Χώρος
Αποθήκη Δ’Aίθουσα “TΩNIA ΜΑΡΚΕΤΑΚΗ”, Αποθήκη Δ’
Ημερομηνία: 18 Οκτωβρίου 2024
ΕΙΣΙΤΗΡΙΑ ΓΙΑ ΤΙΣ ΠΡΟΒΟΛΕΣ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΠΟΘΗΚΗ Δ, ΛΙΜΑΝΙ:
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Α προβολή: 17.00-20.00
Β προβολή: 20.30-23.30
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Α’
Non Person
Kris De Meester, Belgium
7′ 30”
Filip, a seasoned artist in his sixties, has spent most of his life hiding his true self, haunted by a troubled childhood. He describes himself as a ‘non person’, merely existing, pleasing others, and evading reality, trapped in a facade. However, as he confronts his past, Filip embarks on a journey of self-discovery, finally embracing his authentic identity after six decades of suppression. Through introspection and acceptance, he begins to unravel the layers of his true essence, marking a profound transformation in his life.
Director Biography – Kris De Meester
Kris De Meester is a director, producer and casting director. He started his career in 1990, taking on different roles with many of the film industry’s finest. Over the decades, he has teamed up with numerous award-winning directors. Such including Lars von Trier, Terence Davies, Thomas Vinterberg, Timo Vuorensola, Wolfgang Becker, Philippe Grandrieux, and Koen Mortier. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2146620/
~
-200 degrees
Nikolas Passaris, Greece
14’08”
A young couple discovers the true nature of their relationship after a -far from successful- ski trip.
Director Biography – Nikolas Passaris
Nikolas Passaris, an Athens based Film Director, realised his MFA studies at Dodge College of Film and Media Arts of Chapman University in 2012. Since then he has been directing TV commercials and music videos. He has earned multiple awards for his work and his music video for Marina Satti, Mantissa, went viral with over 56 million views.
His short film “at dawn” that he directed for the 2009 Gogreen 48hourfilmfestival was granded the runner up best film award.
Director Statement
During Covid lockdown a lot of relationships came to the test. Being stuck with your significant other every single day with no room to escape, created a prism under which every small thought or feeling was magnified, and it filled you up until you would burst.
Like many others, I went through this “incarceration” with my partner and despite the uniqueness of this global crisis, a lot of these magnified feelings seemed familiar.
That’s when I realized that I had put myself in this situation before willingly, without the force of an obligatory lockdown.
When you fall in love with someone you attach yourself so much to the other, that you start pushing away everything else. And there is a thin line on how much of your life you will push away before the relationship becomes toxic.
With this film my intention was to explore this thin line, in an imaginary situation where seemingly the characters are victims of fate, but they are the ones ultimately choosing to be together. I perceive this film as a black comedy where the two protagonists are condemned to go through the cycle of an oppressive relationship, again and again.
My main goal is to make the two protagonists believable and relatable. Ideally everyone who watches this film will laugh and feel intimate with what is happening between the two characters and at the same time ponder when a behavior is ok and when it starts being abusive.
~
Sylvie on the loose
Sarah Bourdeau, Canada
24’04”
Sylvie’s out of jail and back in town.
Director Biography – Sarah Bourdeau
Sara Bourdeau is a filmmaker living in Rivière-Ouelle in the Bas-Saint-Laurent. She founded her production company Boucane films in 2020. Sara has directed, among others, the short films Du bon usage de l’amitié, L’heure bleue, L’odeur après la pluie and Roseline comme dans les films, all of which have been shown in Quebec and abroad. Her latest short film, Sylvie Liberté, is released in the spring of 2024. In addition to making films, Sara enjoys gardening and wants capitalism to die.
Director Statement
The film is a roadtrip to freedom.
~
The Blue Girls of Summer
Geneviève Boiteau, Canada
15′
Chloé and Clara leave Montreal together for their childhood cottage. While looking at the lake, they get to know a new perception of themselves and time. The two women observe each other, discuss and run in the forest: one to escape her body and the other to inhabit it.
