LGFF PROGRAM 2008

Selected Scripts

Arivind Abraham: The List (fiction feature)
Andrianos Georgantas and Yiorgos Iliopoulos: 4 Ever (fiction feature)
Gus Nicholson: Freedom Dance (fiction feature)
Helen Chtourou: Villa Del Monte (fiction feature)
Kallia Papadaki: Summertime (short)
Koula Sossiadis Kazista: Rites of Winter (fiction feature)
Maria Douza: The Tree and The Swing (fiction feature)
Marina Koulouri: A Mellow Dusk (short)
Heidi Neale & Nick Manolukas: An Olympic Odyssey (fiction feature)
Heidi Neale & Nick Manolukas: The Minoan Message: Return to the Golden Age (fiction feature)
Ralf Hochstrasser: The Bull Leapers (fiction feature)
Jay Clifton and Theodore Koulouris: Cloudy Sunday (fiction feature)
Jay Clifton and Theodore Koulouris: Arcadia (fiction feature)

Selected Films

Thursday 13 November 2008

TIME	Screen 1 - Great Hall

14.00		Trailers and Networking before you enter the Greek moving image dream. Learn about the Hellenic Centre, join the digital photographic exhibition of Melina Merkouri, take a look at the program and videos in the Friend's Room, vote for your favorite films, watch trailers or just drink a cup of coffee and start networking at the bar!

15.30		Documentary. UK Premier. This is London. 1939-2005. The Begging and the End. Directed by Aris Fatouros. On December 31st of 2005, the Greek Radio of BBC fell silent, after 66 years. On June 6th of 2006, BBC donated to the Parliamentary Library a copy of its radio archives. The film was created due to this event. Editing: Alexandros Sampsonidis. Production: Hellenic Parliament TV, Greece, 2006. 28.18 min. Editing Award in Halkida Documentary Festival (2007).

16.10		Documentary. The Cypriot Diaspora. Directed by Doros Partasides. The film charts through the eyes of a young third generation British-Cypriot girl, the Cypriot immigration to the UK in the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and 50s, based on the testimonies of twenty five Cypriots who immigrated to the UK during that time. Pressenter/Narrator: Lia Yiacoumi. Music: Takis Violaris. Scripts: Kyriakos Yiacoumi and Marianna Partasides. Production: GPA (UK) & CYBC (Cyprus), 2006. 55 min.

17.10		Documentary. UK Premier. Who's on First? Directed by Valerie Kontakos. When Athens became host to the 2004 Olympic games, Greece was thrust into the task of creating a national baseball team that would compete in the Olympics. One problem, Greece had no team, players or stadiums in which to play. Realizing they could not compete on an Olympic level, Greek-American pros were called upon to help create a winning team. The few passionate local Greek athletes were left on the sidelines once winning became a possibility. Finally, what started out as a quirky Olympic novelty, turned into a transatlantic Greek tragedy. Cinematographers: Greece: Dimitris Vernikos, Alexis Grivas,Yiannis Misourides, Valerie Kontakos. USA: Michel Negroponte, Andy Rice, Jayson Haedrich. Music Composed and performed by David Lynch. Production: One Art Productions – GR & USA, 2006. 61 min. Best Documentary, LA Greek Film Festival 2007.

18.20		Animation. UK Premier. The little mouse who wanted to touch a star. Directed by Panagiotis Rappas and Aggelos Rouvas.The film is adaptation a highly successful tale by Eugene Trivizas. It is a powerful, yet tender, Christmas story, whose hero is a dreamy little mouse, whose life’s ambition is to touch a star. The adventures of this little mouse on his way to the realization of his dream is full of exciting action (without any kind of violence), suitable for children of the 4 – 8 age range. At the same time, the messages the story gives, may be moving for both older children and parents. Music by: Platon Andritsakis, Nikos Papadogoulas, Minos Matsas, Kostas Christides. Cast: Christos Tzamargias, Matina Douskou, Kostas Triantafilopoulos, Giorgos Andessakis, Dimitris Vergados. Production: ERT SA Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. and Time Lapse Pictures SA - Greece, 2007. 26 min.

18.50		Short Film. Broken. Directed by Vicki Psarias. It's 1968 and 14 year old Chrystalla arrives in London to meet her father Solomon, after 4 years apart, only to find he is not the man he seems to be... Cast: Peter Polycarpou, Lucy Christofi Christy, Marianna Neofitou, Alexander Roy, Michelle Collins. Production: Ten Thousand Films Ltd – UK, 2007. 15 min. Winner Channel 4 4Talent Award for Best Filmmaker and Film. Winner Best Film and Director End of the Pier International Film Festival. Winner Best Film Nashik International Film Festival, India. Awarded Finalist Kodak Short Film Award Best Film and Cinematography. Awarded Finalist Daily Mail Young Enterprising Brit for filmmaker's work on Broken.

19.10		Fiction Feature. UK Premier. Alter Ego. Directed by Nicholas Dimitropoulos. Five young rock stars from the successful bad 'Alter Ego' blinded by the spotlights, the cheers and the sense of being worship, are faced with their fears, their desires and their true selves. Stefanos, the guitarist, lives in his own shinny world. he is blinded by fame and success, but always a part of him feels incomplete until a series of events involving pain and love, change him forever. Cast: Sakis Rouvas, Doretta Papadimitriou, Danai Skiadi, Kostis Kallivretakis, Dimitris Kouroumbalis, Laertis Malkotsis, Alexandros Logothetis. Writen by: Vana Dimitriou, Nicholas Dimitropoulos. Produced by: Harry Antonopoulos, Lily Papadopoulos. Associate Producer: Sakis Rouvas. Line Producer: Yiannis Iakovidis. Production: Village Productions Hellas S.A., 2007. 99 min.

20.50		Late Evening Event and Networking. London Greek Film Festival opening night, with live performance by The Famous SOAS Rebetiko Bad! A special evening with rebetiko music, networking and welcoming short speeches by Agatha Kalisperas [Hellenic Centre Director], Dimitri Sofianopoulos [Greek Film Centre Vice-President], Nelly Voukaki [ANT1 Europe] and others.

Friday 14 November 2008

TIME	Screen 1 - Great Hall

14.00		Trailers and Networking before you enter the Greek moving image dream. Learn about the Hellenic Centre, join the digital photographic exhibition of Melina Merkouri, take a look at the program and videos in the Friend's Room, vote for your favorite films, watch trailers or just drink a cup of coffee and start networking at the bar!

15.00		Documentary. World Premier. A life in the day of Panikos Hrisanthou. Directed by Spyros Christofi and Goerge Kasolas. The film follows the work of a documentary filmmaker, Panikos Hrisanthou, which works in Cyprus and Reflects upon the Cyprus issues. The film uses interviews contacted by the filmmakers as well as footage from his work and touches upon current and political situations in the past. the film would like cauterize some of the problems that Cyprus has as an occupied country and shows this from Panikos Hrisanthou's work. Independent Production, Cyprus and Greece, 2008. 25 min.

