On Friday, May 24, 2024 I had the tremendous honor to moderate the post-screening Q&A with Valerie Kontakos, director of the documentary film “Queen of the Deuce.”

The film tells the fascinating story of a Greek immigrant woman who fled Greece before the outbreak of World War II and came to New York City to ultimately become one of the most successful businesswomen of her era.

The film has been described as “A survival story like no other.”

But it’s not just about survival. It’s about a woman with resilience, grit and determination who never forgot Greece and would sacrifice it all for her family.

This is the story of a Greek woman like NO OTHER Greek woman you’ve ever heard of. I was so enamored with this woman and her story when I saw the film for the first time that I asked Dr. Alexander Kitroeff, a regular contributor to The Pappas Post, to take a deep dive into her life. Dr. Kitroeff’s article is yet another important story of Greek America that we’ve added to the website.

The film tells the true, yet unbelievable story of Greek-born Chelly Wilson, who escaped the Holocaust and built a porn cinema empire in New York City in the 1970s. Chelly was a Christmas-celebrating Jew, an openly-gay grandma who married men and a larger-than-life character like no other.

Valerie Kontakos weaves her remarkable survival story in “Queen of the Deuce” with family photographs and film footage, testimony from the family, as well as audio recordings of the raspy-voiced, cursing yiayia. The film was also dotted with masterfully-placed animation.

After a successful film festival tour, the film has arrived on numerous streaming platforms like Apple Movies, Amazon and others. Click here for details on how to watch Queen of the Deuce.