Director Biography – Geneviève Boiteau
Born in Quebec City, Geneviève has been working professionally as a production designer since obtaining a bachelor’s degree in film production at Concordia University in 2018. She mainly devotes herself to fiction while working as a director, first with Pissenlit (2018), now with Les filles bleues de l’été (2023).
The Blue Girls of Summer offers a feminist and young vision of the twenties. I strongly dare to believe that the actions and thoughts of Clara and Chloé, beautifully performed by Marianne Fortier and Léa Roy, will touch young adults and give them a model to establish a close relationship with their vulnerability and transparency.
~
Miss Dress
Panos Boras, Greece
9’47”
In the universe of Miss Dress, the exhibition to the public is a moment of revelation. The wounded child’s soul, continuing in the adult body, seeks acceptance and love.
Director Biography – Panos Boras
Actor – Director – Creator
Panos Boras was born in Athens and grew up in Nea Peramos, Attica. He studied acting at the Athens Drama School of Giorgos Theodosiadis. He continued his education with further specialization in Cinema, Digital Marketing, and Performance.
As an actor, he has starred and participated in television series and films that have been awarded both in Greece and abroad. In theater, he has performed in productions, collaborating with renowned directors.
Since 2017, he has been involved in writing screenplays, short stories, poems, and directing films. His first poetry collection, “An adage in nowhere,” was published by Metronomos Editions.
His directorial debut came through poetic films inspired by this book, followed by directing poetic recitals and musical-theatrical performances. His latest creation is the short film “Miss Dress,” which promotes the acceptance of diversity and trans visibility.
Time Machine
Clémence Marcadier, France
12’18”
Henry, 36, arrives in the evening with friends at the wheel of a superb Maserati. He is a producer of Reggae Dancehall music and he must meet an influential manager to launch the career of his protege.
Director Biography – Clémence Marcadier
Born in Seoul, South Korea in 1982.
After her Master’s degree, she worked as assistant director and producer. In 2010 she founded GASP company with Olivier Chabalier. Within this structure, she produced and directed several short film entitled. She currently lives and work in Tours on different projects.
PICK A HAND
Stavros Kostopoulos, Greece
15′
Two friends at the beach. Can thoughts be transformed to words? How a bathtub can help?
Director Biography – Stavros Kostopoulos
UNIT DIRECTOR 11/2022 – Current
Η ΜΑΓΙΣΣΑ (ANT1)
ΒΟΗΘΟΣ ΣΚΗΝΟΘΕΤΗ 07/2021 – 07/2022
Άγριες Μέλισσες (ANT1)
ΣΚΗΝΟΘΕΤΗΣ-ΣΕΝΑΡΙΟΓΡΑΦΟΣ 07/2020 – 08/2020
ΕΣ ΑΥΡΙΟΝ ΤΑ ΣΠΟΥΔΑΙΑ-
«Λίγο πάνω από τον ουρανό» (ΕΡΤ1)
Father’s Letters
Alexey Evstigneev, France
12’10”
In 1934, Professor Vangengheim is condemned to the Gulag on the Solovki. As he pretends to be on a grand voyage of exploration, he crafts imaginative tales in letters to his daughter Eleonora, shielding her from the truth of his sentencing as a “traitor to the motherland”.
Director Biography – Alexey Evstigneev
Born and brought up in Shatura, Russia. Graduated from Documentary Filmmaking at The Russian State University of Cinematography (VGIK) and Jiri Barta’ s animation atelier of University of West Bohemia in Pilsen, Czech Republic. His graduation documentary film “Golden Buttons” premiered at Vision du Réel and won the IDFA Talent Award, before being selected and awarded at numerous festivals around the world. Alexey took also part in the CEE Animation Forum, Euro Connection, IDFA Talent Campus, Visions du Réel Lab, Talent Campus of the Fajr International Film Festival.