15.30		Documentary. UK Premier. Masterpiece (Part 1). Directed by Stefanos Modelos. Stelios Pagias is the “Masterpiece”, not only because of the interest he attracts through his zest for life, although he is quadriplegic, but also for the opportunity, he offers us, to re-examine the common acceptable rules or conceptions of aesthetic value. Given that disability appears not to abide by these rules, Stelios challenges us to discover new aesthetic concept where disability and beauty are not mutually excluding. Script: Stefanos Mondelos, Stelios Pagias, Cast: Stelios Pagias, Cinematographer / DP: Yiorgos Sotiropoulos, Picture Editor: Dimitris Nikolopoulos, Original Music / Composer: Vassilios Kokkas. Independent Production, Greece, 2007. 25 min.

16.00		Documentary. UK Premier. Agathi Crysafi. Directed by Stelios Kraounakis and Efi Latsoudi. Agathi Chrysafi is an old lady living in a village in Lesvos island, Greece. She has a lot of ordinary activities like collecting olives, herbages, taking care of her goats, helping her son working to his café and when she feels like, she paints the walls of her home. The stairs, the kitchen, her bedroom, the whole house is full with lovely painting flowers, peacocks, parrots and whatever have motivate her fantasy, through time. She doesn’t have any artistic concerns, she does not see other paintings and she does not even invite anyone to see her paintings. “I take pride in them” she says and when she gets bored of them, she paints new over the old ones. A strange fortune was the cause of our acquaintance. This wonderful lady manages to follow her instincts through a personal, individual way. Independent Production, Greece, 2006. 13 min.

16.20		Short Film. UK Premier. Zafiris. Directed by Elena Dimitrakopoulou. A man is lying in bed. His young daughter cannot realize her mother's anguish. She just wants to go out and play with her friends. It is spring time, the time of zafiris, which is a lamenting children's play. Script by Effi Gavrilou. Cast: Despina Lambrou, Gerasimos Skiadaresis, Eri Bakali. Music by Giorgos Andreou. Songs by Martha Frintzila, Des. Lambrou. Production: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA, Kenan Akkawi - Greece, 2006. 19 min. 2006 - Quality Award for 10 Best Short Greek Films by Greek Ministry of Culture. Nominated for several awards in 2006 - Drama Film Festival.

16.45		Documentary. UK Premier. Light on My Shoulder. Michalis Ganas. Directed by Stelios Charalampopoulos, Produced by Thanos Lambropoulos. The postwar events in Greece left deep traces on the life and work of the poet Michalis Ganas. Of Epirot origin – from a village near the border with Albania – as a child Ganas found himself caught up in the turmoil of the Civil War, finally spending six years of his life in the socialist republics of the time. He returned to his village for a brief time before moving to Athens to pursue his studies and make a living. Later, in 1978, these two landmark “journeys” provided the subject matter for his Akathistos deipnos (Standing Supper) collection of poems and his prose work Mitria patrida (Stepmotherland), excerpts of which were published that same year in the journal “Chroniko”. Meanwhile, Athens – the new homeland – begins to trace its own slow but sure marks on the life and work of Michalis Ganas. Production: Periplus, Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT S.A., Vivo Film, Greece, 2006. 68 min. 2^nd Best Picture Award and Best Cinematography Award.: 1st Chalkida Documetnary Festival.

18.00		Fiction Feature. UK Premier. Love Lessons for Revolutionary Action. Directed by Nikos Alevras. The first religious film of all time on love, sexual desire, orgasms and revolution! Why have all the economic and social systems failed? Why do people continue to live in loneliness and depression? Because everything is oppressive and anti-erotic! Because, as Plato says, “love makes the world go round.” The purpose of the film is to prove that through the constant antitheses and syntheses of the universe, of Nature and of our minds, with love and sexual desire as the motivating power, chaos vanishes and harmony and happiness are created! The film is made up of stories and hymns of praise to love, passion and the revolution of bodies, souls and the PAN-universal world. “Since only love vanquishes death poetry has to be spermatic, totally erotic, or not exist at all” Embirikos. Script: Nikos Alevras. Music: Sakis Tsilikis. Cast: Viron Katritsis, Makis Bogeas, Petros Bousoulopoulos, Giorgos Pispinis, Vassilis Papageorgiou, Vangelis Stratigakos (male students) - Stella Antoniou, Amalia Gouma, Agathi Kaltsa, Eleni Liaska, Danai Papoutsi, Kaliopi Takaki (female students), Regina Pantelidi (Diotima), Tasos Palantzidis (Agent), Dimitris Poulikakos (Existentialist). Production: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA, Greek Film Centre, Lalouda, Media Vox, Greece, 2007. 94 min.

19.50		Special Screening-Documentary. World Premier. Bachae. Directed by Bruno Coppola. The film follows the development and performance of the National Theatre of Northern Greece’s production of Euripides’ drama as conceived by Artistic Director Nikitas Tsakiroglou, and directed by Tassos Ratsos. Award-winning UK Director Bruno Coppola shot the entire tour, using two and sometimes three cameras, in various ancient amphitheatres in Greece, Bitola (FYROM) and Cyprus, culminating in a week-long run at the State Theatre in Thessaloniki. Working with two other editors, cutting between rehearsals, behind-the-scenes moments, and the performance itself, Coppola has put together a fascinating, intimate look at the inner workings of contemporary Greek theatre at the highest level. Cast: Stratos Georgoglou, Christos Sougaris, Ioanna Pagiotaki, Costas Sadas, Vasilis Vasilakis. Director of the stage play: Tassos Ratsos. Directing Supervision: Nikitas Tsakiroglou. Translator: Yorgos Heimonas. Set Designer / Costumes: Evangelia Kirkine. Music: Kostas Vomvolos. Choreographer: Kostas Gerardos. Greek Traditional Dance Instructor: Yorgos Lykessas. Production: Bacchae Productions Ltd, Greece - UK, 2008. 90 min.

21.25		Late Evening Event and Networking. Bruno Coppola talking with audience about his film. Follows live music performance by Iamvos Music Ensemble and Silvia Tsimpanakou! A night dedicated to Melina Mercouri. «Melina Merkouri: the songs I loved» Songs and melodies by Hadjidakis, Loizos, Theodorakis, Markopoulos, Xarhakos, Moustaki and others, with parallel digital Melina's photo and video screenings.

TIME	Screen 2 - Board Room

14.00		Trailers and Networking. Join the different. More experimental, alternative or independent works here; documentaries, short films, fiction feature, video art, student films... A different point of view, a different networking, more cosy atmosphere!

14.30		Documentary. UK Premier. The Beach that lost it's Goose. Directed by Isobel Pravda. A film about a wild goose that lost its flock and lived on a beach in Corfu for three months. She lived with people and was loved by them. One day she was hit and ran away scared. The film looks at why she came, why she left and why she meant so much to the local populace. Many left she represented how the beach used to be when it was an old hippy commune. Her disappears was perhaps a metaphor for why the beach has changed so much for the worse; the destruction of the environment and the developments of roads and hotels. The changes came at a cost. Independent Production. Greece, 2007. 19 min.

15.00		Documentary. UK Premier. So You can Dance! Directed by Nikos Dayandas and Stelios Apostolopoulos. Award-winning Italian-born performer and choreographer Luca Silvestrini comes to Athens to create the first community dance permforance in Greece. His dance troupe consists of 40 non-professional dancers, from 3 to 93 years old! We follow Luca as he visits nursery schools, schools and old-age homes in the Municipality of Vyronas, trying to recruit and prepare his dancers. But, just a few days before the performance, the situation spirals out of control: the children are playing, the elderly forget their steps and the middle-aged begin to fight. Luca is on the verge of a nervous break down. Production: Anemon Production, Greece, 2007. 27 min.

