Emerging with diverse artistic visions, Greek filmmakers have managed to mold the chaotic and uncertain situation of their county into cinematic statements ranging from the utterly realist to the most audacious. This weekend several of these unique perspectives were screened at the 8th Edition of the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival with a program that included documentary features, shorts, and some of the most daring narratives to come out of the Hellenic nation recently. More prolific than ever, Greek Cinema voices the experiences of those affected by the economic crisis, those trying to make amends between tradition and fast-paced modernity, and above all it is fertile ground for exploration and reinvention.
Miss Violence
Dir. Alexandros Avranas
Any film that opens with a girl committing suicide on her 11th birthday announces itself as something out of the ordinary. Alexandros Avranas’ “ Miss Violence” can easily be considered a new addition to the unofficially named Greek Weird Wave movement. Its closest reference is the Oscar-nominated “Dogtooth”. Much like Lanthimos film, “Miss Violence” focuses on a family in which a controlling patriarch ruthlessly decides over its members’ lives. While “Dogtooth” deals with a distorted perception of reality created by the monstrous father, Avranas’ film is darker, more puzzling, and at times unbearably unnerving. Conformed by a mother, two daughters, and two grandchildren, the family mechanics are never easily presented. Dozens of theories can be at play in the viewer’s mind as one tries to decipher what is the evil truth behind it all. A shattering must-see, “Miss Violence” is a twisted tale of submission and perversion cleverly concealed by apparent righteousness. Full review coming soon.
Standing Aside, Watching
Dir. Giorgos Servetas
When an educated and self-sufficient woman, Antigone (Marina Symeou), decides to return to her small town, she soon realizes that things haven’t improved much from what she remembers. After finding a job as a teacher and reconnecting with her old friend Eleni ( Marianthi Pantelopoulou), Antogone finds a younger boyfriend who makes things in the sleepy community more exciting. Sadly for this independent woman, that relationship will unearth the viciousness of the town’s bully. Reveling in their archaic ideologies, people here uphold male chauvinist values that condone violence against women. Those protected by the corrupt local authorities enjoy impunity. Furthermore, the film points at indifference as the source of injustice. Outspoken about the outrageous gender inequality that still exists, this effective thriller is infuriating and poignant until its culminating sequence. Servetas film is an extraordinarily brave and important statement not only for Greece, but anywhere where women still need to struggle for the most elemental respect.
The Eternal Return of Antonis Paraskevas
Dir. Elina Psikou
Delusions of grandeur take on a new form when famed talk-show host Antonis Paraskeva ( Christos Stergioglou) decides to orchestrate his own kidnapping as a publicity stunt. Hidden in a remote hotel out of service for the winter, he spends his days reading what the media says about his disappearance and endlessly practicing a recipe for molecular pasta all in hopes of a triumphal return. Subtly comedic and occasional unsettling, Psikou’s film makes blunt observations about a man’s obsession with his own image and status. Aware that his antics to turn himself into a legendary figure are failing, Antonis’ arrogance will drive him to carry out increasingly more deranged tactics in order to recover his position and keep his fans interested. Embellished by a couple magical realist episodes, “The Eternal Return” peculiarly depicts the cult of celebrity and instant glorification, which is something that rings true now more than ever.
The Enemy Within
Dir. Yorgos Tsemberopoulos
While watching Tsemberopoulos film, another thematically similar work quickly comes to mind: "To Kill a Man" by Chilean director Alejandro Fernández Almendras. Both stories are concerned with events that drive normal family men to kill with the purpose of avenging their loved ones. While the South American director focuses on what leads to the act itself, in the suspenseful Greek tale the filmmaker decides to go further and deal with the consequences of getting even. A performance brimming with tremendous vulnerability and heartbreaking powerlessness by Manolis Mavromatakis as Kostas, the father, is at the center of this provocative feature. As the family begins to fall apart, Kostas hateful thirst for retribution is transformed into a strange form of forgiveness towards those who ravaged his life. "The Enemy Within" is intense, intelligent, and forces its characters to make decisions that place them in the grayer side of morality.