~
SCALE
Joseph Pierce, United Kingdom
15′
Hunter Loading
Sasa Numic, United States
7’59”
A Social Media posts about a soldier’s homecoming party goes horribly wrong when his friend insists on telling him of his girlfriend’s infidelity.
Director Biography – Sasa Numic
Sasa Numic made his first short film (“Forbidden Fruit”) when he was 18 years old, and his mother got 38 pounds of oranges from the Red Cross during the bombing of Belgrade. After four years of studying Design and receiving his BA in Film, at the Academy of Arts, Belgrade. Sasa moved to New York City, where he became a freelance music video director, garnering over 7m views on some videos. He also worked as an Art Director, with Apple as a main client. In 2013, Sasa earned his MFA at the American Film Institute Conservatory, and was honored to represent his class as the commencement speaker. His short films have played at many international film festivals.
Director Statement
I think we all had those moments when life just decides to throw a ton of shit our way. It’s that time when you’re feeling sad, shocked, and filled with distrust – and mostly just downright angry. The anger that makes your thoughts far late behind your decisions.
Seems like nothing can help.
Now, picture JUSTIN.
He’s a good husband, a good friend, a good American, who finds himself drunk at the party when his world unravels within minutes. Imagine him, already grappling with trauma, facing the cruel addition of humiliation, betrayal, and the graphic scenes of a loved one’s adultery. To intensify – place this whole chaotic scene onto social media, where everyone’s reactions are laid bare for the world to witness. What remedy could possibly ease the torment of such a soul? The answer eludes me.
What I do know is that a gun cannot.
And Justin has a gun.
I selected the 9:16 aspect ratio intentionally to encapsulate the claustrophobic intensity of the situation. Moreover, the vertical format symbolizes the perspective shared by all of us navigating this experience through social media. As we swipe through, it’s like peeling back the layers on a world hooked on likes, engagement and validation.
When I started working on this project a couple of years ago, I had no idea what levels of recorded violence were just around the corner for us, streamed from a war-zone half a world away. And I had no idea how easy it would ultimately be to just scroll past.
This is our reality.
This is it.
I am scared.
And that’s the best reason to make a film.
~
BLANCHE
Joanne Rakotoarisoa, France
25’34”
Blanche is dead. She was an old lady.
As everyone gathers at the village for her funeral, Zaza, a bi-racial teenager, arrives with her mother. Amidst family conflicts, she meets a lonely little girl – her cousin.
Director Biography – Joanne Rakotoarisoa
After graduating from film school in Paris, Joanne Rakotoarisoa started working for different film producers. Meanwhile, she travelled to Ukraine to meet young people and directed a group of them in “We are not dead yet”, which won the Best First Film Award at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2021.
She went on to produce and direct “Blanche”, a fiction short inspired by her family story.
Les jours heureux
Johanna Legrand, France
15’47”
Un couple de personnes âgées se réunit dans la chambre de l’hôtel, où ils se sont rencontré, pour se donner la mort. Avant cet instant de grâce, ils vivent leurs dernières heures. Un dernier bain. Un dîner. Une dernière danse. Des regards, caresses et des confidences. L’intimité d’une vie de couple s’achève dans l’intimité de leur mort choisie.
Director Biography – Johanna Legrand
Trained in screenwriting by LA FEMIS in Paris and the Conservatoire d’Ecriture Européen Audiovisuel, Johanna explores, through her films, radical proposals that oscillate between different genres, on themes such as death, violence, sexuality .
She received several writing grants from the CNC for her television and cinema projects and signed several societal units, accompanied by Scarlett and Lincoln TV.
His feature film, Les macaronis, is a finalist for the Junior Prize for Best Feature Film (Ex-Sopadin) and selected for the DreamAgo international residency in Switzerland and the VILLA MEDICIS in Italy.
Happy Days, produced by Orphée Films, is her first production.