15.35		Documentary. UK Premier. Filming Dreams. Directed by Isidor John Leontis. Theo Angelopoulos in production... The crew travels with Theo Angelopoulos across Europe and Russia to shoot a film of passion and family tragedy. Willem Dafoe leads the brilliant cast of the 'Dust of Time' Trilogy Part 2. The story takes him back to the Cold War Russia. True authenticity is a hallmark of the director's cinematic art. The Dust of Time covers 1953 to the present... Locations in Berlin and Cologne. Interviewee: Theo Angelopoulos, Willem Dafoe, Michele Picolli, Wim Wenders, Irene Jacob, Cristiane Paul. Producers: Nikos Bistinas, Marios Polyzogopoulos. Script: Mary Linda Mc Neely. Executive Producer: Maria Birbili. Music: Dionysis Konstantinidis. Production: Art in Vision Ltd, Greece, 2008. 65 min.

16.45

Documentary. UK Premier. Paddle Ship 'Patris' Lost in 1968. Directed by Vassilis Mentogiannis and George Nikolaidi. The documentary is about the historic paddle steamer ‘Patris’ that sank in 1868. A unique wreck in the Mediterranean Sea and possibly in the whole of Europe (at a maximum depth of 55 m). The specific nature of this type of ship, using wheels for movement, makes this a unique experience. Made in a time before the discovery of propellers - while most vessels were made of wood, Patris was one of the few to be constructed of metal and that is why it has been preserved until today. It was a luxury wheel travelling steamboat but also a sailboat, which was owned by the "Hellenic Shipping Company", the first coastal shipping company founded in Greece. During the documentary the crew hoisted one of the two wheels, weighing about 16 tons and various other findings among which an anchor and two royal cannons were of particular interest. All the finds resulted in a special wing, which was purpose built, by the Industrial Heritage Museum of Syros, in Greece. Music: Antonis Delaportas, Yannis Makridis. Scientifique research: Vassilis Panagiotopoulos Director of the National Institute of Research. Historical research/ Script: Vassilis Mentogiannis. Photography: Nikos Konotsiotis, Alekos Manesis. Production: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT S.A., TEXNIS, Ke.Te.Po., Industrial Heritage Museum of Syros, Greece, 2007. 63.27 min.

17.55

Special Screening - Fiction Feature. A Dream of Passion. Directed by Jules Dassin. The story of a modern Medea. The relationship of Maya. an actress performing the role of Medea with Brenda (Ellen Burstyn) who like Medea killed her children to revenge her husband. Cast: Melina Mercouri, Ellen Burstyn, Andreas Voutsinas, Despo diamandidou, Dimitris Papamichael, Manos Katrakis and many more... Production: Melina Films - Brenfilm N.V. Geneva, 1978. 110 min.

Saturday 15 November 2008

TIME	venue: the Hellenic Centre - Great Hall

12.00		Trailers and Networking before you enter the Greek moving image dream. Learn about the Hellenic Centre, join the digital photographic exhibition of Melina Merkouri, take a look at the program and videos in the Friend's Room, vote for your favorite films, watch trailers or just drink a cup of coffee and start networking at the bar!

12.30		Documentary. UK Premier. In exchange for five apartments and one shop. Directed by Yiannis Skopeteas. The history of a city, the architecture of a city. The history of Athens, the society of Athens in the 20th century. In Exchange for Five Apartments and One Shop is a documentary essay on the architectural evolution of Athens and the society that created it, as shown in the Greek fiction films (from the oldest Greek fiction film of 1924 to these of 2004). There are several singularities in this docu-essay, whose script was made by an architect and a film director, both scholars in the Greek universities: it almost entirely consists of shots taken from the major features of Greek cinema. In total, 530 images (shots) of Athens taken from 184 different films. In addition, there are 18 long takes of contemporary Athens, which were originally shot for this documentary and deliberately refer to the style of Theo Angelopoulos, the major Greek film director and interpreter of the Greek history. Secondly, although this documentary contains all the major stories and stars of Greek cinema (and therefore, can be read as a revision of Greek cinema as well), it has one protagonist only: the city of Athens and its aesthetic and social transformations in the 20th century; from a small capital of a small country to the present megalopolis that suffers from symptoms similar to these of the other European and Balkan capitals. Script: Dimitris Filippidis, Yiannis Skopeteas. Production: Benaki Museum, Greece, 2005. 115 min.

14.30		Short Film. World Premier. Love Tender. Directed by George Siougas. Michel, a famous Greek director, is making “Romeo and Juliette” starring unknown actress Angeliki, his girlfriend. Not believing in true love and what Romeo represents, the cynical director is creating a digital Romeo to star opposite Angeliki and will give the play a twist by having her kill Romeo half way through the film. Angeliki on the other hand, unable to find true love in Michel, is presented with a dilemma when Romeo materializes before her and challenges her beliefs. Producers: Vittorio Pietra, Vasilis Katsoufis, Evgenios Katravas. Cast: Akis Sakelariou, Penelope Anastasopoulou, Hristos Theodorides. Production: Stefi, Greece, 2008. 19.30 min.

14.55		Documentary. UK Premier. The Secret of the Snake Goddess. Directed by Christian Bauer and Nikos Dayandas. This is the story of the discovery of Knossos and the Minoans by Sir Arthur Evans -a story as mysterious as the Minoan world itself. Following Canadian archaeologist Alexander MacGillivray, the film travels to Crete, New York, Boston and Toronto, to discover the secrets behind famous Minoan masterpieces. The secrets they hide will change our view of the Minoan world. Through dramatic reconstructions shot in the archaeological site of Knossos, documentary footage and high quality computer animation, “The Secret of the Snake Goddess” brings to life the Golden Age of great discoveries and reminds us why History is important for us, today. Cast: Peter Bamler, Leonardo Batis. Music by: Aaron Davis, John Lang. Production: Anemon Productions, Greece, Germany, Canada, 2007. 52 min.

15.45		Short Film. World Premier. An Unsuitable Boy. Directed by Lou Panteli. In this comic drama set in London’s Greek Cypriot Community, 22-year old Georgia is forced to meet prospective husbands arranged courtesy of her matchmaking relatives. Her widowed mother Angela, an incorrigible flirt, skilfully handles the Mr Rights from the Mr Wrongs whilst Georgia hides a secret that will put her in conflict with her cultural identity and Orthodox faith. Relief arrives when she meets headstrong Eleni and realises that she is not the only girl who will never find a suitable boy. Cast: Anna Savva, Nina Millns, Androniki Psarias, Lucy Christy, Michael Michael, Panayiotis Psarias, George Savvides, Elle Panteli, Juliette Strange, Alex Huish, Tony Neophytou, Theodora Psarias, Nick Psarias, Rob Wainwright, Michael Armstrong, Alexander Roy, and Sophia Roy. Script by: Lou Panteli. Music by Adonis Aletras. Independent Production. UK, 2008. 12 min.

