Harry Mavromichalis is a big fan of actress Olympia Dukakis. The admiration for the multi-talented former Academy Award-winning actress was so strong, he wanted to direct a biographical documentary Olympia as her legacy.

After numerous contacts, she agreed to the project in turn developed into newfound discoveries about the thespian and friendships.

Here’s the synopsis:

The sublimely intimate fly-on-the-wall verité documentary tells a poignant story of a woman finding her own voice on her own terms to assert a gigantic creative force into the world. Rebelling against her suspicious Greek mother to assert her strong sexual drive, fighting the feeling she was “too ethnic” in Boston, and starting her own theatre company in New Jersey instead of waiting for the phone to ring, Olympia Dukakis models how to live life with blazing courage.

Throughout an engrossing story that seamlessly blends past and present, she opens her heart and exposes her truest self to Harry Mavromichalis’ unobtrusive camera. The raw honesty with which Olympia leads us into the core of herself is what makes this film luminary. As fellow actors with whom she has shared the limelight, Laura Linney, Diane Ladd, Whoopi Goldberg, and Armistead Maupin all testify, Olympia is “totally open and crazy,” which is what turns out to be the marker of her absolute sanity.

Exhibiting both candor and vulnerability, we see her deal with age, grief, and sexuality while opening up about her past struggles with depression, suicide, and drug addiction. This intimate portrait of a working-class professional, a scholar actor of intuitive power, and a woman beloved around the world, culminates on the steps of Dukakis’ humble ancestral home in Lesbos, Greece. Through her brutal honesty and sincerity, Olympia compels us to confront our own shortcomings and differences by letting go, and move forward with defiant conviction.

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LRM Online’s Gig Patta discussed with director Harry Mavromichalis the project, including how it came to fruition, her life, and the intimate moments.

For Harry Mavromichalis, Olympia is his directorial feature documentary debut. Currently, he is in post-production for Yankee Restraint, a character piece examining intricacies of a gay relationship spanning decades by tackling issues of love and resentment. In the past, he wrote, directed, and produced multiple short films, music videos, and commercials.

Olympia is available today on Apple TV, digital, and On Demand.

Watch the exclusive interview below. Let us know what you think.

Source: LRM Online Exclusive, Giant Pictures