~
B’
Rite of Passage
Valentina Karantoni, Alexia Vassiliou, Cyprus
5′ 52”
Rite of Passage: an Improvised Performance Art Film by Alexia Vassiliou.
Every rite of passage is an act of becoming, an act of taking responsibility for the self we are choosing to become.
Alexia, who belongs to the last generation that remembers, visits her occupied hometown, Famagusta, on the day of her birthday, to walk the streets she used to walk on with her parents, grandparents, childhood friends, the same ones that her ancestors walked, in the “newly opened” Democracy Avenue, after having been enclosed for 46 years, in remembrance of them, prior to the turkish invasion of 1974 and continued illegal occupation of the northern territory of Cyprus.
The visit was intended to be personal, a private day between Alexia and the memories of the 10-year-old little girl. Now, 50 years later, still a Refugee, she walks in honor of her own Rite of Passage – ‘Les Rites de Passage’ as a Woman, now, entering her sacred cycle of eldership. Upon visiting Democracy Avenue, in Famagusta’s “Ghost Town”, Alexia wanted to greet and converse with the unsettled neighborhood, the trees and birds, and the buildings.
Unfortunately, their voice(s) were drowned by the sounds of their invaders. Alexia “opened”, “freed” her Voice, to awaken the neighborhood, the buildings, the streets, the trees and the birds. Through this calling, her Voice, resonated in the city, covering the surrounding sounds.
“Rite of Passage” was born out of Alexia’s need to express her feelings in the only way she could – through an improvised durational performance art experiment utilizing a voice improvisation signal song, resonating with her messages and cry.
This calling morphed into a familiar sound of war, resembling the sound of sirens that awoke her 50 years earlier, on that morning of July 20th 1974.
Filmed in-situ on 5th February 2024, on Democracy Avenue in occupied Famagusta, Cyprus
Director Biography – Valentina Karantoni, Alexia Vassiliou
Alexia is an Award-winning, Multi-Gold and Platinum, cross-genre, conceptual Vocal Recording Artist – Singer, Songwriter, Composer and Social Activist.
With a historic career spanning 40+ years and 45 recorded albums, Alexia is known for her eclectic, authentic, sophisticated musical sound, informed and inspired by Jazz, Classical, Electronic, Experimental, Improvisation, Avant-garde, Trip hop, Pop, World music, Gospel, Spiritual and Folk. Her vocal abilities, phrasing, timbre, and vibrato, personify and represent her unique style, the very essence of Alexia’s 3-octave contralto sound, transcending her genres of influence into the realm of intellectual abstract, high art.
An educated vocalist from Berklee College of Music (’85), Alexia is a vocal force, from introducing pop music to Greece and Cyprus in the 80’s and forever altering the Greek music scene, to reviving the Greek film music symphonic and big band orchestras in the mid-90s, to making Jazz a commercially accepted genre by being the first Greek female vocalist to bring Classic American vocal Jazz to the mainstream market in the Hellenic world, to experimenting with her Voice as an Instrument by breaking away from the confines of the traditional structure of a song in her “Voice Improvisation Series” in the 2000’s, placing Alexia in a category of a singer who composes as she sings, an ability that few acquire in the world, and her continued thematic Performance Art concepts seen today.
Her artistic evolution pushes musical boundaries, reaching audiences from around the world and her works recognized by international organizations like Billboard and the Recording Academy, the GRAMMYs.
Alexia has collaborated with some of the world’s greatest in live performances, recordings, theatre productions, and films, including: Chick Corea, Mikis Theodorakis, John Patitucci, Andreas Vollenweider, Madeleine Peyroux, Milva, Kostas Kapnisis, Rena Vlahopoulou, Mimis Plessas, Carlo Ponti Jr., Lena Chamamyan, Peter Gabriel, Pinar Toprak, and many others.
A prominent and respected cultural figure, Alexia’s activism work is at the core of her foundation and principles and is often times called upon by international organizations such as, the United Nations, UNICEF, UNESCO and the UNHCR, to advocate and raise awareness for the most vulnerable.