16.00		Documentary. UK Premier. Yiannis Moralis. Directed by Stelios Charalampopoulos, Produced by Thanos Lambropoulos. From the inter-war years when he first emerged as an artist to his recent work, exhibited in January 2004, Yannis Moralis has been in the foreground of Greek art constantly, for almost seventy years. An artist who walked alongside the famous generation on the 30s, he continued his pursuits throughout the 20^th century, while also teaching some of Greece' s finest visual artists at his workshop at the Athens School of Fine Arts. A film on his life and work. Production: Periplus, Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT S.A., Greek Film Centre, CL Productions, Greece, 2006. 80 min.

17.15		Animation. UK Premier. Alienated. Directed by Krissy Josefides and Mohammed Aqeel Ahmed. Alienated is a Visual FX Film shot in a documentary style, and is about a monster called Al who has moved to planet Earth to seek acceptance among the human race. Cast: Krissy Josephides, Mohammed Aqeel Ahmed, Nic Durber, Christopher Kent. Production: Steve Hunt, Module Leader of Digital Animation at the University of Hertfordshire, UK, 2008. 2.50 min. Best Comedy Award at the ‘Animation Expose’ (University of Hertfordshire).

17.20		Fiction Feature. UK Premier. Breaking In. Directed by Makis Papadimitratos. Athens, 2007. Two petty-thieves have found the ideal way of gaining money: they steal small amounts from several flats so that they can go back and steal some more again and again. Until, one day they decide to go for their one big heist: break into a wealthy house, steal everything and fly off to long-dreamed Amsterdam. Soon, their seemingly simple plan turns into a disaster: they accidentally become witnesses of a dark sexual threesome between the owners and a hooker which turns out to be much more dangerous than imagined…Script by Makis Padimtritatos. Cast: Mirto Alikaki, Vaggelis Alexandris, Petros Lagoutis, Makis Papadimitratos, Eleftheria Gerofoka, Dimitris Kapetanakos, Dimitris Tibilis, Regina Mandilari, Panayiotis Papadimitratos, Aggeliki Sirma, Miltos Ntzounis, Xeni Taze, Christina Stefanidi, Giorgos Pergantos, Theano Timiadou, Dimitris Koralis. Production: Graal S.A., Greece, 2007. 87 min.

18.45		Short Film. World Premier. An adulterer's confession. Directed by John Michael Mouskos. The last sorrow words of an adulterer in an emotional and poetic confession... Cast: Migemi Ikeda, John Lazaris (voice). Independent Production, Cyprus, 2008. 5.30 min.

18.50		Fiction Feature. UK Premier. Eduart. Directed by Angeliki Antoniou. Based upon true events. Eduart, a young man raised in a cruel and oppressive family environment, leaves Albania with the dream of becoming a rock star and living a better life. His reckless character lead him to commit a murder in Athens. Because of an old robbery he gets imprisoned in Albania under the harshest conditions. Eduart, assisting the German doctor of the prison, learns to feel sympathy for others and guilt for his crime. Like the Dostoevskian hero Raskolnikov, Eduart passes from crime to punishment. Can Eduart be redeemed? In international criminal history, the "Eduart case" occurs once in a hundred years. Cast: Eshref Durmishi (Eduart), André Hennicke (Dr. Erdmann), Ndricim Xhepa (Raman), Dancho Chevreski (lawyer), Ermela Teli (Natasha), Adrian Aziri (Elton), Gazmend Gjokaj (Petro), Manos Vakousis (Harissis), Edi Mehana (Ali), Dimitris Liolios (Greek police officer), Nikolas Labrou (chief guard in prison), Armando Dauti (Ilyr), Luilzim Zegja (Beznik). Script by: Angeliki Antoniou. Script Editors: Jan Fleischer, Lewis Cole. Script Collaborators: Srdjan Koljevic, Kriton Kalaitzidis. Music by: Kostas Christides, Minos Matsas. Producers: Costas Lambropoulos, Jost Hering, Angeliki Antoniou. Production: CL Productions (Athens), and Jost Hering Filme (Berlin). Co-production: Greek Film Centre, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Le Spot, Nova, Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, ODEON, Angeliki Antoniou, 2006. 105 min. Selected by the European Film Academy for the 2007 European Film Awards. Greece's submission for an Oscar Nomination for Best Foreign Film 2008. 47th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, State Awards, 2006: Best Feature Film, Best Director (Angeliki Antoniou), Best Screenplay (Angeliki Antoniou), Best Set Design (Ioulia Stavridou), Best Music (Kostas Christides and Minos Matsas), Best Sound (Nikos Papadimitriou), Best Editing (Takis Yannopoulos), Best Costumes (Ioulia Stavridou), Best Make-up (Fani Alexaki). 47th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, 2006: FIPRESCI Award (Federation of International Film Critics). The Greek Union of Film Television and Audiovisual Technicians (ETEKT) Award. 29th Montpellier International Mediterranean Film Festival, 2007: Golden Antigone (Antigone d'or de la Ville et de l'Agglomération de Montpellier). Special mention by the Young People's Award (CMCAS). Los Angeles Greek Film Festival, 2008 (Competition): Orpheus Award for Best Feature, Orpheus Award for Best Direction. The Method Fest Film Festival, Calabasas, California, 2008 (Competition): Special Recognition by the Prudential California Realty Award for Best Ensemble Cast WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival, 2008 (Competition): Silver Remi Award.

20.50		Late Evening Event and Networking. Dimitris Dekavallas guitar concert with live performance / script presentation (script competition LGFF 2008). Dimitris will perform pieces by Isaac Albeniz, Jorge Morel, Roland dyens, Nikos Mamangakis and Carlo Domeniconi. Most of these pieces are very well-known and have been used in films and TV series music. His performance will include compositions such as Asturias, Sevilla, The excursion, and others. He will also perform Koyunbaba which will be combined with a live dance performance. Between the pieces there will be a presentation of screenplays.

TIME	Screen 2 - Board Room

12.00		Trailers and Networking. Join the different. More experimental, alternative or independent works here; documentaries, short films, fiction feature, video art, student films... A different point of view, a different networking, more cozy atmosphere!

12.30		Documentary. UK Premier. The Paths of Gloria. Directed by Melanie Leblond. An intimate portray of Gloria Mestre "The Mexican Goddess of Dance'’, who performed on stage with Maria Callas and appeared in more than 60 movies of the" Golden Age of the Mexican cinema" in the 1940's and 1950's. Aged 76, Gloria looks back at her controversial life and career. She has no regret... almost no regret! Cast: Gloria Mestre, Linder Mede, Sabrina Meder. Independent Production, UK, 2007. 19.30 min.

12.55		Student Film. UK Premier. Ferryman. Directed by Dimitris Kotselis. A man makes the passage from life to the afterlife. He is not aware of his condition. He gradually gets to find out. Cast: Yiannis Asteris, Yiannis Zouganelis, Vassiliki Andreou, Raphael Soussis, Thanos Amorginos, Stavros Gianouladis, Panos Rokidis, Nikos Pashidis, Lina Altiparmaki, Nikolas Kominis, Maria Doussi, Dimitris Tsalapatis. Original score and blues theme: Thanos Amorginos. Independent Production, Greece and UK, 2008. 19 min.

