MAKING
HISTORY
GSFF EST. 2017
If the vision matters, the journey matters.
2023
What a start to the GSFF season!
What a fabulous day at the magnificent Technopolis City of Athens!
What a way to introduce the latest addition to the GSFF portfolio!
The inaugural Gimme Shelter Open Air Fest took place on a warm September day and set the city center on fire!
Our open air party had it all:
Lazy Man's Load who took their hometown by storm with their groovy sound and on stage antics.
Thrash Metal dynamos Nervosa with their pure girl power, fresh from their world festival tour and a new release.
The legendary Firewind premiered new material from their upcoming studio release at their biggest ever show in Athens! A massive show and a jaw dropping performance that will go down in the books.
Last, but definitely not least, our GSFF Nation who came out in their numbers to celebrate the opening of the GSFF season.
Come October it was time for
Gimme Shelter Film Festival by AMSTEL!
All hyped and vibing we're back at Gagarin for 3 super cool Mondays with 3 massive firsts and a star-studded line up led by the legend that is Steve Wynn.
Shoutouts to AMSTEL, for making all this possible and making sure we never ran out of beer!
This edition of GSFF was a journey through the decades, cultures and movements that defined and shaped music as we know it.
First stop the 80s in LA with legendary
The Dream Syndicate, followed by Total Thrash and the bleak German landscape that nurtured a Thrash Metal scene that became a global phenomenon.
November took us back to the 60s and the Pacific Northwest, with BOOM! A film about the ever so iconic and influential, if somewhat underrated, Punk Rock pioneers, The Sonics.
GSFF is committed to film, music and people.
And this edition was dedicated to all those who fight for their rights and claim their position in every aspect of life.
This goes out to you all , GSFF Nation,
who make our Mondays so f'n cool!
To the filmmakers, Emiel Spoelder, Daniel Hofmann and Jordan Alberten, who trusted us with their work, shared these moments with us and came along in this year's journey!
And to the artists who each Monday blew
the roof off:
Steve Wynn, thanks s for blessing our stage on opening night with your late night acoustic show and an amazing Q&A.
AMKEN; The Acid Visions, you rule!
2022
2022 opened a new cycle for GSFF.
From March till November
it was all about legendary artists, acclaimed premieres,
stunning performances
and cherished moments!
This was truly a year for the books!
March saw the launch of GSFF Pop Up Mondays with the Greek premiere of "Ghost Blues",
when a sold out Gagarin welcomed Rory's nephew, Daniel, who flew all the way from New York, to join us for one of the warmest, most wholesome Q&As ever.
Irish band Deuce opened the night with a career-spanning live tribute to Rory, with local singer/songwriter Kostas Livadas joining them on stage for a couple songs.
April brought us another Pop Up Monday,
dedicated to PJ Harvey, an artist with a special connection with Greek audiences.
Local duo The Noise Figures took to the stage for their first show in Athens in 2,5 years, followed by a brief introductory panel discussion with film critic Poly Lykourgou and writer Vasia Tzanakari.
The perfect warm up for what lay in store for the rest of the night: an amazing video Q&A with photographer/filmmaker Seamus Murphy and the first ever Athenian screening of his documentary, "A Dog Called Money".
In May, Swedish band H.E.A.T,
took the GSFF stage by storm,
with their pure, sexy, intoxicating Rock'n'Roll!
September found us celebrating with Firewind and their amazing
Still Raging: 20th Anniversary Show.
Before we knew it, October came.
And brought us Geoff Tate with his two EMPIRE 30th Anniversary Shows
in Athens and Thessaloniki, that came down in history!
It was about time our regular GSFF screenings programme returned after 3 long years.
And so, it did. Big time!
With something so special that would break every record: the global event for the world premiere of the acclaimed "DIO: Dreamers Never Die" doc!
We bid farewell to a lovely October with the national premiere of "ZAPPA" and welcomed November with yet another special closing night that comprised the national premiere of "Death By Metal" about the legendary Chuck Schuldiner, and a GSFF exclusive:
the Special Preview of the documentary about legendary Greek extreme metallers, Nightfall!
3 acclaimed premieres.
3 iconic artists.
3 nights in the best company...
... our special guests: Wendy Dio, Geoff Tate, Jeff Scott Soto, Hakos Pervanidis, George "Dio" Galanis, Harry Symvoulidis, Efthimis Karadimas, Akis Kapranos, Gus G, and filmmakers Don Argott, Demian Fenton, Alex Winter, Felipe Belalcazar, Antoine de Montremy!
