Greek Americans

Seven feature films, seven documentaries and eight shorts will be shown at the third annual Los Angeles Greek Film Festival, running June 25-28 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The opening-night film will be "Small Crime," a comedy about a policeman investigating a death on an island in the Aegean, directed by Christos Georgiou.

Long before merchants from India, El Salvador, Hong Kong and elsewhere hawked their wares in the Toy District of downtown Los Angeles, the neighborhood was filled with the colorful sights and fragrant smells of old Greece. There were Mediterranean delicacies at the city's first Greek restaurant, Marathon Cafe on 4th Street, and fine olive oil from the Kalamata Importing Co. a few doors down. A block away, Dan Stathatos Sr.

It's certainly big and fat -- squashing big-budget competition at the box office and gaining extra buzz as a possible Oscar nominee. But is it really "Greek"? To most fans of the smash movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," such a question would seem absurd. The film by comic-screenwriter Nia Vardalos practically drips ouzo. Yet back in Vardalos' ancestral land, the movie carries another distinct -- but increasingly unfamiliar -- flavor: the world according to Greek Americans.

Sam Sampras has one of those expressive, grand Greco faces with bushy eyebrows and dark eyes unable to hide any mood. But you'll have to take our word for it. Georgia Sampras, his wife, is shorter, softer, lighter of look and with a very quick smile. But we can't show you. Because the Samprases declined to be photographed for this story on the grounds of total disinterest in public curiosity.

U.S. prosecutors Wednesday charged the National Mortgage Bank of Greece, which is partly owned by the Greek government, with laundering at least $700 million for its customers over the last six years. After a nine-month investigation dubbed "Operation Zorba," 13 of the bank's employees were arrested, prosecutors said, and a 14th employee is wanted. Andrew Maloney, U.S.

The 12 burly men solemnly twirled and twisted, arms held high, dancing the \o7 tsamiko \f7 in a circle to the plinking bouzouki music of the Markogiannakis Orchestra. Cheering onlookers showered dollar bills on the sweating dancers in traditional Greek applause. Suddenly, as the guest of honor arrived, the music at Nikos Restaurant stopped. Then came thundering cheers: "Yasu leventi mou!"--Hail, my little brave one! And over and over: "Duu-kaa-kees! Duu-kaa-kees!" Up on stage, Michael S.

Thousands of Greek-Americans who have returned to their \o7 patrida--\f7 or homeland--are signing up for absentee ballots, aided by an organization backing Dukakis for President. "It's touching to see elderly people coming in to fill out the form. The oldest we had was a 101-year-old man who said he'd never voted in a presidential election before," said Catherine Carnatios, one of 20 volunteers for the Friends of Michael Dukakis organization, based in Athens.

New York University president John Brademas received the 1988 Axios Man of the Year Award at a ceremony held recently at the Beverly Hilton. Axios, now celebrating its 10th anniversary, is a charitable organization of Southern California Greek-American business and professional leaders. It provides scholarships and is active in community programs. Brademas, who served in Congress for 22 years before becoming president of NYU in 1980, was the first American of Greek origin elected to the U.S.