Celebrating 150 Years: Hotel Grande Bretagne’s Documentary Wins Cannes Silver Dolphin Award

The documentary “150 Years Hotel Grande Bretagne: Hosting History”, commemorating the legacy of Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens, was honored at the 2024 Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards, winning the Silver Dolphin trophy.

The distinction was recorded in the category “Documentaries and Reports (TV, Online, Cinema) – History and Personalities / Portraits”, where the documentary stood out among numerous entries from 46 countries.

The award ceremony took place on Thursday, September 26, at the Annex Beach restaurant on La Croisette in Cannes.

Directed by Thodoris Papadoulakis, produced by Indigo View, co-produced by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation – ERT, with a script by Natassa Segkou and music by Minos Matsas, the documentary is narrated by Pavlos Tsimas, who also took on the role of chief editor, offering a spectacular retrospective of a century and a half of Athenian grandeur through the story of the Hotel Grande Bretagne.

“We are particularly delighted with the documentary’s distinction at the Cannes festival,” said Chloe Laskaridis, Chairwoman of the B.O.D of LAMPSA Hellenic Hotels S.A.

“This recognition is a tribute to a landmark hotel that has spanned more than a century and a half, and to the visionaries who were ahead of their time.”

Grande Bretagne’s history comes to life

The hotel’s illustrious legacy dates back to April 9, 1879, when entrepreneurs Savvas Kentros and Efstathios Lampsas co-signed the official agreement to open the now-historic “Grande Bretagne.

Historical testimonies, along with a rich collection of visual and audio archives spanning from the late 19th century to the present day, underscore the enduring connection between the Hotel and the development of Athens.

An important element of the documentary is the personal narrations of figures connected to the Hotel. Among them are historian and author of the book “The Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens” Angelos F. Vlachos, Former CEO & Former VP of LAMPSA Hellenic Hotels S.A. and great-grandson of founder Efstathios Lampsas Apostolos Doxiadis, journalist and writer Nikos Vatopoulos, former Queen of the Hellenes and Princess of Denmark Anna Maria, Professor of Economic and Social History at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Kostas Kostis, Shipowner & Principal Shareholder of LAMPSA Hellenic Hotels S.A. Athanasios Laskaridis, and the Chairwoman of the B.O.D of LAMPSA Hellenic Hotels S.A., Chloe Laskaridis.

“”For me, this documentary was a unique opportunity to tell the story of a living monument,” the documentary’s director, Thodoris Papadoulakis, said.

“From the moment it was built, the Hotel Grande Bretagne has been home to countless stories that have unfolded across decades, and we sought to bring them to light with creativity and color,” he added.

The award-winning “150 Years Hotel Grande Bretagne: Hosting History” documentary is available on ERTFLIX, the streaming platform of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation – ERT, at the following link.

The creation of the documentary took place as part of the annual celebration for the hotel’s 150th anniversary, titled “150 Years Hotel Grande Bretagne: Always Grand”.

Today, the Hotel Grande Bretagne is owned by Lampsa Hellenic Hotels S.A., a subsidiary company of the Laskaridis family and is managed by Marriott International, Inc.