Our incredible opening acts, Rock n Roll Children, Irene Ketikidi and Blasteroid!
And of course, all of you, GSFF Nation!
We had an awesome time!
We miss you already. But will see you very soon.
Keep the vibe alive!
2021
There was no stopping us now! Neither the postponements of the previous months nor the tropical thunderstorm earlier in the day!
It was time for our first ever open-air event, GSFF Technopolis Edition!
For three summer nights under the stars,
it was all about breaking ground and making it happen. It was about getting back together; about bringing back the magic, our missing mojo and everything we’ve been
longing for.
Our live act, Remember Lizzy, the first band to hit an Athens stage after months of silence, officially declared the start of the summer festival season with an amazing setlist of iconic Thin Lizzy hits, played their hearts out and opened our appetite for what would follow. Next up, our guest panel. A fascinating discussion, complete with a guest video appearance by film director Emer Reynolds, that took us all to a journey down memory lane and into the depths of Philo's beautiful and tormented soul.
It was time for our eager audience to enjoy the Greek Premiere of Songs For While I'm Away, and it was well worth the wait. An intimate and inspiring portrait of the legend that is Phil Lynott, directed with pure love and utmost respect by Emer Reynolds.
A film that warmed our hearts and left everyone in awe. From his rough childhood to the rock stardom and everything in between, SFWIA paid tribute to the legacy of a true Irish icon. What a night! What a start to our festival! And this was only the beginning.
Bands can still change your life and IDLES is the living proof. Day 2 was all about "an entertaining and thought provoking study on modern masculinity". About a film that "finds an even stronger story in the community the band has created around them".
Kicking off the proceedings, a young local band full of raw energy. Bazooka stormed the stage as the sun was setting over Athens, fuelled by pure punk attitude , original materialand strong relatable lyrics in their native language.
The best warm up to a night for the books!
On this day, GSFF paid tribute to the vision and legacy of his founder Nikos Triantafyllidis. Two legendary artists, Momus and Blaine L. Reininger shared memories and paid tribute to their late friend and collaborator, whilst a video curated and directed by Marina Danezi took us on a retrospective journey to his life and career.
Alex Bolpasis and Dimitris Papandreou took the stage, with a little help from IDLES' drummer Jon Beavis (on video), in an attempt to introduce us to the earnestness, sensitivity and energy of the band, represented in the film we were about to watch.
Director Mark Archer sadly couldn't join us for the Greek Premiere of his film due to travel restrictions, but his story about finding strength in vulnerability, touched all of us that night.
Don't Go Gentle documents the journey behind IDLES' music and captures the 10 year journey of their struggle, grief and moving determination. Greece was the first country to screen DGG after its world premiere in London and, on that summer night in Athens, the reasons why these five individuals have connected with legions of people across the world, became more than obvious.
Closing day was a true celebration of the local rock scene. With two live bands, an all-star guest panel, a huge crowd and a World Premiere, we couldn't have dreamed of a better way to wrap!
Honeybadger opened the day with a scorching hot live set, but it was Whereswilder with their jaw dropping performance, who confirmed why they are considered one of the best bands around!
GSFF panel discussions are known to be controversial and eye-opening, and this one lived up to this reputation (and then some).
Film co-director Christos Daniilidis shared doozy BTS stories from shooting with Nightstalker and members from Planet of Zeus, whilst local scene icons Eva Kolomvou and Dimitris Panagiotarakos shared thoughts and predictions about the past, present and future, causing cheers and applause.
Such fan to watch and participate!
Whilst the panel discussion left us wiser and somehow bemused, it was The Age of the Denial of Death that had us on the edge of our seats and received a standing ovation.
A film project that started as a dissertation by two university students, found its way to the GSFF screen after two young guys attended one of our screenings at Gagarin and promised themselves that their doc would end up here! And today, their dream came true. Proud of you, guys! What a story! This is what GSFF is all about, people!
So many firsts for us at GSFF Technopolis Edition. And among those firsts, FADE AWAY Photography Exhibition was a true groundbreaker. A project we hope you enjoyed as much as we did.
For the first time ever, GSFF curated and presented an exclusive photo exhibition introducing works by three artists: Jo Brent, Lindsay Melbourne & Chris Kissadjekian.
GSFF is about music.
GSFF is about films.
GSFF is about people.
