BOY ON A DOLPHIN TRIBUTE
Celebrating Hydra’s first Hollywood film
Mandraki Beach | Saturday 4 October 2025
A Culturally Immersive Evening of Film, Fashion, Dance & Music
Our Boy on a Dolphin tribute formed a centrepiece of ArtCinema Hydra’s 2025 programme, transforming Mandraki Beach - one of the film’s original locations - into an open-air cinema and seaside taverna. The event was presented under the auspices of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and the Italian Embassy in Athens.
The community-wide celebration evoked the glamour of the 1950s through film, fashion, music and dance. In collaboration with Lefterakis Taverna, invited guests also enjoyed a special dinner while taking part in the evening’s programme.
Special guests included acclaimed fashion designer Vassilis Zoulias and actress and model Dorotea Mercuri, who reflected on Sophia Loren’s enduring influence on cinema, fashion and popular culture.
The programme featured music by the Hydra Music Club and Panagiotis and Giannis Gavalas, alongside performances by Hydra Dancers celebrating local talent and Ti Einai Afto Pou To Lene Agapi (What Is This Thing Called Love?), composed by Takis Morakis for the original film.
ArtCinema also presented the world premiere of its first film production, Hydra & Sophia: Echoes of the Dolphin, accompanied by talks from director Antonis Sotiropoulos, writer and producer Georgia Andreou, and ArtCinema founder and producer Amanda Palmer.
The evening concluded with a fully restored 4K presentation of the 1957 classic, following its Athens debut earlier that year.
ABOUT OUR HONOURED GUESTS
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Vassilis Zoulias
Internationally renowned Greek fashion designer Vassilis Zoulias joined the evening as an honoured guest, sharing insights into 1950s style and Sophia Loren’s enduring influence on fashion. His participation also inspired our 1950s fashion challenge.
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Dorotea Mercuri
Italian-Greek actress and model Dorotea Mercuri joined the evening to celebrate Sophia Loren’s influence and the cultural connection between Greece and Italy. She also took part in our film and fashion conversation and 1950s Fashion Challenge.
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Nicole Alexandropoulos
Greek-Italian director and producer Nicole Alexandropoulos, founder and artistic director of the Athens Fashion Film Festival, joined ArtCinema to celebrate the shared film and fashion heritage of Greece and Italy through Boy on a Dolphin and Sophia Loren.
HYDRA & SOPHIA:
ECHOES OF THE DOLPHIN
ArtCinema presented the world premiere of its first film production accompanied by talks from director Antonis Sotiropoulos, writer and producer Georgia Andreou, and ArtCinema founder and producer Amanda Palmer.
In 1956, Italian icon Sophia Loren arrived on the island to star in Boy on a Dolphin, marking a pivotal moment that forever linked Hydra to her international legacy.
Our 30-minute documentary explores how that encounter between Greece, Italy, and Hollywood brought Hydra’s beauty and culture to a global audience, shaping its cinematic mythology.
In 1956, Italian icon Sophia Loren arrived on the shores of Hydra to star in Boy on a Dolphin, Greece’s first Hollywood feature film.
MANDRAKI BEACH
HYDRA’S CINEMATIC SHORE
Mandraki Beach lies within a sheltered historic bay, a scenic walk east of Hydra Port. Once used as the island’s naval harbour and later featured as an original filming location for Boy on a Dolphin, it offered a setting where Hydra’s maritime and cinematic histories could meet.
Its calm waters, open horizon and distance from the bustle of the main port created a naturally intimate setting for our tribute. Returning the film to Mandraki allowed audiences to experience the 1957 classic within the landscape that helped shape its enduring connection to Hydra.
A CLASSIC REIMAGINED
Hydra Music Club presented a special interpretation of Ti Einai Afto Pou To Lene Agapi (What Is This Thing Called Love?), composed by Takis Morakis for the original Boy on a Dolphin.
Their unique cover brought the film’s celebrated music back to Mandraki Beach, connecting its cinematic legacy with a new generation of Hydra musicians and audiences. Audiences were invited to learn the words and join the performance.
CINEMA & DINNER BY THE SEA
Alongside the screening of Boy on a Dolphin, guests experienced a special seaside dinner created in collaboration with Lefteris Mavros and Stou Lefteraki. The multi-course menu celebrated the family’s long tradition of refined Greek cooking, bringing local flavour and hospitality into the heart of the evening.
Hydriots and visiting guests gathered at the taverna and along Mandraki Beach, with shared dishes, complimentary bites and drinks extending the programme beyond the screen into a relaxed community dining experience.