Thessaloniki International Film Festival, one of the first festivals in the world to host a podcast competition section, offers the audience the chance to hear a selection of five podcasts that took part in previous editions of TIFF and TiDF, during the 2nd Evia Film Project. In particular, four Greek-speaking one English-speaking podcasts, which send out an SOS signal for the environment, pave the way to a better future, but also explore the mystical world of nature and animals, will be available for a free hearing at the Festival’s website, from June 20th to June 24th 2023, within the framework of the actions and events of the 2nd Evia Film Project.
Let’s take a glance at the five podcasts:
Halcyone
Podcaster: Phaedra Chatzopoulou. Production: Phaedra Chatzopoulou, Stavros Georgiopoulos. Script: Phaedra Chatzopoulou. Original Music: Stavros Georgiopoulos. Sound engineering: Stavros Georgiopoulos. Sound editing: Stavros Georgiopoulos. Narration: Phaedra Chatzopoulou. Poster design: Anastasia Daferera. Language: Greek. Greece, 2023, 21΄
Do ships carry memories? How do ships rest? Do ships die? This is the story of Halcyone, a true yet wondrous story of a classic sailing boat; it sets sail from an island, traveling for almost a century and witnessing the world changing –up till its very own transformation.
Med Marine Turtles Pod
Podcasters: Mind the Bump Productions - Bastian Fischer & Vicky Markolefa. Production: Medasset, Efi Starfa, Mind the Bump Productions, Bastian Fischer & Vicky Markolefa, Language: English. Albania-Greece-Turkey, Tunisia, 23’
Discussing the importance of an ecosystemic approach to biodiversity conservation and the role of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) for the conservation of sea turtles with Susan Gallon, Scientific Officer of the MedPAN Association. We explore how stakeholders of the project “Conservation Of Marine Turtles in the Mediterranean Region” work in several countries, overcome challenges, and join forces for a sustainable future, where humans and sea turtles thrive.
Solar Mamas
Podcasters: Line Fabricius, Anna Steen Hansen. Directors of the titular film The Why Foundation: Mona Eldaief, Jehane Noujaim. Production: The Why Foundation, Mette Hoffmann Meyer. Language: English. Denmark, 22΄
Rafea is a Bedouin woman who lives with her four daughters in one of Jordan’s poorest villages. She is given a chance to travel to India to attend the Barefoot College, where illiterate mothers from around the world are trained in 6 months to be solar engineers. Will she be able to rewire the traditional minds? This is a demo podcast version of The Why documentary of the same name directed by Mona Eldaief & Jehane Noujaim. Please note that because this is a demo, the introduction to the podcast is not spoken by The Why CEO Mette Hoffmann Meyer but by one of the directors.
The Little Mermaid in the 21st Century
Podcaster: Evdoxia Karakatsi. Production: Evdoxia Karakatsi. Language: Greek. Greece, 23’
The Little Mermaid lives in the depths of the ocean, which is now filled with plastic. To win the prince’s heart and become a human being forever, she must convince him to respect the environment and the sea. Will she pull it off?
The Seal’s Dirge: A sonic narrative
Podcaster: Christos Goussios. Production: Maria Baziakou / Panorama-The sound of film. Script: Chryssa Pantazi. Sound engineering: Christos Goussios. Sound editing: Christos Goussios. Narration: Dimitris Naziris, Maria Baziakou. Musicology research: Despina Klonari. Production assistant: Antigoni Iliadi. Language: Greek. Greece, 2022, 20΄
This work presents an adaptation of Alexandros Papadiamantis’ short story The seal’s dirge composed with the exclusive use of sound elements. Some of these sounds were recorded and directed specifically for the podcast, while all of them have been recorded in Greece, in locations suitable for the time, location and era of the story. It is an experimental attempt to present the actions and the story without the use of the voice as a narrative means.
