1-10 November 2013
MISS VIOLENCE SCREENING
Alexandros Avranas’ chilling film Miss Violence premiered at a packed Olympion theater on Sunday, November 4, 2013. The film is part of the 54th TIFF Special Screenings section. The film, which thrilled the audience, is a realistic study on violence, structured on the dark secrets of a family. It has already received two major distinctions at the recent Venice International Film Festival: Avranas won the Silver Lion for Best Director and Themis Panou won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor.
Welcoming the audience at the screening, TIFF director Dimitri Eipides said: “I really love this film. It was a revelation that took audiences by storm, sweeping awards at various festivals, including Venice. When solid promotion, talent and persistence are combined, good results follow. I congratulate the director for his amazing film and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”
Taking the floor, Alexandros Avranas said: “Thank you so much. I am deeply moved.” He then presented members of the film’s contributors including Eleni Roussinou, Reni Pittaki and Sissy Toumasi.
After the screening, the director participated in a Q&A session with the audience. He said that his film “was not meant to be shocking, but rather it was made with all due respect to people who have experienced similar adversities. It is based on real events and raises the issue of society’s passive inaction in dealing with such cases. We all have something to lose, which is why we refuse to take a stand. We prefer to stay behind closed doors.” Addressing a question from the audience about whether the film damages Greece’s image abroad, he said: “Miss Violence is impersonal in a sense, it does not relate exclusively to Greece.” Commenting on the child actors in his film, Mr Avranas explained: “They were treated like young adults. We told them the truth about the story and they felt they were doing something to help.”
All films in the Greek programme are financed, along with other sections of this year’s Festival, by the European Union - European Regional Development Fund, in the framework of the Regional Programme for Central Macedonia - 2007-2013.