13.30		Documentary. UK Premier. My Place in the Dance. Directed by Marianna Oikonomou.The film focuses on how three migrant women who have recently returned to their homeland, try to readjust to a new reality. After thirty years of hard work in the factories of Germany, they return to their deserted village in Northern Greece to enjoy relative prosperity but to endure acute loneliness far from their children. To overcome their sadness and boredom, they meet daily for coffee and take up dancing. Encouraged by a young dance instructor, they organize a traditional dance show, hoping to “publicize” their particular cultural heritage and in this way put their village back on the map. The stress however of performing in public, creates unforeseen situations which turns them and the village upside down. Producer: Nikos Tamiolakis. Script: Marianna Economou & Rena Loutzaki. Scientific advisor: Rena Loutzaki. Cinematography: Marianna Economou &Yannis Missouridis & Christoforos Georgoutsos. Music: Nikos Papadogoulas. Production: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT S.A., Greek Film Centre, Mega Channel, YLE, Cynergon, Greece, 2006. 52 min. Ecofilm festival: Best Greek documentary.

14.45		Short Film. The Goldrush of Gythio. Directed by Alina Gavrielatos. My 94-years old granddad thinks he knows the location of a buried treasure. It came to him in a mystic dream in the form of a 'golden big' that he shared with his wife, who has now passed away... Looking for a gleaming treasure or soul searching amid the dusty hills and beautiful coasts, I realised it was a journey that brought me back to the home of my ancestors that mattered most. All characters appear as themselves. Independent Production, Greece and UK, 2007. 17 min.

15.10		Student Film. Its always sunny here. Directed by Chrisanthy Cristoforou. Video art. Fragmented scenes from Hollywood movies interapted by a small figure. Independent Production, Cyprus, 2008. 3.32 min.

15.15		Video Art. UK Premier. Syeahskate 4: Sickness Greek Rollerblading Horror. Greek rollerblading horror from Athens, Greece. Arrostia (Sickness) is the latest video attempt from Syeahskate. Prepare yourselves for our "ill" themed video with skating from almost every afflicted person in Syeahskate in various cities of Greece and abroad. Cast: Nicholas Wallace Cornford, Robert Sarantoulias,Sofia Georgovasili, Argiris Pantazaras, Apolo o olokliros. Graphics, editing, filming, videography, makeup: Nick Kouros. Skating: SYEAHSKATE. Independent Production, Greece, 2008. 33 min.

15.55		Short Film. World Premier. Night after Night. Directed by Alex Paterakis. Sam is homeless and weather-torn. “Unclean, unwashed, untidy.” He isolates himself in his own thoughts, drifting further into his mind and away from reality, becoming a gaunt creature of the night. Producer: Michael Northern and Lucy Tate. Cast: Adam Lannon. Independent Production, UK, 2008. 6.30 min.

16.05		Documentary. World Premier. Greek Easter in Moline, ILLINOIS. Directed by Grigori Poulimas. Grigori offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of a first generation Greek Orthodox family living in the United States heartland during Easter. Grigori’s fascination with human behavior has fueled his filmmaking. The honesty of his films has blurred the line between realism and art, and challenges the audience to take credit for mankind’s accomplishments and downfalls. His films have become personal statements for some audience members who see themselves through his characters. Production: Dispepsia Pictures Inc - USA, 2008. 55 min.

17.05		Short Film. World Premier. Greek Style. Directed by George Tsihitas. After my extensive travels in Greece and the Greek Islands, I have put together a short music clip, highlighting my best footage to capture people's imagination from around the world and make them aware of this beautiful and fun loving country called Greece. Cast: Christopher Armatas, Terry Pikoulis and other random tourists. Independent Production, UK, 2008. 3.11 min.

17.10		Short Film. Mysterious Train. Directed by Alexandros Papathansiou and Elena Barka. The internal conflict and drama of a man to seize the opportunities that come to their life... Adaptation of the poem 'Mysterious Train' by Alexis Daras.Cast: Kimonas Markopoulos, Giannis Perdikakis.Music: Jaxtapose. Production: Micro Polytecneio, Greece, 2007. 4.30 min.

17.20		Video Art. UK Premier. Aphrodite. Directed by Nikos Giavropoulos. In his highly lyrical video Nikos Giavropoulos critically explores the meanings and symbols of beauty, love and eternal youth. The artist expands on video’s many possibilities as he combines television images, fashion shots, pictures from surgical procedures, film clips, and stills from renowned artworks. As all these take place under the sound of music and oral discourse the viewer is offered a strong audiovisual stimulation. Through the contrast of apparently opposite and mutually exclusive imagery like Botichelli’s Venus versus commercial pictures of Marilyn Monroe or iconographies of fertile religious love with homosexual sex, Giavropoulos’ attempts to define a space where ideas about High and Popular Culture meet and challenge each other. In doing so he develops his problematic on contemporary aesthetics. Cast: Maria Papaioannou, Katiana Lantsi, Kostas Vasiliagos, Eleni Tsoni, Fotis Bouras, Nikos Giavropoulos, Ioanna Kompiliri, Giorgos Katsoulis. Independent Production, Greece, 2006. 20 min.


17.45		Video Art. UK Premier. Plural. Directed by Abraham Papavramopoulos. Short film. «I am still very young. I was younger once. I live among the city people and I admire them every single day for their stamina. I so dig the city people and especially the ones I can communicate with at a glance». Cast: Giannis Mavritsakis. Camera: Kostas Stamoulis. Translation: Aphrodite Helen. Independent Production, Greece, 2006. 10 min.

18.00		Short Film. UK Premier. I am Gay. Directed by Nicolas Kolovos. Alex - a Swedish man of Greek ancestry - has decided to reveal his great secret: that he is gay. Telling his family would be disastrous. That, at least, is what he thinks as he sits by the dinner table, agonizing about whether to tell them the truth. Script: Nicolas Kolovos. Producer: Olle Wirenhent. Cast: Andreas Strindér, Basia Frydman, Ove Wolf – Brother, Panos Ioannidis – Father, Pär Luttrop - Kristian. Production: Gotafilm AB, Sweeden, 2008. 14 min.

18.20		Video Art. World Premier. Who Are You? Directed by Ereenie. This is a storytelling of a very special meeting between two people. It’s a love story stripped down to the basics of human intimacy, recounted as experienced by one of the characters. I created this video as a tribute to the expression of vulnerability, which people so often hide from the other and deny in themselves, for fear of getting hurt. For me, it carries hope and strength. Independent Production, UK, 2008. 8.30 min.

18.30		Video Art. World Premier. Another Lonely Day (on the streets of Nicosia). Directed by Sophia Hadjipapa Gee.This video is linked to the latest visual work of Sophia Hadjipapa-Gee, which deals with the representation of visual irregularities resulting from social abnormalities. A garland, stuck in the middle of a busy avenue of Nicosia: beautiful but at the same time terrifying. Even though it stands as evidence someone has died on these streets, cars keep speeding as they pass by it. An aria from the Opera of Bellini Sonnambula creates a second level of reading the image linking the fading flowers to the idea of waning love. The video negotiates bipolarities like Movement-Stillness, Life-Death, Love-Oblivion,We and the Other and all grey areas that lie around them. Independent Production, Cyprus, 2008. 5.18 min.

