The Godmother | H Νονά (2014) by Stelios Kouloglou

On Tuesday 8 December at 19:00 and on Wednesday 9 December at 21:00 the documentary The Godmother (Greece, 2014, colour, 105 min) by Stelios Kouloglou will be screened in cinema Utopia in the original Greek version with English subtitles. The director will be present for the screening of Tuesday. Not suitable for children under 16 years.

Synopsis 

Α few years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Angela Merkel, an insignificant physicist from East Germany who was not interested in politics, is the most powerful woman in the world. Her teacher from the small town where she grew up, believes that she is the smartest student he ever had. Those who have worked with her, support that “Merkiavelli” exercises power without moral barriers, just as Machiavelli taught. A journalist, who knows her well, supports that she uses the methods of a Mafia godmother. In 2008, the German Chancellor was asked to cope with the international financial crisis. The countries of the South were in the test tube. “If I was writing a book for the shock doctrine now”, says Naomi Klein, “it would be for Greece”. How did Merkel manage to impose the German hegemony in Europe? 

About the director 

Studies in Paris and Tokyo. Correspondent for the Greek Radio and TV in Paris (1983-84), in Moscow during perestroika (1989-93) and during the war in Yugoslavia (92-95). Regular collaborator for ARTE’s news program «7 heures et demi». Editor-in-chief and producer of “Reportage Without Frontiers” (1996-2012), a weekly current affairs and documentaries program awarded 4 times as the best informative program of the Greek television. Best Greek documentary award for his series of programs on the Greek civil war (2000), Eurocomenius award for the film “The Death Match” (2002). Producer and director of numerous grand reportages and documentaries for ARTE, ERT, including «Whistleblowers» (2004), "Welcome to Europe"(2011), “Oligarchy”(2012) and the internationally awarded (Seoul 2009, Zaragoza 2010) «Apology of an Economic Hit Man» (2008).

The Enemy Within | O Εχθρός μέσα μου (2013) by Yorgos Tsemberopoulos

 

On Tuesday 17 November at 19:00 and on Wednesday 18 November at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film The Enemy Within (Greece, 2013, colour, 107 min) by Yorgos Tsemberopoulos. The film is in the original Greek version with English subtitles. It is not suitable for children under 16 years.

Synopsis 

Kostas, a progressive ideologist, lives a regular life in Athens with his wife and their teenage daughter and son, until his home is ransacked by a hooded gang. The experience of extreme violence shatters the family's peace, bringing his father's hunting rifle violently into their lives. It is the story of a morally demolished man, who used to be the pillar of his family and of his struggle to get life back to normal.

Cast: Manolis Mavromatakis, Maria Zorba, Yiorgos Gallos, Antonis Karistinos, Thanasis Papageorgiou, Ariadni Kavalierou, Ilias Moulas, Kostas Antalopoulos, Nikos Dalas, Yannis Niarros, Konstadinos Moraitis, Anna Kalaitzidou, Thanos Grammenos, Tudor Chirila, Vesela Kazakova

About the director 

Yorgos Tsemberopoulos was born in Athens, studied economics in Greece and film at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, where he lived for six years directing documentaries, short films and theatre. Back in Greece he produces commercials and directs features, receiving many national awards. Among his films as director are: Megara (1974), a documentary that participated in nine festivals and won the Best Film Award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival and the Prize of the International Critics’ Association at the Forum Berlin Film Festival (1974). Back Door (2000) in competition in Tokyo IFF and Mar De Plata. In 2007 a three-film tribute to him took place in Kolkata IFF. The Enemy Within is his fifth feature.

A Place Called Home | Το Δέντρο και η Κούνια (2013) by Maria Douza

On Tuesday 20 October at 19:00 and on Wednesday 21 October at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film A Place Called Home aka The Tree and the Swing (Greece / Serbia, 2013, colour, drama, 108 min) by Maria Douza. The film is in the original Greek version with English subtitles. It is not suitable for children under 16 years.

Synopsis 

Eleni, a professor of cardiology in London, has been estranged from her father, Kyriakos, for many years. Kyriakos has never forgiven her for leaving Greece, her country. When Eleni’s husband, Harris, is posted to China on an open-ended contract, she realizes the danger of a new uprooting and decides to visit Greece and make peace with her father. But when she reaches home, nothing she finds is as she expects. 

That's how the director, Maria Douza explains what inspired her to make this film during an interview with MoviesMovesMe: "I think the time (inspired me). I started writing it in early 2003 – many years ago. At that time, the subject of immigration was (and still is) very topical in our life and in Greek society. The Greek society, for the first time, was confronting the advent of immigrants from Eastern Europe, from Albania: they started coming already in the 90s. That was some kind of a second reality that we experienced in Greece and the people were growing very xenophobic, very negative and so on. And everybody wanted to deal with this issue somehow. You could not ignore it."