Born in Famagusta, Cyprus in 1964, Alexia is a child of political conflict and war, as a result of the 1974 Turkish invasion and continued illegal occupation in Cyprus. Alexia’s music reflects her memories, experiences and the injustice caused by Turkey to her homeland.
Alexia’s Cultural Diplomacy work via her multi-cultural world concerts and albums have spread the word about the missing, the displaced and the ongoing ethnic cleansing of her country.
Throughout her career, Alexia’s works have incorporated social and political themes, including her conceptual concerts, University Lectures and Masterclasses, as well as, Live-Arts Performances and Art Films. From Cultural Diplomacy for Cyprus to taking a stance for Human Rights, Alexia uses her voice and platform to shed light on various social issues. As a woman and as a displaced refugee herself, Alexia understands the importance of raising awareness and taking a stance for those unable to do so.
In recent years, Alexia developed “Re-bE”, a Social Change Program for schools and the communities, as a way of bringing Music of quality, Creativity and Culture to the Youth. As a first of its kind, and as a model of good practices in the European Union, Re-bE is an official program of the Ministry of Education in Cyprus, for all public schools across the nation.
While her cultural and activism work go hand-in-hand with her Music, Alexia continues to share her love of Music through her conceptual projects and concerts around the world.
Director Statement
This Performance Art Short Film was created by me and Valentina Karantoni, on the day of my 60th birthday, 5th of February.
It was a Monday afternoon and I only wanted to be in my occupied hometown, Famagusta. Together with my close associate and producer of all my artistic projects, Valentina Karantoni, we drove into the occupied areas of Cyprus. I wanted to walk down Democracy Avenue that was recently opened in Famagusta, that I once walked on as a 10 year old child, with my family and friends.
Now 50 years later, I wanted to honor those memories and all my fellow Cypriots, Ancestors, who have walked this street. Unfortunately, the street was filled with tourists and tour guides speaking in Turkish, as if this area turned into a theme park or a destination site, without taking into consideration that these areas belong to a person, a family, a history… my history. It was painful to be witnessing all that was happening, and an awakening at the same time.
At some point, Valentina told me she will begin filming with all that was happening around us. She told me to take my position, so I stood in the middle of the street, declaring my stance and declaring my home, as I watched them and they watched me. As time passed, I proceeded down the street, coming as close as I could to the desecrated areas. I wanted them to hear my voice, to hear that I am here, and to wake them up from this status quo brought on by Turkey.
~
Pillars
Andreas Dimitriou, Cyprus
15′
Σε ένα παράλληλο χρονικό σύμπαν, με έντονο το στοιχείο της σεξουαλικής απελευθέρωσης και της ατεκνίας, η Στέλλα πείθει τον σύντροφό της Μίλτο να συμμετάσχουν σε ένα εναλλακτικό πρόγραμμα ενδυνάμωσης σχέσεων. Τίποτα, όμως, δεν είναι όπως φαίνεται.
In a parallel timeline, characterized by sexual liberation and childlessness, Stella convinces her partner Miltos to participate in an alternative couple therapy programme. However, nothing is what it seems.
Director Biography – Andreas Dimitriou
Andreas is a self-taught filmmaker who has made significant strides in the film industry since 2012, specializing in producing and directing promotional and music videos.
In 2017-2018, Andreas took a significant step in his artistic journey by enrolling in an intensive scriptwriting course. This decision proved transformative, providing him with an enriched understanding of the language of cinema.
In 2020, Andreas release his first short film, a documentary that garnered attention and acclaim at various film festivals.
~
TSIKITIGKLON, THE FAIRY AND THE MAN
Marios Mettis, Cyprus
15′
A trans woman finds herself trapped inside the van of a mysterious man whose intentions are not what they seem to be. Tsikitigklon, The Fairy and The Man, is a story about the true self we hide,
and that the only way to remove the mask we all insist on-wearing is through love and some magic.