And for three summer nights under the stars,
it was about breaking ground and making it happen. It was about getting back together; about bringing back the magic, our long lost mojo and everything we been missing for so long.
GSFF is returning to Gagarin in February 2022 with more films, more music, more fun
and of course, Fade Away 2.0!
Huge shout out to everyone who attended,
to our bands and guests, and above all to Technopolis City of Athens, our home from home!
That's a wrap for now. See you all at Gagarin.
It's coming home!
2019
Our opening night proved to be one more jewel on the GSFF crown. The much anticipated ‘Greek Rock Revolution’ made its Athenian debut in front of a sell-out crowd, together with panel discussion led by none other than the director of the film: Miguel Angel Cano Santizo.
As a fan of rock music living in Berlin, he noticed the quality, popularity and frequency of greek rock bands touring there and took to documenting it. Following bands in the area, he didn’t see the typical gritty and wild rock & roll lifestyle.
Instead, he captured regular people on the road, who love their art and were very familiar with their audience. This inspiring documentary on our flourishing local rock scene and the circumstances that birthed it did not disappoint. Neither did our band, Electric Feat!
© Chris Kissadjekian
It was also the second time David Bowie graced GSFF screens. This greek premiere, showed how Mick Ronson, “the Yin to Bowie’s Yang”, instigated and inspired the most creative phase of Bowie’s career & how the two of them changed music forever. The screening was complimented by a vibrant a set by
local David Bowie tribute band, ‘Heroes’.
The only greek movie in GSFF 2019 detailed an unexpected yet romantic story about 4 teenagers from Ilion, West Attica & their band 4 Levels of Existence. They have a tale like no other - we had to feature this local story!
Can you imagine forming a psychedelic rock band in your teens in Ilion, making only one record together and winning a Grammy for it on a Rihanna song 35 years later in Hollywood? Band Otus (also from Ilion) took to the stage with Thanasis Alatas and played the band’s songs for the first time in 45 years.
The final movie was one the local metal band Memorain could relate to. They performed a high energy set for us that blew the lid off GSFF for its final night. The movie, Murder In The Front Row: The San Francisco Bay Area Thrash Metal Story, revealed a central truth about rock
and roll. More than a documentary on the infamous metal scene, the movie exposed the stories and the humanity behind it all… and that’s something we at GSFF identify with too. It was a perfect way to close out our favourite year of the festival yet. In its 3rd year, GSFF
settled into its rhythm and identity as a festival. With great line ups on stage, great team work behind the scenes, and great feedback from our audience... what can we say? We can't wait for 2020!
2018
Opening night saw a milestone in GSFF history as the mighty Nightstalker took to the stage for something they’d never done before: an acoustic set. Trading their usual amped up rig for a candlelit stage, they played their most-loved hits to a mesmerised audience. The local rock
legends enjoyed the intimate experience so much it inspired their 2020 summer tour.
We then welcomed Jason Georgiadis to the stage for a Q&A. As the director of Desert Age: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Scene
History, he brought his experience, knowledge and behind the scene stories of Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and other desert rock stars we all love to hear about. This was definitely one to remember for GSFF history.
A night full of heart tugging moments opened with an amazing live tribute to Bruce Dickinson by Iron Beast, one of the best Iron Maiden tribute bands around. The movie of the night, Scream For Me Sarajevo, shows Bruce, a charismatic artist on a mission and a city under
siege during the civil war. Bruce had just been interviewed by Metal Hammer magazine in the UK about the making of the movie, so we decided to bring in Hakos Pervanidis (Chief Editor, Metal Hammer Greece) and Kostas Chronopoulos (Managing Editor, Metal
Hammer Greece) to join the expert panel with their inside knowledge. They were joined by Sakis Tolis (Frontman, Rotting Christ) who elaborated on his own experience playing Sarajevo having just landed in Athens that evening from his European Tour.
Our third Monday of the festival was the birthday of none other than the legendary Ozzy Osbourne. How could we not celebrate? We screened the movie that chronicled the wind down of the biggest
metal band of all time: The End of The End and even went for our first double-bill. A packed out venue was treated to bands Electric Feat and Karma Violens each performing their take on a
number of Black Sabbath personal favourites. To top it all off, we had Gus G (guitarist to Ozzy for several years) raise a glass and make a birthday toast via video link.
Creativity, inspiration, and friendships are all pretty essential to rock ‘n’ roll as we saw in the screening of American Valhalla with. Iggy, Josh and Anthony. The Noise Figures played some of their new material that night; joined on stage with their new band members for the first time too.