Σεπτέμβριος - Septembre (2013) by Penny Panagiotopoulou

On Tuesday 22 September at 19:00 and on Wednesday 23 September at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film September (Greece, 2013, colour, 105 min) by Penny Panagiotopoulou. The film is in the original Greek version with French subtitles. It is not suitable for children under 16 years.

Synopsis 

Anna is a 30-year-old woman who lives alone with her dog. Idiosyncratic and self-sufficient, she’s happy enough with her life until her dog dies and she loses direction. She suddenly finds herself looking around her, inside her and across the street to a neighbouring family who lives a completely different life to her own. She knocks on their door, hoping they will let her burry her dog in their garden, the only patch of land in their cement neighbourhood. The two women get to know each other and silently acknowledge the fact that they are alone. Each yearns for the other’s life, because no matter what choices you’ve made in your life, there’s always something you’ve left behind. And every September, the wound begins to itch and you start dreaming about a blank slate – only this time you might actually get one!

Cast: Kora Karvouni, Maria Skoula, Nikos Diamandis, Christos Stergioglou, Gioulike Skafida, Nikos Arvanitis, Anna Kalaidjidou, Anastasis Tzertzemelis, Irini Kollakou and Kenzy

About the director 

Penny Panagiotopoulou was born in Athens, studied law at the University of Athens and film directing at Stavrakos Film School. In 1985, she received her BA in Photography and Film from the Polytechnic of Central London (University of Westminster).

The Island | Η Νήσος (2009)

On Tuesday 16 June at 19:00 and on Wednesday 17 June at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the comedy The Island (Greece, 2009, colour, 96 min) by Christos Dimas. The film is in the original Greek version with English subtitles. It is suitable for children over 16 years.

Synopsis 

After his sudden death, the island’s richest man reveals himself as mischievous troublemaker from beyond the grave. With no one to inherit his estate he offers it to the four leaders of the village, the mayor, the police officer, the teacher and the priest. There’s just one catch, to earn their prize they each have to read a letter to the public detailing their dirty little secrets.

The Island was a surprise standout hit with a lot of heart – a funny and clever whodunit where one revelation leads to another, mysteries unfold and no one is safe. All of the action takes place in Sifnos, one of the most beautiful Greek islands. The all star-cast consists of thespians like Eleni Kastani, Elissavet Konstantinidou, Vladimiros Kiriakidis, Tania Tripi, Dimitris Tzoumakis and others.

Tungsten (2011) by Yorgos Georgopoulos

On Tuesday 19 May at 19:00 and on Wednesday 20 May at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film Tungsten (Greece, 2011, colour, 98 min) by Yorgos Georgopoulos. The film is in the original Greek version with English subtitles. It is not suitable for children.

Synopsis 

Tungsten deals with the idea of electricity as a metaphor. A ticket inspector (Vangelis Mourikis) is looking for ways to rid himself of massive debts in order to keep his family together. A couple (Tasos Nousias and Kora Karvouni) are on the brink of separation. Two teenage boys (Omiros Poulakis and Promitheas Aliferopoulos, both from Burning Heads) wander aimlessly around the city in-between futile job interviews carrying an old revolver as a companion.

All three stories unfold within the timeframe of a single day in compelling black-and-white. As the narratives intersect, they also change direction. Victims become villains and each person comes face to face with the consequences of their actions.

About the director 

Born in Athens in 1975. He studied directing at the Lykourgos Stavrakos School of Cinematography and Television. His father was also into cinema (Director of Photography for many classic Greek films) and his choice to also get in the industry was greatly influenced by that. Later on, he studied Social Science in Rome. Upon his return to Greece he worked as a film editor and soon thereafter as a director, mainly of TV commercials and documentary films. "Tungsten" is his first full-length film.

AGOR'Α (2014) by Yorgos Avgeropoulos

On Tuesday 21 April at 19:00 and on Wednesday 22 April at 21:00 we will screen at cinema Utopia the documentary Agorá (Greece, 2014, colour, 117 min) directed by Yorgos Avgeropoulos. The film is in the original Greek version with English subtitles.

Please note that the screening of April 21st will be followed by a Q & A session with the director at Culturando. Feel free to come with your questions.

Director's Note

"For the last 13 years I am travelling the world, filming and bringing to the audience images of an unjust world, dark, tortured, and very often dangerous. I have confronted human despair, hunger, misery, war and death of any kind. I have exposed the greed of governments and multinational companies, promising "development" while bringing poverty and mayhem. However, I have always found resilience, hope and strength.

Now, I am filming in my own country: What I have witnessed in Africa, Asia or Latin America is now happening in my backyard. Agorá is my personal response to the crisis, a stand I want to make towards injustice. My intention is to give voice to people that cannot be heard.