Director Biography – Marios Mettis
Marios Mettis trained as an actor at the National Theatre of Greece Drama School and as a theatre director at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London (MA in Theatre Directing, University of East Anglia)
As an actor he has worked in theatre, film and TV. His work in theatre includes acting for the National Theatre of Greece, The National Theatre of Cyprus (THOC) and various other venues. He has worked with many established directors including Greece’s Avant Garde director Dimitris Papaioannou.
He was awarded with the 2013-2014 Cyprus National Theatre Award for best male actor and with the 2015-2016 Cyprus National Theatre Award for best male actor . TSIKITIGKLON, THE FAIRY AND THE MAN is his second short film movie.
Director Statement
Tsikitigklon, The Fairy And The Man, is a movie about the true self we hide, and that the only way to remove the mask we all insist on wearing is through love and some magic.
With this film, I want to comment on social appearances and social behavior, a behavior that we often compulsively adopt, because of an imposed social morality. This behavior does not reveal true character neither our true self, but rather acts as a shield of protection to something that we, ourselves, see as an external enemy. This enemy is not real, but a creation of our own fears.
MALADY
Spiros Alidakis, Greece
17’20”
A man lands on an unknown island – the figure of a woman emerges.
Had they met before or is he seeing her for the first time?
Perhaps, he once lusted after her or he became obsessed.
Does he love or is he dead?
Director Biography
Spiros Alidakis (born in Athens, Greece) is a film and theatre director, screenwriter, producer and the artistic director (2013-2020) of the “Theater Odou Kykladon – Lefteris Voyatzis”. He has studied Directing for Film and Television at the Stavrakos Film School in Athens and at the NYFA in New York.
Alidakis started his film career in 2003 as an independent producer, following a partnership with Nikos Panayotopoulos and other Greek and foreign motion artists. In his theatrical career, he had worked as assistant director to Lefteris Voyatzis in the Theater of Odou Kykladon.
He has created and directed theatrical and radio plays, one documentary feature and also seven short films, many of which have been screened and have won acclaim at film festivals and art venues around the world. “Malady” is his latest short film. Currently, he is working on his new theatrical project and also developing his debut feature film.
~
CROCODILE
Dawid Bodzak, Poland
18′ 36”
A ‘neo-giallo’ short film about a need to fulfill the hidden desires that bursts the characters world from the inside.
Director Biography – Dawid Bodzak
A graduate of directing at Lodz Film School. Director of the award-winning TREMORS (Clermont-Ferrand, Lisbon, Guanajuato, Valladolid, Prague). His feature diploma film, CROCODILE, had its premiere at the prestigious Semaine de la Critique (Critics’ Week) section of the Cannes Film Festival.
Eutopia
Apostolos Tzikas, Tony Kris, Greece
20′
A chance meeting of two people on a bus. A paradox in an equally realistic universe like ours. Eutopia its a short film, tell us about the nostalgia of our past moments and how we should live them to the fullest before they end.
Director Biography – Apostolos Tzikas, Tony Kris
Apostolos Tzikas was born and raised in Athens. He studied at the Higher Drama School of Vassilis Diamantopoulos. He attended seminars in acting, speech education, contemporary drama, and theater modern singing and guitar. He has been working as an actor since 2015. He has worked with directors such as Kostas Gakis, Agni Chioti, Alberto Eskenazi, Androniki Avdelioti etc. in classical and contemporary repertoire in classical and alternative theatre scenes. A sample of his work are: ’’The Master Builder’’of Henrik’s Ibsen at the Alkmini Theatre, John Steinbeck’s ‘’East of Eden’’ at the Aggelon Vima Theatre, ‘’Sherlock Holmes and the Enigma of Luna Park’’ at the Glass Music Theatre etc. In the theater he has directed the play ‘’Short Murder Stories’’ by Panagiotis Bratakos at the Avaton Theatre and in cinema he has directed the short film ‘’Eutopia’’.
