Our People
The Board
Dr. Menas Kafatos - Thaao Penghlis - Sokratis Alafouzos
Legal Advisor - Secretary: Pantelis Kodogiannis
Sokratis Alafouzos
Founder - Artistic Director
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Sokratis Alafouzos is a theater and film director, actor, screenwriter, and educator. With extensive experience as a leading actor, he has established a remarkable career on both stage and screen and has stepped into the role of director in both theater and film. His diverse body of work has earned him international recognition and numerous accolades for his accomplishments as a director, screenwriter, and performer.
His knowledge of theater and acting complemented his passion for film and the moving image. He applied his expertise in acting and stage direction, along with play and character analysis, to the world of film. To develop a holistic approach to directing and teaching, he also expanded his skills in cinematography, lighting, sound, and film editing.
His dedication to excellence, paired with a deep understanding of the artistic and educational fields, enables him to lead initiatives effectively while fostering a culture of innovation and accomplishment that inspires those around him. Throughout his career, he has been recognized for his integrity and ethos, establishing him as a trusted leader and collaborator.
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
Chapman University, California
- He was honored to be appointed as a Presidential Fellow in Greek Theater. (Jan 2022-June 2023)
- Developed a new course based on his research on Sophocles' "Antigone" and taught it for two semesters in the Honors Department.
- Taught a course on Theater Directing and directed the production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” for the Department of Theater.
- Taught graduate courses in Advanced Directing Performance Techniques for the Film Department.
Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, California
Adjunct Faculty/Lecturer
- Teaching graduate courses in Film Directing and Directing Performance Techniques since August 2023.
California State University - Fullerton
Adjunct Faculty/Lecturer
- Taught a Theater Course, ‘Fundamentals of Acting’, for The Department of Theater & Dance
(Jan 2025 – June 2025)
Professional Affiliations: SAG-AFTRA, GDG.
HONORS AND AWARDS
- Honorary Award by Eliza's President, Marina Karella, for contributions to the Elisa Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. (Nov. 2015)
Film Festivals and Competitions:
Notable Selective Awards
- Best Debutante Director Award – Jaipur International Film Festival – Feb 2026
- Best Documentary – Tokyo Women Film Festival – Jan. 2026
- Best Women Empowerment Film – Calgary Indie Film Awards – Nov. 2025
- Best Documentary – London Greek Film Festival, London, U.K. (2025)
- Honorary Mention “Best Talent Feature Documentary” - Cyprus International Film Festival (2025)
- Best Script - Kinofilm International Short Film Festival, Manchester, U.K. (2016)
- Jury Award - Be Epic London International Film Festival, U.K. (2016)
- Rising Star Award - Canada International Film Festival. (2016)
- Grand Jury Prize - Tangier Mediterranean Short Film Festival. (2015)
- Best International Short - Salento International Film Festival, Italy (2015)
- Best International Short - Manhattan Film Festival. (2012)
- Best International Short - Salento International Film Festival, Italy. (2012)
- Best Greek Film & Audience Award – Cyprus International Film Festival. (2012)
- Audience Award – 60N OS International Film Festival, Norway.
Acting Awards:
- Best Actor - Madrid International Film Festival for his performance in Little King (2012)
- Best Actor - Korfiatika Awards for the TV series Air Silences (2002)
- Acting Award at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival for the film The Noose (1987)
Scholarships and Special Recognitions:
- Fulbright Scholarship for Post-Graduate Studies in Acting and Directing in the U.S. (1991)
- Honored by AWOG - American Women’s Organization of Greece. (2003)
- Honorary Award for his film Little King by the Greek Institute of Arts in New York (2012)
- Honorary Award for his achievements by NGO Korifogrammi. (2013)
- Honored by HAWC PACIFIC – Hellenic American Women’s Council (Nov 2025)
EDUCATION
- BA in Performing Arts - Professional Theater School of Athens “Nikolaos Binas.” (1982-85)
- Dance Studies at the Cay Holden Dance Academy (Oct 1983- May 1987)
- Film Directing courses – Hatzikou Film School. (Sep 1987- May 1988)
- Fulbright Scholarship, U.S. (1991-1992)
- Postgraduate studies in Acting and Directing at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. (1991-94)
- Film Directing Seminars, ‘Directors on Directing’– American Film Institute. (1994)
- Participated in the Reykjavik International Film Festival Talent Lab in October 2015.
He attended masterclasses both as a professor and as a student with Anthony Hopkins, David Cronenberg, Oliver Stone, William Friedkin, Martha Coolidge, Alexander Payne, Chloe Zhao, Emerald Fennell, Brendan Fraser, Daniel Scheinert, Ke Huy Quan, Asghar Farhadi, Ben Stiller, Gus Van Sant, John Badham, Margarethe von Trotta, Helga Stephenson, Valdis Oskardottir.
JURY EXPERIENCE plus
- He served as a Grant Review Panelist for the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture's Organizational Grant Program. (2026)
- Juror, ECU - The European Independent Film Festival, Paris (2013-2015).
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
- Good Will Ambassador, Elisa - Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (2014-2020).
PUBLIC SPEAKING AND EVENTS
Curated and hosted significant events.