18.37		Video Art. UK Premier. Her. Directed by Gm Touliatou. The flow of the video titled “Her” attends the simultaneous screening of a route to some Mediterranean provenance (Nas – Proespera, Ikaria Island) and the lyrics of a British song (And I love her – The Beatles, 1964). That what interests me revolves around the simplicity along with the controversy of the media (a home-made video referred to a landscape cart-postal trivial aesthetics, thus the displaced words of a well known song) that allow the introduction of a fragile emotional, or better say an ambivalent nostalgic, mood. Lyrics: Paul Mc Cartney & John Lennon. Independent Production, Greece, 2008. 2.30 min.

18.40		Student Film. UK Premier. A Game for Two. Directed by Stelios Koukouvitakis.Victoria, a chess champion, enters Argiris’ bookstore. A flirt begins. In post-feminist era, the roles of the hunter and the prey constantly change. Is winning all that matters? Cast: Nikiforos Vlassis, Vassiliki Vlachou. Production: Stelios Koukouvitakis and New York College, Greece, 2008. 14 min.

19.00

Special Screening - Documentary. UK Premier. Melina Mercouri, the Woman that was Greece. Directed by Laszlo Hartmann. Film about the life and work of Melina Mercouri. Production: ZDF and Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT S.A, Germany and Greece, 2004. 60 min.

Sunday 16 November 2008

TIME	Screen 1 - Great Hall

11.45		Trailers and Networking before you enter the Greek moving image dream. Learn about the Hellenic Centre, join the digital photographic exhibition of Melina Merkouri, take a look at the program and videos in the Friend's Room, vote for your favorite films, watch trailers or just drink a cup of coffee and start networking at the bar!

12.10		Fiction Feature. UK Premier. Before we where Turtles. Directed by Grigori Poulimas.The film is a chilling portrayal of an emotionally abusive man who is forced to face the tragic consequences of his actions, while his girlfriend comes to realize the affects his abuse has had on her identity. The film was entirely shot in Chicago, and stars unknown Chicago actors, James Zois and Cristin McAlister. Poulimas’ intense writing and direction in ‘Before We Were Turtles’ takes you on a personal and captivating journey with Zois’ and McAlister’s characters, who anguish through the affects of their relationship in very different ways. This heartbreakingly addictive film is one that everyone will relate to. Produser: Sarah Alipourian. Cast: James Zois, Cristin McAlister. Production: Dispepsia Production Inc, USA, 2007. 74 min.

13.30		Documentary. World Premier. Euripides' Tragedy Medea. Directed by Andreas Thomopoulos. Dramatized theatrical documentary on Euripide's tragedy MEDEA that we have just completed. The highlights of Euripide's scenes and the mythology around Medea's and Jason's affair leading to the killing of their children, are acted by a progressive theatrical group. A new rubrical approach of Euripides's tragedy MEDEA. Cast: Maria Skoupa, Yannis Vouros, ilias Gogiannos, Costas Sirakis, Vassilis Koukalanis, Tasos Raptis. Production: STUDIO ALFA S.A. and the theatre Company PROSODIA, Greece, 2007. 51.26 min.

14.30		Documentary. UK Premier. The Network. Directed by Andreas Apostolidis. A major ethical crisis is underway in many big museums of the USA, which is also a crisis about dealing in looted antiquities everywhere. Among others at risk are the Metropolitan and Getty’s reputations in the murky market of international art. The former curator for antiquities, Marion True, went on trial in Rome charged with criminal conspiracy. “NETWORK” is a documentary foretelling this crisis, focusing in the ring of people connected in smuggling antiquities, especially Greek and Italian. Most revealing in the documentary are Tomas Hoving (former director of Metropolitan), George Ortiz (major private collector in Geneva), Jerome Eisenberg (Royal Athena Gallery New York) and also General Conforti (Carabinieri), Dick Ellis (former chief of the Art Squad of Scotland Yard), Patrick Gildea (FBI Special Agent).Big cases are presented such as the Corinth Museum theft, the Euphronious Crater, the Marion true involvement in the smuggled bronze statue (the Saarbrucken affair), the Robin Symes and Jacomo Medici persecutions. Script: Andreas Apostolidis/ Nikolas Zirganos. Research: Nikolas Zirganos, Rea Apostolides. Associate Producer: Rea Apostolides. Cinematography: Vangelis Koulinos. Music Composer: Andonis Bardakos. Production: Anemon Productions, Greece, 2005. 60 min. Ranked among the top five films in four categories (Best Film, Special Mention, Best Narration and Best Script) at the Archaeology Channel International Film & Video Festival in Eugene, Oregon, USA, in May 2007. Network won the Audience Award at the AGON Film Festival 2006 (International Meeting of Archaeological Film of the Mediterranean Area).

15.35		Documentary. UK Premier. Voices through the Ashes. Directed by Miltos Hadjoulles. Chronicle of a Greece ablaze during the forest fires in August 2007 that cost 73 lives and incinerated millions of acres of forest and arable land. Shock waves struck the globe when news broke out of a mother that was burned alive holding her four children. SIGMA TV recorded and broadcasted exclusive details of this mother's tragedy; exclusive images from the battle between Cypriot firefighters and the inferno, an instrumental effort in the salvaging of entire village communities; but, also, the bloodcurdling voices that can be heard through the ashes, an eerie reassurance that the land shall again be fertile. Editor: Panayiotis Dimopoulos Editing: Yiannis Kozakos, News Presenter: Nikitas Kyriakoy, Co-ordination & Communication: Elizabeth Antoniadoy. Production: Sigma Radio TV, Cyprus, 2007, 20 min. The film won the Golden Umbrella Award for the best news coverage in Eastern Europe Festival and Market TV News and Documentaries Coordinator on June 2008. Also Voices through the Ashes has been selected as a 2008 International EmmyR Award Regional Semi-Finalist in the category of News. The film competed in the Final Round of Judging for an International Emmy Award nomination.

16.00		Special Screening - Documentary. UK Premier. Voice of the Aegean. Directed by Lydia Karras. Music by Evanthia Reboutsika. The Aegean we love with its pristine beaches and traditional villages is fast disappearing. The rapid, anarchic building of recent years is changing its distinctive character. The film, through the use of archival material, traces the roots of today’s developments and refers to the recent wars, the poverty, the painful emigration. Through dialogue with the islanders , we learn of their own broad concerns. At another level the film emphasizes the importance of nature in our lives and the value of beauty. Elytis’ verse is a reminder of the primeval quality of the Aegean. Creative ideas are suggested to achieve a more sustainable prosperity. Production: Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT SA, Greek Film Centre, 2004. 61 min. Prize for Better Film on the Natural Environment at the European Heritage Film Festival.

