19th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival
3-12 March, 2017
DIRECTORS’ QUOTES OF THE DAY
Thursday March 9, 2017
3-12 March, 2017
DIRECTORS’ QUOTES OF THE DAY
Thursday March 9, 2017
The Greek and foreign directors who attend this year’s edition talk about their films which are screened today at the 19th TDF:
Alki’s Long Walk by Margarita Manda
“The main reason that the work of Alki Zei concerns us today is because her books include the entire history of Greece in the 20th century. This is something very important, especially in a country like Greece that suffers from amnesia. We define as modern something that appeals to our times; in this sense, Alki Zei can only be considered as an originally modern writer”.
Drifting Generation by Stella Nikoletta Drossa
"I believe that the most important step in dealing with the negative impact of the crisis is, as in the case of a disease, first of all to accept the situation. As one of the film’s protagonists says ‘You learn that nothing is given and perhaps you learn to live with this uncertainty’. For me, this statement is indicative of someone who has overcome the victimization and developed the strength and courage to come up with strategies that allow him/her to take life into his/her own hands. It is important that one doesn’t remain confined in himself, denying the situation”.
ICHTHYS by Christos Karalias
“The family we see in my documentary doesn’t live completely apart from the rest of the world, but it has detached from the organized systems of socialization, attempting to build a system of its own. It is too early to judge these people’s venture because the results are not obvious yet, but they will be over time. However, their story gives us food for thought, and most importantly it makes us reflect on whether our own institutions of socialization are efficient or not”.
Laughing to Death by Stelios Kouloglou
“I wouldn’t invite people without a real sense of humor at my film’s screenings. The documentary begins with a plastic penis in Finland and ends with the biggest practical joke ever made in the history of the European Parliament. Among the protagonists there is a crazy MEP playing golf in his office using the Greek rescue plan as a ball, as well as the famous Yes Men activists and a secret group that sings and breaks apart trade conferences with a smile on their lips. But in recent years, the country’s situation and our world makes us more and more melancholic. A documentary comedy then? Why not? People at funerals tell jokes to ease the pain, right?”.
Nowhere to Hide by Zaradasht Ahmed
“During the process of making the film there were moments that I no longer could step back and leave my protagonist Nori Sharif and his family facing their fate along. I believe that in the war the first victim is the truth. I wanted to understand what was really happening on the ground. I think what makes people move forward is the will to survive and overcome destruction forces”.
Portolago – Ghosts in the Aegean by Ioanna Asmeniadou-Phocas
"The similarities between the story of Portolago and the current refugee crisis are so many that at some point I seriously thought about changing my approach to the story, influenced by the reality of the refugee issue as we experience it in our country the past few years, considering as well the various proportions with what is described in my documentary. It’s a fact that war always generates refugees. Then and now, the victims are ordinary people, the adventures of whom have many things in common over time”.
String-less by Angelos Kovotsos
"I met this band three and a half years ago. It is now difficult to remember my first inspiration by them. I can say, however, that when I first saw them, I felt euphoric; maybe because they make such great music, maybe because their beauty is not mainstream (and that’s why they are so beautiful), or maybe because they strive to be a group but face many difficulties. In short: They are women and they are my muses!”.
To The Moon and Back by Susan Morgan Cooper
“There’s an overwhelming responsibility in asking someone to relive a very traumatic experience on camera. While digging deeper, you constantly worry that your subject may completely fall apart emotionally, and mentally. The challenge is to keep on digging, while protecting your subject with love and an agenda that's honest. After the shoot in Virginia, I could not board my plane home to Los Angeles. I checked into a small roadside hotel and sobbed uncontrollably for two days”.
Village Potemkin by Dominikos Ignatiadis
"The drug user is possessed by the illusion of independence due to the cutoff; he thinks that rests at its feet, is not afraid and feels an certainty hard to explain, like the one experienced by babies in the uterus, but in reality this whole thing does not exist. My documentary shows that we end up giving more reasons to everyone to check us out more; to our family that tries to save us but with worse results because there is no information, but also to the state, as the arrest and abuse, as well as doctors and clinics taking economic advantage of drug users, only seek to make profit”.
