On Tuesday 15 November at 19:00 and on Wednesday 16 November at 21:00 the film THE CITY AND THE CITY (Greece, 2021, 87 min, colour & black and white) directed by Christos Passalis and Syllas Tzoumerkas will be screened in cinema Utopia, in the original version (Greek and other languages) with English subtitles. The film is suitable for children over 12.
Synopsis
The untold story of the life and perils of the Jewish community of Thessaloniki, in six chapters. The past and the present of a city, meet and converge at its cracks. Unlike most films about the Holocaust, The City and the City does not record episodes from the Nazi concentration camps, but instead focuses on the geography of memory. In this film, memory is omnipresent in the geography of a modern city because it refers not to the past, but to the present and the future. That is why the form of the film is unexpected and unclassifiable, like the memory of its two filmmakers, who return to Thessaloniki, their birthplace, and offer to guide us into the abyss.
Cast
Vassilis Kanakis (Leon), Alexandros Vardaxoglou (Maurice), Angeliki Papoulia (Sarina), Niki Papandreou (Nina), Argyris Xafis (Avraam), Vassilis Karaboulas (Isaac), Themis Bazaka (Matika), Maria Filini (the mother), Laertis Malkotsis (the camping owner), Marisha Triantafyllidou (clerk), Fritz Fenne (German officer), Jakob Leo Stark (German officer), Marina Siotou (the woman at the barrels), Fidel Talaboukas (Slomo), Aris Armaganidis (Ben), Zoe Sigalou (Lilly), Danai Primali (Rosa), Michalis Kimonas (father), Vassia Bakakou (villager) and others.
A few words about the directors
Christos Passalis was born in Thessaloniki, Greece in 1978. As an actor he participated in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Dogtooth (2009), Syllas Tzoumerkas’ Homeland (2010) and The Miracle of the Sargasso Sea (2019), Vardis Marinakis’ Black Field (2010) and Fiona Tan’s History’s Future (2014). In theatre, he co-founded the blitz theatre group (2004-2019), writing, directing and acting in all the group’s performances (Théâtre de la Ville, the Schaubühne, the Festival d’ Avignon, and various other major theatres and theatre festivals around the world). Since 2019, he co-directs with Angeliki Papoulia at the Luzerner theater in Switzerland, and other venues. His upcoming feature film, Silence 6-9, is currently in post-production.
Syllas Tzoumerkas was born in Thessaloniki, Greece in 1978. His feature debut, Homeland, had its world premiere at the Venice Critics’ Week (2010). His sophomore, A Blast, premiered in competition at the Locarno International Film Festival (2014) and his third, The Miracle of the Sargasso Sea, at the Berlinale Panorama (2019). Internationally acclaimed for their distinctive style, bold characterization and strong performances, Tzoumerkas’ films have participated in over 200 festivals around the world and have been distributed to theatres and streaming platforms in many countries. Apart from his theatrical and multi-platform works, he co-wrote the scripts of Argyris Papadimitropoulos’ feature Suntan (2016), and Ahmed Ghossein’s All This Victory (2019). He co-curates with fellow director Elina Psykou, Motherland, I See You, the moving festival and restoration program of the Hellenic Film Academy.
Tickets: 9€ / Members 5€
Reservations via messenger or via email to cineclubhellenique@gmail.com.
Click 'Read More' for Greek version.