In his spare time he likes to be in a cinema hall and watching movies, playing guitar, reading comics and traveling.
Tony Kris (legal name Antonios Gkiaouris) was born and raised in Drepano, a small village of Argolis. He has a diploma in Art of Photography and he just finished the second year on his BA in Film Studies at University of Greenwich. He works as a professional photographer and videographer until 2018. He has worked with many Greek artists like Thanasis Tsaltampasis, Vicky Koulianou, Evridiki, Georgia Kefala, Mihalis, Hatzigiannis, Tania Tsanaklidou, Cezaris Grauzinis, Alexandra Paleologou, Idra Kayne, Katerina Stikoudi, among others. He has worked for Athinaika Theatra, Kryolan, Delta, Pantene, Theatro Athinon and more.
Director Statement
My intention with Eutopia is to tell a story about the nostalgia of our past moments and how we should live them to the fullest before they end.The feeling I want to evoke in this film is the feeling that you get when you look at an old photograph. Our moments are like shooting stars. Shooting stars when they are very bright seem to tear up the sky and reach the surface of the earth, they burn. In an instant. In this way they write their own history, and then they disappear. So that’s how our moments are. They appear suddenly, burn and carve their own path within us. All we can do is to remember them, capture them in a photograph and make them a memory. The good ones and the bad ones. What would happen if instead of capturing the moments, we erased them? As if they never happened? How would we feel if with one click we erased every memory of our lives that caused pain or joy?
~
The dining table
Eleni Zografini, Greece
20’45”
As a couple prepares its upcoming theatrical play, their relationship falls apart.
Director Biography – Eleni Zografini
I am a young architect and aspiring filmmaker.
I grew up in an island – currently I live in a city.
I have traveled, worked, and lived in Europe yet still craving to explore other parts of the world.
I like to photograph things that make us vulnerable.
I have recently discovered the work of Angela Schanelec, and I am moved.
Films, paintings, and books are some of my ways to explore human experience.
The Dining Table is my first student movie, produced during Filmschool seminars (2023-2024).
Previously, I have co-written and co-directed the short film The Taste of Taste (2020), my first attempt in cinema, during a script writing workshop.
Director Statement
This is not a story about love.
It is a story about the loss of oneself, about the cost of compromising and suppressing one´s needs,
-about the cost of moving on and forgiving.
Personally, I believe that life is field of continuous claims.
This story is not based on particular personal experiences, yet it is one of my nightmares:
It is a story that could be mine.
Making a work out of your fears, is very personal:
it is a way to push them away.
~
AÏCHA
Coralie Lavergne, France
17’50”
Elsa, 12 years old, meets her Algerian grandfather for the first time… and discovers that her mother has been hiding a significant part of her identity from her.
Director Biography – Coralie Lavergne
Coralie began her career as a director and actress in 2018.
Her first two short films, “CHAMPAGNE” and “BROTHER and SISTER” received more than 70 international selections. She is currently developing three features and TV series : “ABOARD”, “RUPTURES” (selected at the Valence Festival) with Superstructure Productions, and “BAGNARDES” with Atlantique Productions (Mediawan Group).
In 2022, she received the prestigious grand prize at the Valence Screenwriters Festival and she was awarded the Beaumarchais Fondation grant.
Director Statement
In AÏCHA, I wanted to give a voice to the descendants of immigrants – by confronting two generations (a mother and her daughter) about their cultural heritages. A source of shame for the mother, and pride for the younger.
This subject of multiple identity goes well beyond France : it has a strong resonance in all contemporary societies. The importance of recognizing our cultural heritage is essential for harmony in our communities, and I wanted to make a film that is both joyful and intimate in carrying this message.
Aïcha is inspired by my personal story. But it is also the story of thousands of people all around the world and I hope it will have a strong impact beyond our borders.
