The 3rd Annual New York City International Film Festival kicks off August 9 and will screen films through August 16; among those are four from Greek filmmakers – two features and two short films.

Cypriot director Jorgo Papavassiliou’s “Slave” will have its world premiere Saturday, August 11 at 8pm in the Tribeca Theater. A psychological thriller, “Slave” tells the story of a policeman investigating the death of an abusive businessman who has recently divorced his wife and taken custody of their only child, revealing a hidden past.

Another Greek film from director Stelios Kammitis, “Jerks,” is about three friends – Phevos, Andreas, and Savvas – who stay up all night walking the streets of Exarchia as they spend their last night in Athens before moving to Berlin, Germany. Over the course of the evening, hidden aspects of their personalities begin to unravel and they will face power struggles which will change their plans forever. “Jerks” screens August 11 at 6pm in the Tribeca Theater.

Festival co-founder Caroline Johnson says Kammitis’ film “will have a great audience reception for all those who dream of foreign lands only to realize the unpredictability of life.”

Two short films are also being shown during the festival – Eugene Ioannou’s “Off Season” on August 10 at 7pm, and Mihalis Monemvasiotis’ “Every Night I Am Falling Out of Nowhere” on August 11 at 11am, both in the Abingdon Theater.

“The team is especially thrilled to have high production value films submitted from Greek and Cypriot directors this year. We are confident that they will have a successful run and sold to distributors worldwide,” says festival co-founder Roberto Rizzo.

For more information on how to get tickets, and to view the entire 2012 New York International Film Festival schedule, visit www.nyciff.com.