To The Wolf
Dir. Aran Hughes & Christina Koutsospyrou
Bleak and meditative, this hyperrealist story evolves around two impoverished families in a precarious Greek muntain town. Set in the midst of the financial crisis, To The Wolf examines the daily struggles of an elderly couple and their son Giorgos (Giorgos Katsaros), who is goatherd unable to sell any of his animals and can’t find any other way to make a living. Desperation quickly sets in followed by a dark feeling of despair. This families are in debt, they don’t know where their next meal with come from, and they are completely disenchanted with a government that has forgotten them. Extremely minimalist visually and employing non-professional actors, the film exists ambiguously between documentary and fiction. It includes explicit social commentary about the terrible living conditions people in rural communities have been forced to endure, as well as the dismal disparities between them and their urban counterparts, of whom they are only aware via their ramshackle television.
Committed
Dir. Stelana Kliris
This English-language road trip romantic comedy set in Cyprus is an entertaining work that relies heavily on its two protagonists’ ability to be engaging. Driving around the island to clear his head after a fight with his girlfriend, George ( Orestes Sophocleous Orestes Sophocleous), an engineer of Greek origin who studied in England, runs across a bride (Melia Kreiling), wedding dress and all, who is walking alone on a deserted road running away from something or someone. He offers her a ride and what ensues are a series of conversations about love, the boredom of conventions, and of course, fear of commitment. Even if the performances appear overdone and rather generic at times, there is still a lighthearted chemistry between the two actors that makes the journey simplistic, but enjoyable. It would come as no surprise if the concept is adapted and remade with an American cast. This is the type of story that Hollywood craves, especially with the added bonus of a somewhat intriguing twist.
Miss Violence
Dir. Alexandros Avranas
Any film that opens with a girl committing suicide on her 11th birthday announces itself as something out of the ordinary. Alexandros Avranas’ “ Miss Violence” can easily be considered a new addition to the unofficially named Greek Weird Wave movement. Its closest reference is the Oscar-nominated “Dogtooth”. Much like Lanthimos film, “Miss Violence” focuses on a family in which a controlling patriarch ruthlessly decides over its members’ lives. While “Dogtooth” deals with a distorted perception of reality created by the monstrous father, Avranas’ film is darker, more puzzling, and at times unbearably unnerving. Conformed by a mother, two daughters, and two grandchildren, the family mechanics are never easily presented. Dozens of theories can be at play in the viewer’s mind as one tries to decipher what is the evil truth behind it all. A shattering must-see, “Miss Violence” is a twisted tale of submission and perversion cleverly concealed by apparent righteousness. Full review coming soon.
Standing Aside, Watching
Dir. Giorgos Servetas
When an educated and self-sufficient woman, Antigone (Marina Symeou), decides to return to her small town, she soon realizes that things haven’t improved much from what she remembers. After finding a job as a teacher and reconnecting with her old friend Eleni ( Marianthi Pantelopoulou), Antogone finds a younger boyfriend who makes things in the sleepy community more exciting. Sadly for this independent woman, that relationship will unearth the viciousness of the town’s bully. Reveling in their archaic ideologies, people here uphold male chauvinist values that condone violence against women. Those protected by the corrupt local authorities enjoy impunity. Furthermore, the film points at indifference as the source of injustice. Outspoken about the outrageous gender inequality that still exists, this effective thriller is infuriating and poignant until its culminating sequence. Servetas film is an extraordinarily brave and important statement not only for Greece, but anywhere where women still need to struggle for the most elemental respect.
