THE BLIND FISHERMAN-MY NAME IS STELIOS
The leading venture Live Streaming Project continues in the framework of the 14th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival; on Tuesday, March 13, 2012 the two Greek films The Blind Fisherman and My name is Stelios were live-streamed.
It is the second year the 14th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival runs the specific project in collaboration with the Laboratory of Electroacoustics and TV Systems of Aristotle University’s Engineering Faculty and under the supervision of Professor Georgios Papanikolaou. Thanks to new technologies, the Festival is able to travel in 4 other Greek cities: Corfu, Patra, Rethymno and Iraklio, as well as in Nicosia of Cyprus, in collaboration with the local Universities (Ionian University, University of Patra, TEI of Rethymno, Cretan University and Federick University). The Festival’s screening that are streamed are the ones taking place in the Olympion theater at 20.30 zone and will last until Friday, March 16.
Festival director Dimitri Eipides spoke before the screening and welcomed the audience. “It is my pleasure to have you here for the first screening of two exceptional Greek films, two of the best I’ve seen this year. Greek documentary is progressing fast, makes new achievements in many areas and gains new fans both in Greece and abroad. I’m really optimistic for its future”, said Mr. Eipides in his brief speech. As for the simultaneous digital streaming project for some of the festival’s films, he noticed that thanks to modern technologies, a vision becomes reality and the festival is given the opportunity to ‘travel’ outside Thessaloniki. “We salute each city participating in the Streaming Project and wish that next year even more of them will join”, noticed Mr. Eipides. He also added that the particular initiative couldn’t be accomplished without the valuable help of the Laboratory of Electroacoustics and TV Systems of Aristotle University’s Engineering Faculty and especially Professor Georgios Papanikolaou. Mr. Eipides thanked the local educational institutions of each city where the live streaming is run and the supervising professors, as well as OTE (Hellenic Telecommunications Organization) for its valuable technical support.
Then, Mr. Eipides invited the filmmakers on stage, as well as Stelios Kympouropoulos, whose portrait is being drawn in the film My Name is Stelios. Thekla Malamou and Stratis Vogiatzis thanked the audience for attending the screening and Yiannis Kaspiris said among others: “Stelios and his parents haven’t seen the film yet. I hope they’ll enjoy the film and so will you”. Stelios Kympouropoulos, in his turn, urged the viewers “Don’t stay on the leading actor’s incapability, but try to figure out what Greece fails to do for people with disabilities and what we can change, especially in our time, when the present financial and social situation is hard”.
The screening was followed by a Q&A session where viewers from every Streaming Project city took part as well as the directors and Stelios Kympouropoulos. The film The Blind Fisherman by Stratis Vogiatzis and Thekla Malamou, shows the story of Yiannis from Chios, who lost his eyesight and one arm at the age of 11. However, for 60 years now he keeps on embarking on his boat and goes fishing. The filmmakers heard about him accidentally and spent four months with him until he finally opened up to them. “Yiannis had a difficult life from a very early age; nevertheless, he doesn’t see things this way. He has incredible energy, appetite for life and humor. He lives in the present 100%”, the creators said. Asked about the photographs they inserted among the film shots, they explained their intention was to underline the transition from his tough everyday life to the esoteric world he lives in.
The film My Name is Stelios follows the everyday life of quadriplegic Stelios Kympouropoulos. “I met Stelios at a screening of one of my films and I realized I felt no sorrow for him. With this documentary I wanted to bring forward this feeling of being different”, the director pointed out. Mr. Kympouropoulos, in his turn, was asked a lot of questions, among which if he ever wondered “Why did this happen to me”. “Why me…Because it would happen to someone. I don’t want to think that way, because then I would have to take antidepressants to cope. I don’t ask ‘why’ because I would have collapsed if I did. My disability is not a curse, it’s a different way of being in comparison to other people”, noticed Mr. Kympouropoulos. He was also asked about the strength he shows and where it comes from and he explained: “I want to live. As controversial as it may sound, I don’t feel disabled. I feel I am able to do all the things a non-disabled person can do and I want to do it”. Stelios has graduated from Medicine School and studies Psychiatry in Sweden. When asked about the way he plans to practice his profession, he underlined: “I will find a way. I want to make a present that will create a future and I hope I will succeed. Northern Europe has the necessary structures for a disabled person to live independently. That may happen in Greece too. You should face a disabled person as if he is…short or blond. Don’t be afraid to look him in the eyes or ask him. I wish there was a parallel universe, where films were not made neither on me nor on Mr Yiannis, because we feel normal. It’s just that our ‘normality’ is a bit different than yours”.
