America, America (1963)

Anatolian Greek Stathis Giallelis is entrusted with the entirety of his family’s wealth and charged with travelling to Istanbul to help in a cousin’s carpet store, but he has bigger dreams of travelling to America. An immigrant epic inspired by Elia Kazan’s own family’s immigration tale, It is a never-ending recitation of the resilience, drive, and luck required for someone to even have a chance at rising above their station and reaching for something better. The film lies on Giallelis’s shoulders and he conveys the desperation and hardship of his situation with bold determination that cannot be extinguished. 

Oscar Win: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White

Oscar Nominations: Best Picture; Best Director; Best Writing, Story and Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen