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name had been. More of that later. It is at this point that Yiassemides confesses his fantasy about having a time machine so as to go back in true Back to the Future style and change his career. “Don’t get me wrong,” he says. “I am doing very well in my career. I’m dedicated to the company and I’m hard working but…” There is a rare pause before he explains, somewhat wistfully, that numbers and balance sheets are all very well but culture and works of art have enduring value. “You can leave something behind you, for your kids or for future generations,” he says. For now, Spyros Yiassemides’ shot at immortality lies with Sangre Negra, which will be streamed on Amazon Prime. “We’re hoping to premier it in April,” he tells me. “It is a Latinooriented series with a huge cast, including lots of well-known actors making cameo appearances and taking small roles, as well as the main characters played by writer Anthony McKay, Eric Roberts and Arianna Gomez.” Yiassemides is clearly no snob when it comes to TV and, he says, he has absolutely no problem with what he hopes will be a hugely popular series, especially with a Latino audience. “From exploitation B movies to Oscar winners, I’m open to everything,” he says. “I will watch and then judge.” This brings the conversation on to two recent films that have won the Yiassemides seal of approval, both award winners. “I was thrilled to see the success of Ken Loach’s I, Daniel Blake, which happens to be set in Newcastle so I recognised many of the locations, which made it even more special for me,” he tells me. “It is a very moving, emotionally charged and powerful film and a brilliant dramatic performance by comedian Dave Johns.” Inevitably, the other movie is La La Land. “I’m not really into musicals,”
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Yiassemides admits, “but I was blown away for so many reasons: it’s about dream chasing, the chemistry between Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling is fantastic, and I just loved the concept of telling a story musically.” I tell him that I, too, was knocked out by the film, having been tempted into the cinema after reading that the opening sequence had, amazingly,
he tells me. “Quincy Jones, who did an album with Nana Mouskouri many years ago, told us a story of how the Greek composer Mimis Plessas had ‘stolen’ a girl from him in their younger days! He talked about Michael Jackson and showed us the gold ring that Frank Sinatra gave him.” The time Yiassemides was in
IF WE’RE GOING TO AIM FOR SOMETHING, LET’S AIM HIGH! been filmed in a single take. I have since discovered that, although the scene was designed to look like a single shot nearly six minutes long, it was, in fact, three shots stitched together. No matter. It provokes a lively monologue about the greatest single takes in cinema history before I ask my guest to name his all-time favourite movie. He doesn’t stop to catch a breath before announcing, “I’m going to cheat slightly and say the Godfather trilogy. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts and today you can’t watch one without the other. As a standalone, I didn’t like the third one but combined with the other two, it’s just right.” I try to imagine what it must have been like for someone with this man’s love for, and knowledge of, the cinematic art to attend the 2014 TriBeCa Film Festival. “Incredible” is the word he uses. “I met so many people there and I was delighted to discover that so many of the people we think of as big stars are actually very friendly and down-to-earth.” The only two exceptions were the previously mentioned Thomas Haden Church and Don Johnson, whom Yiassemides approached on a different occasion and was somewhat rudely dismissed. “Everyone else was fantastic,”
New York coincided with Greek Orthodox Easter and so he was taken by relatives to church on Easter Saturday. A few metres away was Tom Hanks, his wife Rita Wilson and Nia Vardalos. Forced to dismiss the idea of talking to one of his idols in such a place on such a night, he determined to approach Hanks once the service was over. “By the time we were out of the church, he was gone,” he recalls, adding, “I may not need the time machine for that. Tom Hanks is something of a regular among the Greek American community. Maybe next time.” Who knows? Yiassemides is obviously one of those people who sets goals and gives his all to achieve them. As we get up to leave, he tells me that he already pictures himself graduating with his Ph.D and having his children there. “I also visualise Sangre Negra winnng an Emmy,” he says, with a grin. “If we’re going to aim for something, let’s aim high! Next year, I’m hoping to go the BAFTA Awards. And it’s all thanks to a career in accounting!”