Finally, we experienced the magic that is Pearl Jam live. With the screening of Let’s Play Two, the live album concert film, we saw them bring some of this magic to Gagarin on closing night. As we put GSFF to bed for 2018, from the GSFF team to the panelists on stage, we
acknowledged on all fronts what it takes to dare and how it feels to bring your dream and vision to life: f*cking awesome.
2017
The first year of Gimme Shelter Film Festival and the memory of our inaugural night is a sweet one. The venue was sold out and the vibe was high. As the lights went out and the movie hit the screen, GSFF was well underway with a Greek premiere and an opening night we could be proud of.
Here’s some of the highlights from our first year:
GREEK FIRSTS
As the GSFF Mondays commenced, we had a number of Greek premiere’s including The Rolling Stones: Crossfire Hurricane, Desert Age, Scorpions: Forever and a Day, All Things Must Pass, American Artifact, Kurt Cobain: About A Son, Last Days Here, We Are Twisted F***ing Sister and Queen: A Night In Bohemia.
BOWIE LOVE
People of all ages danced to the Bowie live tribute by “Heroes”. Maria Markouli (music journalist & author) introduced the significance of ‘David Bowie Is’ to an audience of fans. The film was curated and narrated by David Bowie himself and presented for the first time in Greece.
TRIP TO MERCURY
We had a night dedicated to the greatness of Freddie Mercury and Queen, with a screening of The Great Pretender and all of its archival footage prior to the premiere of A Night in Bohemia - truly an historic live performance including the first ever live rendition of the legendary Bohemian Rhapsody. Panelists Giannis Bach Spyropoulos (Songwriter / Producer) and Giannis Giakoumakis (Radio show host, Red 96,3) had much light to shed that night on Mercury’s personal and professional feats.
PUNK FEVER
Things then got into a punk mood with two iconic films, ‘No Asylum Here’ about the Greek Punk/New Wave scene of the 1980’s and ‘The Filth and The Fury’ about the Sex Pistols, directed by the mighty Julien Temple. With a panel to suit the evening, the room was full of laughs, memories and great stories. The panel consisted of:
Takis Giannoutsos
(Radio/TV show host; Drummer, Yeah!)
Giannis Drenogiannis (Journalist/Columnist; Guitar, Yeah!)
Michalis Kafantaris
(Director, No Asylum Here).
PANEL PRIDE
Each of our panels brings something unique in the topic they're discussing or in the combination of industry experts and talent. This panel took the shape of things to come in the GSFF vision. To have iconic mix of greek rock scene pros on stage is one thing, and the privilege of enjoy live discussion between them is another. On the panel:
Anna Papathanasiou
(Singer, Puta Volcano)
Andreas Lagios
(Bassist, Nightstalker)
Giannis Vrazos
(Bassist, Planet of Zeus)
Makis Plagieridis
(DJ, Psychograndmammas as moderator)
A SPECIAL MENTION
We have to mention the pleasure of screening ‘Screamin’ Jay Hawkins: I Put a Spell On Me’ directed by the late founder of Gagarin and visionaire for the festival itself: Nikos Triantafylidis. A devoted life long fan of one of the most influential and pioneering figures in rock ‘n’ roll, he began filming the movie just one year before Jay Hawkins’ death. The icon gave what was to be his last performance just two months before passing and how fortunate we are that this performance was in Athens, December 1999. He would’ve played all night, but he left us with these words of love and devotion:
“WE'RE OUT OF TIME.
BUT IF GOD IS WILLING
AND I HAVE THE STRENGTH
AND IF I'M STILL ALIVE...
I'LL COME BACK.
AND I'LL DO IT AGAIN,
AND AGAIN,
AND AGAIN.
GOODNIGHT."
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
OVER AND OUT
Finally, there was the night of desert grooves both on screen with ‘Lo Sound Desert’ and on the stage. For our closing night we switched things up for the sake of a good time with Puta Volcano post screening. The up-and-coming powerhouse of a band took the stage for an electric set within seconds as we whisked the seats away in no time.
Breaking our own ‘rules’ on closing night was ultimately the best way to promise you that we’ll always be the most laid back film festival you go to.
HERE'S TO MANY MORE YEARS OF CELEBRATING FILM, LIVE MUSIC, GREAT PEOPLE AND RULE BREAKING.
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