15th THESSALONIKI DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL - Images of the 21st Century
March 15 – 24, 2013
GREEK PROGRAM
58 Greek films will be screened during the 15th TDF, both features and shorts. 17 of these are included in the various International Program sections, and 41 in the Greek Panorama section.
This year’s versatile and rich local documentary production deals with a multitude of historical as well as contemporary topics: politics, the Greek crisis and its many facets -unemployment, immigration, the return to tradition and simpler ways of living- environmental issues, the urban landscape, music, art and artists, social realities that constantly change and the individual human stories that epitomize them.
Amongst the Greek films that will be screened during the 15th TDF are:
To the Wolf, by Christina Koutsospyrou & Aran Hughes, a documentary-narrative hybrid shot in the Nafpaktia mountains in western Greece that screened in this year’s Berlin IFF, showcases the struggle of two shepherd families as they try to make it through the difficult times of the Greek crisis. Little Land, the new film by Nikos Dayandas –who won the FIPRESCI prize during the 14th TDF for his film Sayome- observes a young couple that decides to leave the city for a different life on the Greek island of Ikaria. Skapeta by Menios Karayiannis turns its camera to an elderly man who is the last, lonely resident of his abandoned village –his determination to stay is his own way to adhere to a traditional way of life that has virtually disappeared from his birthplace.
At the heart of many of this year’s Greek documentaries can be found man: the human condition and its various manifestations. Often related to the difficult conditions in Greece of the last years, but not necessarily, the everyday lives of its people unfold on the screen. Rough Cut by Eliana Abravanel follows the life of one of the thousands of Filipino immigrants that reside in Greece: a hairdresser who organizes the annual Filipino beauty pageant, she works to send money to her family in the Philippines. Like so many of her compatriots, she is forced to be a mother from afar. Food for Love by Marianna Economou is about a different, often droll side of motherhood: the affection of Greek mothers who send food to their offspring studying abroad. They Glow in the Dark by Panayiotis Evangelidis is a poignant story of companionship between two men suffering from HIV, while Dimitris Papadoulis -The Multiple Gift by Stella Alisanoglou paints the portrait of a doctor afflicted with multiple sclerosis, and the possibility to rise above such a harsh reality. In One Step Ahead, screened at this year’s IDFA and directed by Dimitris Athyridis, a detailed, insightful portrait of Yiannis Boutaris, the Mayor of Thessaloniki -and one of Greece’s leading winemakers and proponents of political change- emerges during his pre-election campaign. In Living in Interesting Times by Massimo Pizzocaro and Elisavet Laloudaki four very different Greeks are faced with novel problems and challenges: a politician trying to get elected, a man who works but doesn’t get paid and two artists attempt to make sense of the various absurdities that have become part of their everyday life. The Grocer, directed by Dimitris Koutsiabasakos, tells the story of a travelling grocer, who along with his family, has been traversing the rural Pindos country for decades, not just selling his products, but acting as doctor, friend and a steady, affable presence that people can depend on.
Artists and the power of art are strongly represented in this year’s roster, with films such as Anaparastasis: Life and Work of Jani Christou by Constantinos Zouliatis, Anna Wich –Photographer by Stavros Kaplanidis, Camino Musical: 9 Dias Musica Galega by Eviroula Dourou and Welcome to the Show by Alexis Ponse & Costas Pliakos, about the short life of legendary Greek musician Pavlos Sidiropoulos. OST - Original Soundtrack, directed by Fanis Logothetis, observes in detail the magic behind composing and building the ideal sounds and music for a film.
Significant historical events, as well as contemporary politics –and oftentimes their convergence- are explored by many of this year’s Greek documentarians. In Demokratia, The Way Of The Cross Marco Gastine follows four candidates participating in the 2012 parliamentary elections (amongst which a leftist radical and a Neo-Nazi), while Stelios Kouloglou’s Neo-Nazi, The Holocaust of Memory traces memories of the German occupation and follows their thread to today’s rise of the Golden Dawn party in Greece. Greek American Radicals - The Untold Story by Costas Vakkas is a chronicle of the significant role that Greek communist immigrants played in the radical labor movement in the USA. Finally, Memories of Thessaloniki by Yorgos Botsos, is a comprehensive account of the last 100 years in the life of the vibrant, unique city that has become synonymous with the Documentary Festival.
