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HERE’S YIANNI!
A Heartfelt Greek-American Story of Love, Memory and Family
A Film by Christina Eliopoulos
What happens when memory begins to fade, but love refuses to let go?
HERE’S YIANNI!, the 2024 feature film written and directed by Greek-American filmmaker Christina Eliopoulos, is a deeply personal story about love, family, memory and the extraordinary ways people find connection when life begins to change.
Starring Joe Cortese and Julia Ormond as husband and wife, the film follows a Greek-American couple whose lives are transformed as memory, imagination and reality begin to intersect.
A moving story where humor, family and imagination meet the realities of memory loss.
A Story Inspired by Real Life
At the heart of HERE’S YIANNI! is a true family story. Christina Eliopoulos drew inspiration from her own Greek parents, immigrants who built their lives and family in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
During her father's battle with dementia, he began imagining himself as the host of a late-night television talk show. In his changing world, the people around him became guests on his imaginary program, creating a fascinating and sometimes humorous space where memory, imagination and reality came together.
Eliopoulos transformed that deeply personal experience into a feature film that looks beyond the diagnosis of dementia and focuses instead on the people living through it: the husband, the wife, the family and the community around them.
Yianni's World
Yianni is a warm and charismatic Greek-American diner owner whose life begins to change as his memory deteriorates. He retreats into a parallel world inside his mind, imagining himself as the host of a late-night talk show.
The diner staff and customers become unexpected television guests, allowing Yianni to continue experiencing the world through a familiar language of entertainment, conversation and humor.
Meanwhile, his wife Plousia gradually realizes the seriousness of his condition. She becomes his caregiver and strongest source of support while attempting to protect the man she has loved for forty years.
As Yianni's condition progresses, another emotional dimension enters the story when a woman and her young son move across the street. Yianni becomes convinced that the seven-year-old boy is the son he and Plousia lost decades earlier.
A Strong Cast
Joe Cortese leads the film as Yianni, bringing warmth and humor to a character whose understanding of the world is gradually changing.
Julia Ormond portrays Plousia, Yianni's devoted wife and emotional anchor. The film also features an impressive ensemble cast including Kevin Pollak, Rosanna Arquette, Eric Roberts, Colleen Camp and Sofia Vassilieva.
The cast brings together veteran performers and younger talent, creating an ensemble that supports the film's intimate, family-centered story.
Greek-American Identity at the Center
One of the film's most distinctive elements is its Greek-American identity. HERE’S YIANNI! is not simply a story about dementia. It is also a story about immigration, family traditions, community and the generations that grow from the dreams of Greek immigrants in America.
The story is closely connected to Asbury Park, New Jersey, a place that played an important role in the real-life story of the Eliopoulos family. The community and the Jersey Shore atmosphere become an important part of the film's emotional landscape.
The film also carries elements of Greek culture and family tradition into its portrayal of the characters, creating a story that can resonate strongly with Greek-American audiences while remaining universal in its themes.
Los Angeles Screening
HERE’S YIANNI! Comes to Los Angeles
HERE’S YIANNI! will be presented in Los Angeles on October 2, 2026, giving audiences in Southern California the opportunity to experience Christina Eliopoulos' heartfelt Greek-American story on the big screen.
The film will be screened at the Laemmle Royal, located at 11523 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA.
The Los Angeles screening is an important opportunity for audiences to discover a deeply personal film whose story is rooted in Greek-American family life, immigration, community and the enduring relationship between generations.
Venue: Laemmle Royal
Address: 11523 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Date: October 2, 2026
From a Personal Story to the Big Screen
Christina Eliopoulos approached the project not simply as a filmmaker, but as a daughter translating an intensely personal family experience into cinema.
Her work has explored stories connected to community, identity and personal experience, and HERE’S YIANNI! brings those elements together in a feature-length narrative.
By transforming her family's experience into a fictionalized cinematic story, Eliopoulos creates a film that combines intimate family drama with moments of humor and imagination.
Festival Recognition
The film has enjoyed a notable festival journey. It was selected Out of Competition at the 42nd Torino Film Festival in 2024.
Earlier in its festival run, HERE’S YIANNI! received recognition at the Arpa International Film Festival, including awards for Best Feature Narrative and Best Director for Christina Eliopoulos.
The film also received acting recognition, with Joe Cortese and Julia Ormond receiving jury recognition for their performances.
HERE’S YIANNI!
Love. Memory. Family. Imagination.
Screening in Los Angeles on October 2, 2026.
A Film About What Remains
At its core, HERE’S YIANNI! explores what happens when memories begin to disappear while the emotional bonds created over a lifetime remain.
For Yianni and Plousia, the answer is found in decades of shared life, family, community and love. The film explores the possibility that even when the past becomes difficult to access, new moments of connection can still be created.
Through humor, tenderness and an unmistakably Greek-American perspective, Christina Eliopoulos brings a deeply personal family experience to the screen and turns it into a universal story about the bonds that remain when everything else begins to change.