17.05		Documentary. UK Premier. The Bridegrooms. Directed by Kimon Tsakiris. In the Greek village of Sugar Town, men have a serious problem. Women are fleeing the area in search of work or marriage in the big cities, leaving them behind- and lonely. Their cunning mayor, promises the men to find them wives in order to get re-elected. He contacts the mayor of the Russian town of Klin, who gathers 100 young women looking for foreign husbands. Against the odds and local traditions which frown upon mixed marriages, the men from Sugar Town set out on a great journey to find their future brides. Script: Kimon Tsakiris. Producers: Rea Apostolides, Kimon Tsakiris. Music: Sergios Voudris. Production: Anemon Productions, Hellenic Broadcasting Corp. ERT S.A., Bi-Optic Productions, Greek Film Centre, George Michaelides, Greece, 2007. 82 min. International Grand Prix for Author's Documentaries του Université Radiophonique et télévisuel internationale (URTI)-Monte Carlo Television Festival. Βραβείο Best Ethnographical Film- Dialektus Film Festival 2008 Ουγγαρία. Βραβείο Καλύτερου Πρωτοεμφανιζόμενου Σκηνοθέτη-2ο Διεθνές Φεστιβάλ Κινηματογράφου Κύπρου (CIFF) 2007. Υποψηφιότητα για καλύτερη ευρωπαϊκή τηλεοπτική παραγωγή στις κατηγορίες TV Documentary και TV IRIS- Prix Europa 2007, Βερολίνο. Βραβείο Κοινού-TV Festival Bar, Μαυροβούνιο 2007. Silver Horseshoe-AsterFest Film Festival 2007. Κρατικό Βραβείο Καλύτερου Ντοκιμαντέρ-Φεστιβάλ Κινηματογράφου Θεσσαλονίκης 2006. Βραβείο Κοινού-Φεστιβάλ Ντοκιμαντέρ Θεσσαλονίκης 2006.

18.25		Short Film. UK Premier. Praxis. Directed by Abraham Papavramopoulos. TV Spot. PRAKSIS is an independent, non-governmental organization. Its main target is the creation, application and implementation of social and medical act programs. The applied TV spot promotes PRAKSIS’ campaign for the International Day against Aids (1/12/2007) which was supported from Greek General Secretariat for Youth and other 11 ngos were participating. Every aspect of this spot was a free contribution (thanks to the people mentioned at Credits). The TV spot, with the participation of half-dressed celebrities posing in each others arms, the director of the film successfully depicted the need to fight against social racism towards the HIV-positive population. The main target of the spot was to attract one’s eye by showing them an image that strongly suggests the act of making love and combine it to the importance of the use of condom. The speakage was thought in a way to strengthen this message whilst it says “hug means love, condom (mean) safety!” The celebrities appearing in the Aids Day TV spot have willingly participated knowing that it was a volunteer project; every needed service was provided for free (make up artist, studio for shooting, director, etc). Cast: Aggelidou Labrini, Giavara Despoina, Loulis Hristos, Mamouri Maria, Papadimitriou Dimitris, Papaioannou Lidia, Sissovitis Alekos. Music: Konstantinos Vita. Production: PRAKSIS, Greece, 2008. 0.30 min (30 sec).

18.26		Animation. World Premier. The Wedding Ring. Directed by Panagiotis Tsimpiridis. Based on the lyrics of Thanassis Papakonstantinou’s song “The wedding ring” (“Η βέρα” in Greek). The story is about a man who, being bored of his married life, throws his wedding ring to the sea. A fish eats the ring, but finally the fish ends up on the man’s plate and the ring back to his finger. Story based on the lyrics of Thanassis Papakonstantinou’s song “The wedding ring” (“Η βέρα” in Greek). Music by Thanassis Papakonstantinou. Production Manager & Assistant Art Director: Maria Stefanidis. Independent Production, USA, 2008. 2.25 min.

18.35		Fiction Feature. UK Premier. Kiss of Life. Directed by Nikos Zapatinas. Pashalis is an agriculturalist, 30 years old who is about to get married to his beloved Anthoula, in Milos island. By mistake, he will be stuck in a boat to Sifnos, where he will meet Zoe, a beautiful but strange photographer. Things will get out of hand, when Pashalis will realize that due to a costal navigation strike he cannot reach Milos for his wedding! His hopes rise again, when along with Zoe, they meet a couple in Sifnos that does everything in their power to help him go back to his future wife and get married!Nevertheless, many unexpected mix – ups will lead to many plot twists, funny incidents and “guilty” revelations. Script: Nikos Zapatinas. Music by: Sumka. Cast: Laertis Malkotsis, Katerina Papoutsaki, Themos Anastasiades, Zeta Douka, Sakis Boulas, Yiannis Zouganelis. Produced by: Harry Antonopoulos, Lily Papadopoulos. Associate Producer: Themos Anastasiades. Line Producer: Yiannis Iakovidis. Production: Village Productions Hellas S.A., Black Orange S.A., Greece, 2007. 100 min.

20.20		Short Film. World Premier. Loneliness. Directed by John Michael Mouskos. The emotions of loneliness and love... Cast: Melen Milae (voice). Independent Production, Cyprus, 2008. 5.30 min

20.30		Special Screening - Documentary. UK Premier. People of Peace. Directed by Maria Hatzimichali Papaliou. The film is based mainly on excerpts from ancient Greek writers, as far as the narration is concerned, and uses scenes from conflicts of the last century that demonstrate their devastating effects on the earth and humanity. The excerpts are read by leading personalities of our times, who have taken a stand against the culture of war and destructiveness, such as the Nobel Prize winner Nelson Mandela, the artists Fernando Botero, Theo Angelopoulos, Mikis Theodorakis (who also lent his music to the documentary), and others. These excerpts were selected because when it came to war the ancient Greeks considered it their supreme duty to exercise self-criticism and refrained from succumbing to arrogance when they were victorious. Spoken by these personalities, their words acquire a new force and become the actual, present-day language used to express opposition to war. Script: Fanis Kakridis. Music: Mikis Theodorakis.Production: Positive Hd, Greece, 2006. 34 min. The documentary was filmed with the support of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO and was placed under the auspices of the President of the Hellenic Republic Mr. Karolos Papoulias. It was screened at the Athens Concert Hall on 24 September 2006 in the course of celebrations for the International Day of Peace.

21.10

Late Evening Event and Networking. ODYSSEUS AWARDS. Louiza Sofianopoulou and Anna Blonsky; Improvising love: jazzed moments from romantic cinema songs in the Odysseus Awards evening!

The jury decides; you also!

ODYSSEUS AWARDS 2008 includes:

Best Fiction Feature Film
Best Documentary
Best Short Film
Best Video Art Movie
Best Student Film
Best Animation movie
Audience Choice
World Wide Web Visitors Choice
Best Fiction Feature Film Script
Best Short Film Script

IMPROVISING LOVE

Jazzed moments of romantic cinema songs

Louiza Sofianopoulou and Anna Blonsky are “playing” with beloved songs from the world of cinema, using jazz music to give them a more relaxed and liberated feeling. The songs they have chosen come from different countries and are of variable musical styles but all share the same theme; LOVE or else EROS in all of its aspects. Louiza and Anna will perform between rewards.

TIME	Screen 2 - Board Room

12.00		Trailers and Networking. Join the different. More experimental, alternative or independent works here; documentaries, short films, fiction feature, video art, student films... A different point of view, a different networking, more cozy atmosphere!

12.30		Fiction Feature. World Premier. Antigone. Directed by Angelo Valentino and Costas Costa. ......A modern version of Antigone by Sophocles... Independent Production, Greece, 2008. 77 min.

14.00		Documentary. UK Premier. 'Chaomos': The Winter Festival of Kalash. Directed by Yiannis Manolidakis. The film follows the winter solstice festival at the Kalash, a small nation in N.W.Pakistan who is believe to have close relations with the Greek's since ancient times. The documentary was shot by Yiannis Manolidakis and his associate Inger Carslon, during a winter exhibition in 2005, mainly for the purposes of Manolidakis's Ethnological research project. Independent Production, Greece, 2007. 70 min.

