^ Odile Tremblay, "Fournée de finalistes". Le Devoir, January 24, 2001.
- ^ Giuseppe Valiante, "Iconic Montreal eatery owner slain". Kingston Whig-Standard, June 24, 2013.
- ^ "Son sentenced for murdering father". Montreal Gazette, February 20, 2016.
- ^ "Legendary Cosmos restaurant in N.D.G. is put up for sale". Montreal Gazette, May 5, 2020.
External links
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