~
Cheers To The End
Yiğit Hepsev, Turkey
15′ 05”
The world is coming to an end. Seher returns to hometown after a long time to save her father and brother. But she encounters a situation she didn’t expect. Her father insists on one last family dinner. In the midst of all this confusion and chaos, family ties will also be tested.
Director Biography – Yiğit Hepsev
After graduating from Communication Design undergraduate education, he followed a Master’s degree in Cinema – TV. After working in the fields of animation and visual effects, he switched to directing. He shot many commercials. In 2019, he achieved international success with his first short film, The Tail, written by himself. He is still directing at Anima Istanbul and Mavra Film.
Director Statement
The concept of the “family” has always caught my attention as a person who was born and grew up in Turkey. How long do concepts such as family ties and family holiness remain valid today? Under which conditions is this structure resistant?
The idea of the movie Cheers To The End came out in the framework of these inquiries.
In an alternate timeline, what can a family living in the village do in the midst of chaos when the world comes to an end? Despite its sci-fi elements, this movie focuses on the characters, not the disaster itself. I think the best genre to describe this contrasting situation is black comedy.
Seher, who lives in the city, comes back to the village because of the disaster to rescue her father Tahsin and her brother Serdar. Three characters meet again under the same roof. Tahir’s longing for “happy family portrait”, Serdar’s problems with being an individual and Seher’s gradual loss of power as she returns home… We will watch a family that cannot get together and carries their own disasters with them.
Getaway
Nikita Bigdan, Russian Federation
17’22”
Ann got used to rely only on herself. As soon as she faces aggression from her husband, she decides to save herself by her own. She runs away to a place, where no one can find her, without telling anyone. But he won’t let her go so easily. He tracks her down and knows how to bring her back.
Director Biography – Nikita Bigdan
Born in Moscow. In 2017 graduated from engineering university. Several years worked in his specialty. Lives and work in Moscow.
Director Statement
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KELSEY
Yorgos Sakarellos, Greece
8’36”
A woman’s contemplative moments before a long awaited meeting.
Director Biography
Yorgos Sakarellos is a film director from Athens, Greece. He studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Manchester and Film Directing at Stavrakos Film and Television School in Athens, Greece. He has worked as an editor for projects in film, TV, and music videos. Additionally, he recently became a member of Blink GFE, further showcasing his involvement in the Greek film industry. In his directorial approach, Yorgos aims to narrate stories that explore the emotionally conditioned human experience through the creation of a sense of intimacy.
Director Statement
While I was studying at the school of engineering I was deeply fascinated by the term “quasi-static”, referring to processes that take place at an extremely slow rate whilst maintaining equilibrium. It wasn’t until I listened to Ligeti’s “Atmospheres” featured in Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” that I truly felt how art deconstructs and adapts its form from such terms, retaining the elements that best suit the art piece and its perspective. The cafe scene from Louis Malle’s “Le Feu Follet” is an unquestionable source of inspiration for the film as it displays the internal static experienced moments before Alain, a former alcoholic, breaks sobriety.
I later on came to realise that all those influences shaped what came to be “Kelsey”, a title derived from the artist model in the 1920s and 1930s Marguerite Kelsey who was famous for her ability to hold a pose for a very long time. The film is a portrait of internal static, moments before an anticipated meeting, an experience that vividly survives throughout many of my personal memories. It’s a translation of the collective of these memories through the language of cinema.
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Swallowing Dust
Achille Bocquier, France
16’37”
A young man drives aimlessly searching for someone to spend the night with, carrying with him the fires and smoke of past summers. But he is not alone; from his bedroom window, he can see a tree, the only witness to his wandering.
Director Biography – Achille Bocquier
Born in 1998 in the west of France, Achille Bocquier moved to Paris in 2016 to study film. While working as an assistant set designer, he has been developing his own fiction and documentary projects that focus on desire and its fantastic deviations. With “Swallowing Dust”, his first short film produced by the GREC, he evokes the solitary summer wanderings of a provincial boy.