The Eternal Return of Antonis Paraskevas
Dir. Elina Psikou
Delusions of grandeur take on a new form when famed talk-show host Antonis Paraskeva ( Christos Stergioglou) decides to orchestrate his own kidnapping as a publicity stunt. Hidden in a remote hotel out of service for the winter, he spends his days reading what the media says about his disappearance and endlessly practicing a recipe for molecular pasta all in hopes of a triumphal return. Subtly comedic and occasional unsettling, Psikou’s film makes blunt observations about a man’s obsession with his own image and status. Aware that his antics to turn himself into a legendary figure are failing, Antonis’ arrogance will drive him to carry out increasingly more deranged tactics in order to recover his position and keep his fans interested. Embellished by a couple magical realist episodes, “The Eternal Return” peculiarly depicts the cult of celebrity and instant glorification, which is something that rings true now more than ever.
The Enemy Within
Dir. Yorgos Tsemberopoulos
While watching Tsemberopoulos film, another thematically similar work quickly comes to mind: "To Kill a Man" by Chilean director Alejandro Fernández Almendras. Both stories are concerned with events that drive normal family men to kill with the purpose of avenging their loved ones. While the South American director focuses on what leads to the act itself, in the suspenseful Greek tale the filmmaker decides to go further and deal with the consequences of getting even. A performance brimming with tremendous vulnerability and heartbreaking powerlessness by Manolis Mavromatakis as Kostas, the father, is at the center of this provocative feature. As the family begins to fall apart, Kostas hateful thirst for retribution is transformed into a strange form of forgiveness towards those who ravaged his life. "The Enemy Within" is intense, intelligent, and forces its characters to make decisions that place them in the grayer side of morality.
To The Wolf
Dir. Aran Hughes & Christina Koutsospyrou
Bleak and meditative, this hyperrealist story evolves around two impoverished families in a precarious Greek muntain town. Set in the midst of the financial crisis, To The Wolf examines the daily struggles of an elderly couple and their son Giorgos (Giorgos Katsaros), who is goatherd unable to sell any of his animals and can’t find any other way to make a living. Desperation quickly sets in followed by a dark feeling of despair. This families are in debt, they don’t know where their next meal with come from, and they are completely disenchanted with a government that has forgotten them. Extremely minimalist visually and employing non-professional actors, the film exists ambiguously between documentary and fiction. It includes explicit social commentary about the terrible living conditions people in rural communities have been forced to endure, as well as the dismal disparities between them and their urban counterparts, of whom they are only aware via their ramshackle television.
Committed
Dir. Stelana Kliris
This English-language road trip romantic comedy set in Cyprus is an entertaining work that relies heavily on its two protagonists’ ability to be engaging. Driving around the island to clear his head after a fight with his girlfriend, George ( Orestes Sophocleous Orestes Sophocleous), an engineer of Greek origin who studied in England, runs across a bride (Melia Kreiling), wedding dress and all, who is walking alone on a deserted road running away from something or someone. He offers her a ride and what ensues are a series of conversations about love, the boredom of conventions, and of course, fear of commitment. Even if the performances appear overdone and rather generic at times, there is still a lighthearted chemistry between the two actors that makes the journey simplistic, but enjoyable. It would come as no surprise if the concept is adapted and remade with an American cast. This is the type of story that Hollywood craves, especially with the added bonus of a somewhat intriguing twist.
- 6/9/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
When Greece is portrayed in the movies it’s usually as either a paradise with gorgeous beaches and crystal clear Mediterranean waters for frolicking in, or as a significant place in the history of the human race. Why else would Bill and Ted venture back there just to kidnap one of their key philosophical figures? Giorgos Servetas’ new film, “Standing Aside, Watching,” however, shows a completely different side of the Southern European nation. This is a grim, bleak picture of a country fraught with corruption and violence, from the top all the way down to the smallest social levels. After a life of trying to become an actress, a failed dream now discarded, Antigone (Marina Symeou) returns to her hometown to regroup and figure out what’s next. The way she feels about her home is the way a lot of us feel about the places we come from: there...
- 5/26/2014
- by Brent McKnight
- Beyond Hollywood
A total of 24 world premieres are included in the Berlinale’s Panorama selection, which has added a number of Asian productions.
Some 36 films from 29 countries will feature in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 6-16), of which 24 will be world premieres.
