Monday 23 March 2015

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.

Thursday 5 March 2015

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."