THE FILMS:
Anaparastasis: Life and Work of Jani Christou (1926 -1970), Constantinos Zouliatis, Greece, 2012, 96’
Anna Wich -Photographer, Stavros Kaplanidis, Greece, 2013, 62’
Athena Ex Nihilo, Fivos Kondoyiannis, Greece, 2012, 52’
Black Box, Gerasimos Rigas, Greece, 2013, 70’
Camino Musical: 9 Dias Musica Galega, Eviroula Dourou, Spain/Greece, 2012, 80’
Cassandra's Treasure, Yorgos Avgeropoulos, Greece, 2012, 58’
Celtman, Tzortzis Grigorakis, Greece/UK, 2012, 15’
The Chronicle of a Disaster, Chryssa Tzelepi & Akis Kersanidis, Greece, 2013, 82’
Crafted By Time, Vangelis Efthimiou, Greece, 2013, 48’
A Day in the Life of Thanos Lipowats, Panayiotis Kravvaris, Greece, 2013, 47’
Demokratia, The Way Of The Cross, Marco Gastine, Greece, 2012, 85’
Dimitris Papadoulis -The Multiple Gift, Stella Alisanoglou, Greece, 2013, 72’
#Followme. Exploring Twitter, Manolis Andriotakis, Greece, 2013, 33’
Food for Love, Marianna Economou, Greece, 2013, 55’
Free Kites, Diamantis Papdopoulos, Greece, 2012, 63’
From Low Down, Christina Pitouli & Miguel Hilari, Spain, 2012, 27’
Grammos - The Mountain of Defeat, Yanna Evangelidou, Greece, 2012, 77’
Great Greeks, Elias Iosifidis, Greece, 2012, 82’
Greedy Profit, Ioannis Karypidis, Greece, 2012, 69’
Greek American Radicals - The Untold Story, Costas Vakkas, Greece, 2013, 64’
The Grocer, Dimitris Koutsiabasakos, Greece, 2013, 82’
Hardships & Beauties (Mitsigan), Kimon Tsakiris, Greece/France, 2013, 58’
Hippie-Hippie Matala! Matala!, Yorgos Varelas, Greece, 2013, 75’
The Immortals at the Southern Point of Europe, Yorgos Moustakis & Nikos Labot, Greece/Norway, 2013, 75’
In Deep Agony, Kyriaki Malama, Greece, 2013, 33’
Katerina Gogou - Reinstating the Dark Side, Andonis Boskoitis, Greece, 2012, 66’
A Life Like a Movie - Dinos Katsouridis, Isavella Mavraki, Greece, 2013, 65’
Little Land, Nikos Dayandas, Greece/France, 2013, 53’
The Little Palace Of Aoria, Vassilis Panayiotakopoulos, Greece, 2012, 22’
Living in Interesting Times, Massimo Pizzocaro & Elisavet Laloudaki, Greece, 2013, 68’
Mari Naxakis, The Art Of Finger Lace In Crete, Costas Dadinakis, Greece, 2012, 87’
The Massage, Lara Christen, Greece, Greece, 2012, 15’
Meet by Chance, Spyros Amiropoulos, Greece, 2012, 15’
Meetings with Remarkable People - A Kick in the Teeth, Menelaos Karamaghiolis, Greece, 2012, 56’
Memories of Thessaloniki, Yorgos Botsos, Greece, 2012, 107’
Morning, Dimitris Vrakas, Greece, 2012, 24’
Music Village, Andreas Siadimas, Greece, 2013, 71’
Neo-Nazi, The Holocaust of Memory, Stelios Kouloglou, Greece, 2013, 90’
One Step Ahead, Dimitris Athyridis, Greece/Germany, 2012, 126’
OST - Original Soundtrack, Fanis Logothetis, Greece, 2012, 60’
Our Stolen Circus, Christos Panagos & Costas Makrinos, Greece, 2013, 46’
Photoville, Nikos Panoutsopoulos, Greece, 2013, 29’
Piraeus Street - Streets Have Their Own Story to Tell, Leonidas Vardaros, Greece, 2013, 52’
Portraits of Tomorrow - Dimitris Karatzas, Kleoni Flessa, 2012, 27’
Portraits of Tomorrow - An Unknown Student, Michalis Likoudis, 2012, 26’
Rough Cut, Eliana Abravanel, Greece, 2013, 58’
School-tube, Lefteris Haritos, Greece, 2012, 50’
Seeds of Hope, Yorgos Gioulis, Greece, 2012, 44’
Skapeta, Menios Karayiannis, Greece, 2012, 70’
Stavros Kouyoumtzis: Just Say Goodnight, Telemachos Koemtzopoulos, Greece, 2012, 53’
The Stranger - Yorgos Depollas, Stavros Psyllakis, Greece, 2013, 33’
Study of Memory, Tania Hatzigeorgiou, Greece, 2012, 27’
They Glow In the Dark, Panayiotis Evangelidis, Greece, 2013, 70’
To the Wolf, Christina Koutsospyrou & Aran Hughes, Greece/France, 2012, 74’
Tracing - The Lighthouse of the World, Katerina Karayianni & Dimitris Kitsikoudis, Greece, 2013, 48’
The Unforgettable Aretsou of Constantinople, Grigoris Economides, Greece, 2012, 90’
Voices from the Greek Underground, Yiannis Haritidis, Greece, 2012, 78’
Welcome to the Show, Alexis Ponse & Costas Pliakos, Greece, 2013, 110’
