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The Wooden Heart

Reflecting on the objects, documents, images and memories that made up a Greek-American family’s life during the zenith of post-war prosperity and optimism in Southern California, The Wooden Heart is a testament of love, a requiem to a place and time - a moving and meditative essay on grief and letting go of all that we once knew as home.

  • Chris Emmanouilides
    Director
    8 Cups Ago (2018), Archive (2013), Remains (1993), Suelto! (1989), A Border Crossing (1988)
  • Chris Emmanouilides
    Writer
  • Chris Emmanouilides
    Producer
    Talk Fast (2001), The Ad & the Ego (1994)
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Memoir, Essay, Personal, Family history, Climate
  • Runtime:
    60 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    August 24, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    25,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    HD, HDV, DV
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Los Angeles Greek Film Festival
    Los Angeles
    United States
    October 15, 2020
    World Premiere
Distribution Information
  • Chris Emmanouilides
    Country: United States
Director Biography - Chris Emmanouilides

Chris Emmanouilides continues to make personal essay films after a long career as a television production company executive and producer of award winning documentaries and reality-based series for numerous cable networks.

His recent films include Archive (2013) which premiered at the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival and won the Audience Choice Orpheus Prize, and 8 Cups Ago (2018) about a filmmaking adventure during the World Cup in Mexico in the summer of ’86.

He co-produced and photographed The Ad and the Ego, (1994) a critical look at the impact of advertising on culture and the environment that took first prize in its category at the San Francisco International Film Festival. Chris was Co-Producer and Director of Photography on Talk Fast, a feature-length documentary that follows a group of struggling screenwriters in Hollywood.

His early films include Remains (1993) and A Border Crossing (1988). His film Suelto! about running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 1990.

He received his MFA in Radio-Television-Film from Temple University and resides with his wife and daughter in Rutledge, PA.

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Director Statement

A film essay begins as shapeless material. An idea with unknown dimension often gestates for years. Impressions become words; images new and old are thread together, weaved into sequences. The small, personal story expands, touches on universal themes, elicits common emotion. A story finds its unique form to the surprise and recognition of many.