15.10		Documentary. Etel Adnan 'Words in Exile'. Directed by Vouvoula Skoura. “Etel Adan, Words in Exile” is built around Adnan’s correspondence with Professor of History Fawwaz Traboulsi, as it appears in the book “Of Cities and Women: Letters to Fawazz” (1993) and fragments of her conversations with Vouvoula Skoura as recorded in Paris and the Greek island of Skopelos from 2003 to 2006. Etel, faced with the sea- the Mediterranean as the ‘conjunctive link’ of cultural experience - creates her own geography of Cities and Women. Paris, Barcelona, Murcia, Amsterdam, Skopelos, Rome and Beirut are the “cities- references’ in the film. Etel compares the attitudes of women –as described effortlessly in her correspondence with Fawwaz- and makes reference to issues involving women in the modern world – like the head-covering. A conversation with the theatre critic, Eleni Varopoulou on our contemporary world, the multicultural world. For Adnan, the world dawns in Beirut, the city is revisited throughout the film as her idiosyncratic universe is composed in the depiction of closed and open spaces, the interplay of light and darkness, conversations of consequence and of the insignificant and references to her many travels. Beirut is embedded in happy childhood memories, in times of acrimony and maturity and re-emerges in the centre of the recent political crisis in Lebanon. Etel harbours no illusions, she is reflexive, she analyses the cause-effect relationship of the developments in the Middle-East, she registers her anti-war stance, she corresponds and paints. Various languages (French, English, Greek and Arabic) are heard on the film, she speaks them all, expressing her intimate exile, and the continuous struggle for an identity in terms of her origins. In her travels, Adnan is seeking a home country. In finding home, she becomes increasingly humanistic. Producer: Nikos Tamiolakis. Production: Cinergon, Greece, 2006. 52 min. GREEK FILM CENTER AWARD.

16.05		Student Film. World Premier. Peloponnesus. Directed by Alexandros Papathansiou. Short documentary. The impact of the conflagrations that Peloponnesus was affected on August 2007. It is a research of the causes and effects of the human, natural, and economical disaster of the county of Ilia. Interviewees: Nikos Bourogiannopoulos, Charalambus Bourogiannopoulou, Aggeliki Lambropoulou, Arisogeitonas Pothos, Katerina Foropoulou. Filmed by Archodia papathanasiou, Alexandros Papathanasiou. Production: Anglia Raskin University, UK, 2008. 10 min.

16.20		Fiction Feature. World Premier. Unitas. Directed by Kostis Bassogiannis. Chris, a drug dealer, and Lily, a prostitute, live in the forgotten port town of UNITAS. Lily wants to leave behind the misery they live in. She wants to fly far away. Chris is hesitant and fearful. Lily abandons him. Chris realizes he can not live without Lily. “Ok, we’ll fly”. Lily is now fearful. In the port of Unitas, Chris and Lily prepare to spread their wings and take flight, risking it all. Will their strength last, or will it fade? How strong are the wings and will of Chris and Lily? Will they take flight?Will they crash and burn, falling once more in the poorly woven nest that is called Unitas? Cast: Spiros-Andreas Papadatos, Katerina Savrani, Renos Mantis, Panos Garbis, Larissa Vergou, Eugenia Deliali, Drorjije Petrovic. Script: Spiros – Antreas Papadatos, Kostis Bassogiannis. Music: Akis Theotokatos. Independent Production, Greece, 2008, 75 min.

17.30		Video Art. UK Premier. Summertime. Directed by Gm Touliatou. The video titled “summertime” is composed by a number of semi-desaturated stills (extracted from the relevant video-row) introduced by and ended up with the lyrics of a famous lullaby (Summertime - Ira Gershwin & Du Bose Heyward, 1933). My constant interest lies in both the simplicity and controversy of the present media (a series of stills referred to the trivial aesthetics of ‘a wedding glorious photo-album of memories’, thus the words of a well known song). They allow me to conduct an experiment on what could be considered as ‘noir ambience’ in terms of a real-life situation, in the realm of the Greek every-day culture. Lyrics: Ira Gershwin and Du Bose Heyward. Independent Production, Greece, 2007. 2.40 min.

17.35		Student Film. World Premier. Nikos Heart Sophia. Directed by Lottie Gammon. A London Greek musician deals with the loss of his family. Cast: Nicos Nicholas as himself. Production: National Film and Television School, UK, 2008. 9.45 min.

17.50		Video Art. Odyssey P3. Blood and Water. Directed by Vicky Vergou. Blood and water, part of the ongoing installation project An Odyssey, is a video based on Ulysses visit to the Underworld and his journey by sea. This work draws a parallel between the two elements from Hades’ and Neptune’s kingdoms, blood and water. Blood is a symbol of acceptance of death and a reflection to a personal blood related illness. Water symbolizes challenge and achievement. Left hand video: edited from the original video water, which was filmed during a three-month journey from England to Greece in 2006. Right hand video: edited from the original video Time 0, which was filmed from a hospital bed in August 2005, edited in 2007. Independent Production, UK, 2008. 4.29 min.

17.57		Video Art. Secret School. Directed by Christina Mintrentze. The ‘Secret School ‘(video art) awakens the emotional state and uncovers the atmosphere in which “homeless”, populations can find educational, cultural and spiritual shelter. It delivers a system that connects Education, Cultural regeneration, Fiction and Political freedom. This collective space reveals the form of relational sites in contemporary society by describing the heterogenic relationship among them. The school acts as a metaphor of the contemporary institution, which has subversive counter cultural associations. It recommends a real heterotopy acting as an ‘esoteric’ space which has a fictional attribute while it becomes a carrier in which the questions of how we perceive knowledge can be communicated. Independent Production, UK, 2005. 5 min.

18.05		Video Art. World Premier. Transmission - Log No 1. Directed by Ronis Varlaam. ”More and more people are beginning to realize that something amazing is going to happen, something that is going to change life on earth for ever. I have decided to go back to where it all began so that I can try to understand.” Script: Ronis Varlaam, Peter Devonland. Independent Production, Cyprus - UK, 2008. 6.10 min.

18.15		Student Film. World Premier. We Call her Daisy. Directed by Stephan Georgiou. A young woman struggling to make the life in London she wants must deal with an unexpected circumstance the only way she knows how and must come to terms with the fact that it will effect her more than she realises. Cast: Elizabeth Kentea, Sebastian Armesto, Vimal Stephens, Hannah Emanuel. Music: Eleni Hassabis. Production: National Film and Television School, UK, 2008. 23 min.


18.40		Student Film. UK Premier. Peek a Boo. Directed by Christos Sitaridis. Reek is a poor cartoon designer. Loo is...rich. Reek's company is a huge conglomeration. Reek spots on a window shop an expensive faboulous suit. Will he get it? Script: Nancy Spetsioti. Cast: Thodoris Elevtheriadis, Konstantina Kotzamani, Triantafilia Dimopoulou. Independent Production, Greece, 2008, 16.43 min.


19.00		Short Film. Sindrome. Directed by Georgios Samaropoulos. A quirky comedy about a priest with Tourettes Syndrome that discovers his true calling, and true love, in the Church of Football. Producer: Bamboo Wei Ju. Cast: Ben Graves, Gillian MacGregor, Gary Mackay, Karim Makki. Music: Joe Williams. Production: NMS (Sheffield Hallam University), UK, 2005. 13 min.