Since the start of the crisis in 2010, my team of seven people and me have started filming every significant event related to the current crisis, focusing on people's lives, approaching characters from different social classes, witnessing how their lives are changing as time passes by and how the crisis affects them or not. At the same time, we are following the dramatic timeline of the crisis itself, seeking answers from key decision makers, politicians or insiders, in Greece and the rest of the world, recording the parallel rise of fascism and solidarity movements.

The film becomes a quest for the initial meaning of Agorá. In Ancient Athens, it was the womb of Democracy. Today, in Modern Greek, the word Agorá has come to simply denote a market place."

Yorgos Avgeropoulos

For more info, check Agora's Official Website.

The Winter | Ο Χειμώνας (2014) by Konstantinos Koutsoliotas

On Tuesday 17 March at 19:00 and on Wednesday 18 March at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film The Winter (Greece, 2014, colour, 105 min) directed by Konstantinos Koutsoliotas. The film is in the original Greek version with English subtitles.

Synopsis

Niko is a romantic, young Greek writer living in London. When his finances go astray, he hides out in the neglected family house in the Greek mountain town of Siatista. Surrounded by the ghosts of the past, Niko must uncover the mystery of his father's death and retain his grasp on reality.

The Winter premiered at the 54th Thessaloniki International Film Festival in two sold-out screenings. In 2014, the US Premiere is slated for the New York City Greek Film Festival in October, and the Australian Premiere will take place at the 21st Greek Film Festival of Australia.

The film is a unique mix of fantasy and magical realism shot in the Greek village Siatista, as well as in London and was nominated for Best Scenography award at Greek Academy Awards 2014.

Cast : Theo Albanis, Vangelis Mourikis, Efi Papatheodorou

Soundtrack : Active Member/La Bruja Muerta

Was the press impressed?

Reviewers are ravishing over the visual aspects of the film. This is how Michelle Gross describes it:

"The Winter is a visual masterpiece! So entrenched in the visual aspect of the film, I viewed it 2 more times to capture all of what the film has to offer. There’s so much to experience. The Winter’s richly layered aesthetics are met with a simplicity in storytelling."

Le garçon qui mange la nourriture de l'oiseau | Το αγόρι τρώει το φαγητό του πουλιού (2014) de Ektoras Lygizos

On Tuesday 24 February at 19:00 and on Wednesday 25 February at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the film Boy Eating the Bird's Food (Greece, 2012, colour, 80 min) directed by Ektoras Lygizos. The film is in the original Greek version with French subtitles. It is not suitable for children. The film contains a scene which could offend some viewers.

Synopsis

The multi-awarded debut of Ektoras Lygizos tells the story of a young boy who tries to survive in the Athens of financial crisis. He is without a job, money or anything to eat. Unable to get his preferred job as a singer (or work at a call centre) he lives alone in his flat, with bills mounting up and no means of support or sustenance. After being thrown out on to the streets, he resorts to increasingly desperate measures to stay alive. The only thing that he seems to care for in life is his canary, with which he resolutely shares the little food and water that he has. 

The film is a shot in a powerful minimalist style, bravely stripping the plot down to almost observational documentary. At the centre of it all is Yannis Papadopoulos as the titular character, with an almost wordless performance that is full of despair and barely concealed madness. In every single scene, the intimacy of his portrayal is almost uncomfortable but resolutely astonishing.

The film premiered at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival – Official Competition, winning a special mention for the main actor, Yannis Papadopoulos and since then has traveled to more than 30 international film festivals around the world, collecting rave reviews and awards.

Magic Hour (2011) by Costas Kapakas

On Tuesday 20 January at 19:00 and on Wednesday 21 January at 21:00 we will screen in cinema Utopia the comedy Magic Hour (Greece, colour, 2011, 95 min) directed by Costas Kapakas. The film is in the original Greek version with English subtitles. 

Synopsis 

Diomidis and Aristeidis, two men with totally different character bump on each other by chance and they set off to an amusing road trip in the Greek periphery. They are both trying to get over a personal crisis, while philosophising about the dilemmas of life and the current situation.

Here is how Bright Lights Film Journal describes the film:

One film that will surely have people talking is The Magic Hour (2011) by Costas Kapakas. In one of the funniest Greek films to come along in quite a while, The Magic Hour leaves no sacred cow unscathed as it follows the hapless duo of Diomidis (hysterically played by Renos Haralambidis) and Aristidis (Tasos Andoniou) on a Greek road trip with enough misadventures to rival that of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. From outrageous political corruption to racism and the amorality of public officials and citizens alike, Kapakas (who directed the popular Peppermint in 1999) employs gallows humor to peel back several layers of Greek society and in the process expose some fairly substantial rot.