- Master of Ceremonies at the Hellenic American Women’s Council (HAWC) 2024 Conference at Loyola Marymount University. (Nov. 2024)
- Motivational Speaker at the event “A Child That Wanted to Live” following the screening of his film “Between Black and White” at the Poreia Theater. (June 2022)
- Curator and Host at the international online event “Honor the Country in Which Theater Was Born” (March 20, 2021)
- Keynote Speaker at the event organized by the Eliza Society aimed at raising awareness of child trauma after the screening of his film “Between Black and White” at the Literary Society Parnassos, attended by the former royal family of Greece. (Nov 18, 2015)
- Keynote Speaker at five events titled “From Dream to Reality,” following the screening of his film “Little King” at the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation. (19/20/27 May-10&17June 2013)
Dr. Menas Kafatos
Menas C. Kafatos is the Fletcher Jones Endowed Professor of Computational Physics at Chapman University and the Director of the Center of Excellence in Earth Systems Modeling and Observations (CEESMO). As founding dean of the Schmid College of Science and Technology and vice provost at Chapman, he promoted and established interdisciplinary educational and research projects, and subsequently as Director of CEESMO, he leading many science grants. His doctoral thesis advisor was the renowned M.I.T. professor Philip Morrison who studied under J. Robert Oppenheimer.
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Author, physicist and philosopher, he works in quantum mechanics, cosmology, the environment, climate change, and natural hazards, and extensively on philosophical issues of consciousness, connecting science to metaphysical traditions. He leads collaborations of his research teams with a number of universities and international institutions, including the University of Athens; the California Institute of Integral Studies; the following Korean universities, Korea University, Chungnam National University, Kyung Hee University, Ewha Woman’s University, & Seoul National University; NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Athens Academy, National Observatory of Athens, the Institute of Geodynamics in Greece; Academia Sinica, Taiwan; Chiba University, Japan, Univ. of Basilicata, Italy; the Chinese Academy of Sciences etc.
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He holds seminars and workshops for individuals, groups and corporations on the universal principles for well-being and human potential. He works extensively and leads projects in all areas of hazards: Wildfires; droughts; dust transport; hurricane modeling; as well as impacts of climate change on agriculture and natural ecosystems. Climate related research, including seasonal to inter annual variability and effects on vegetation; climate change impacts on agriculture; connection of climate and possible impacts on hurricanes, dust storms and wildfires. Author of 335 refereed articles and book chapters, in Earth and space, quantum mechanics and philosophy, interdisciplinary publications. Publications in high impact and top reputation journals such as two in each, Nature and Scientific American. Citations: 7,200+ (just in Research Gate, 2019). Highest Citation of single article: 500. Has led innovative interdisciplinary programs which impact education at all levels including Masters and doctoral programs in Earth and Space and computational systems at both George Mason University and since 2008 at Chapman University.
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He is Member, Chapman University $1M Club (2013). Appointed as Affiliated Researcher with National Observatory of Athens (June 2013). Appointed as International Scholar Kyung Hee University (December 2013); Korea University (March 2015). Recipient of the Denny Award, joint paper in Operational Oceanography, chosen as the best paper of the year by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology, UK. 2018. Member of foreign national academies, including the Korean Academy of Science and Technology, and the Romanian Academy of Science.
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Author or editor of 21 books, including The Conscious Universe (Springer, 2000), Looking In, Seeing Out (Theosophical Publishing House, 1991), Living the Living Presence (in Greek, Melissa, 2017; and in Korean, Miruksa Press, 2016), Science, Reality and Everyday Life (in Greek, Asimakis 2019 and in English 2020), and is co-author with Deepak Chopra of the NY Times Bestseller You are the Universe (Harmony/Random House/Penguin, 2017, translated into many languages and in many countries). IEEE Orange County Chapter - Outstanding Leadership and Professional Service Award, 2011.
Writes blogs for the Huffington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle. You can learn more at http://www.menaskafatos.com
Thaao Penghlis
Nominated for three Emmys Thaao Penghlis was born and raised in Sydney, Australia to Greek-born parents. Penghlis decided to move to New York City to study art history and fashion. While in New York City, he met legendary acting coach, theatre director and fellow Greek, Milton Katselas, who helped the young student discover his true calling, acting. Penghlis worked as Katselas’ assistant for nearly a decade while often appearing in his productions. He made his New York stage debut in the critically acclaimed off-Broadway play Jockeys. Penghlis has stared in the films Slow Dancing in the Big City, directed by John Avildsen, Altered States, directed by Ken Russell, The Bell Jar and The Mirror. Penghlis then won the role of charismatic Tony DiMera on Days of our Lives.
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Penghlis next starred in 1989 as Nicholas Black on the prime time series revival of Mission: Impossible. On television, he has starred in the miniseries Sadat, appeared opposite Omar Sharif and Jane Seymour in the miniseries adaptation of Sydney Sheldon’s Memories of Midnight, and played a terrorist in the critically acclaimed television film Under Siege with Peter Strauss and Hal Holbrook. Penghlis also starred opposite Joanna Cassidy in the miniseries Tribe. But perhaps his most unusual role was playing the lover of Dame Edna (Barry Humphries) in the cult classic Les Patterson Saves the World.
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He starred in the world premiere play "Class” and his one-man show "Journeys” on the East Coast to great reviews. These past few years, Thaao starred in films, “The Story of Esther,” “Job’s Daughter,” “Redeemed” and the short film “The Secret of Joy,” dealing with children with cancer.
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A world- class traveler, Penghlis had his first book “PLACES” published in 2015 garnering great reviews. It deals with his journeys to the Middle East and the dangers he encountered in Syria, Lebanon and Egypt. His second book, “Seducing Celebrities One Meal at a Time,” was released in November 2016.
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Thaao’s lifelong fascination with archaeology researched over 60,000 documents of the famous archeologist Heinrich Schliemann who is the subject of his latest screenplay. The ultimate adventurer, Penghlis has trekked across the Sinai desert, climbed Mt. Sinai, soared in a hot air balloon over the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, and survived both crashes.
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He is now creating a podcast on a Homer Trilogy bringing Ulysses home after 3000yrs. Thaao Penghlis makes his home in Los Angeles.