Most recently invited are works from Norway, Ethiopia, Mexico, India, Iran, Georgia, Greece, Hungary and Austria – with returning filmmakers Elfi Mikesch and Umut Dağ, who opened Panorama 2012 with Kuma, his directorial debut.
New titles include a number of Asian productions. In Ieji (Homeland) by Japan’s Nao Kubota, a farmer’s son, who first fled to the city, explores his home village in the Fukushima district, an area that is actually still a no-go zone following the disaster at the region’s nuclear power plant.
In the South Korean film Night Flight, LeeSong Hee-il presents a duel between two schoolmates. LeeSong previously showed the films No Regret and White Night in Panorama...
Some 36 films from 29 countries will feature in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 6-16), of which 24 will be world premieres.
Most recently invited are works from Norway, Ethiopia, Mexico, India, Iran, Georgia, Greece, Hungary and Austria – with returning filmmakers Elfi Mikesch and Umut Dağ, who opened Panorama 2012 with Kuma, his directorial debut.
New titles include a number of Asian productions. In Ieji (Homeland) by Japan’s Nao Kubota, a farmer’s son, who first fled to the city, explores his home village in the Fukushima district, an area that is actually still a no-go zone following the disaster at the region’s nuclear power plant.
In the South Korean film Night Flight, LeeSong Hee-il presents a duel between two schoolmates. LeeSong previously showed the films No Regret and White Night in Panorama...
- 1/17/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The heroine’s name is Antigone, but the myths at work in “Standing Aside, Watching,” are those of the American western, a western one whose heroine has more cojones than a dozen Gary Coopers. The film? A model of urgent, contemporary storytelling by Greek director Yorgos Servetas, with a sometimes spare, sometimes epic visual take on modern Greece and a story that synthesizes past and present, while creating its own drama. The empowered female seldom arrives more empowered than Antigone, or creates such an captivating dust storm of righteous anger. Played with delicious ferocity by Marina Symeou, Antigone returns to her backwater home town after a failed acting career in Athens, and finds the place the way Wyatt Earp found Tombstone. Antigone – in Greek myth, the daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, and, a la Sophocles, the plague of male injustice – gets a job as an English teacher, finds a much younger lover,...
- 9/11/2013
- by John Anderson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The 38th Toronto International Film Festival has released an incredible guest list of celebrated talent from around the globe. Filmmakers expected to present their world premieres in Toronto include: Catherine Breillat, Nicole Garcia, Pawel Pawlikowski, Bertrand Tavernier, Steve McQueen, Godfrey Reggio, Denis Villeneuve, Bill Condon, Jean-Marc Vallée, John Wells, Ralph Fiennes, Richard Ayoade, Atom Egoyan, Matthew Weiner, John Carney, Jason Reitman, Jason Bateman, Yorgos Servetas, Liza Johnson, Megan Griffiths, Fernando Eimbcke, Alexey Uchitel, Johnny Ma, Biyi Bandele, Rashid Masharawi, Paul Haggis, Ron Howard, Eli Roth, Álex de la Iglesia, Bruce McDonald, Jennifer Baichwal, John Ridley, and Justin Chadwick.
The Festival also welcomes thousands of producers and other industry professionals bringing films to us.
The following filmmakers and artists are expected to attend the Toronto International Film Festival:
Ahmad Abdalla, Hany Abu-Assad, Yuval Adler, Akosua Adoma Owusu, Alexandre Aja, Bruce Alcock, Gianni Amelio, Thanos Anastopoulos, Madeline Anderson, Nimród Antal, Louise Archambault,...
The Festival also welcomes thousands of producers and other industry professionals bringing films to us.
The following filmmakers and artists are expected to attend the Toronto International Film Festival:
Ahmad Abdalla, Hany Abu-Assad, Yuval Adler, Akosua Adoma Owusu, Alexandre Aja, Bruce Alcock, Gianni Amelio, Thanos Anastopoulos, Madeline Anderson, Nimród Antal, Louise Archambault,...
- 8/21/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
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