A new programme of short films, currently at Filmhuis Cavia, that introduces Greek artists that live and work in the Netherlands, creates a discussion between them and the audience and sheads light to the filmmaking situation between two very different countries.
Last June, the 7th and the 14th, four short films made by Greek directors that live in the Netherlands were shown in Filmhuis Cavia in Amsterdam. These films were made between 2022-2024 from very different directors. There are various reasons for the importance of such a programme, with the most important being that international audiences are not yet aware of familiar with the Greek cinema.
It was a great pleasure, as well as an honour, to curate the program with films of four brilliant directors: ‘Phélia’ by Elia Kalogianni, ‘Pigeons are dying, when the city is on fire’ by Stavros Markoulakis, ‘Like Aphrodite’ by Anisa Xhomaqi, and ‘Tektite’ by Smaradga Nitsopoulou. The screening was focused on the artists, so after each screening we had meaningful discussions with all of them in the cosy forty-seat theatre of Filmhuis Cavia.
On the 7th there were Stavros, Elia and Anisa present. We had a talk about the specific films, their experiences making them and their workflow. Stavros described his film as ‘a love letter to Athens’, and he added that he drew from his own experiences for the story. ‘This film could not have been shot in the Netherlands’, he admitted. Indeed, the film has a unique Greek aesthetic, from the shots to the musical choices to the flow and rhythm of it, it is undeniably part of the Greek Film Exprience.
Elia said she always starts her films with the visuals. ‘Phélia’s’ poster is the hands of a person, one finger scraping the nail polish of the other hand’s thumb. ‘This is the first image that came to mind, and that’s how the idea for the film started, that’s what I saw’, she added. ‘This film was made during COVID, and it could definitely not be made in the Netherlands, it would not have been the same’. The idea for the film came from Elia’s own experiences working as a guard of a museum exhibition, and that meant she had to spend a lot of time alone with her thoughts.
In Anisa’s film there is a completely different story. Not only is it a documentary, it is also about the story of Albanian women working in Greece, their experiences and their community. Anisa made this film while studying something, and her filmmaking technique and style is very different than the other three films. She focused a lot on the anthopological aspect and the research, and it is clear that she connected a lot to the community she was following.
On the 14th Elia was back, this time with the company of Smaragda. We re-discussed Elia’s process and inspirations, and then talked about Smaragda’s film. ‘The movie was being made in Greece while I was in the Netherlands, it was the best of luck that I had my assistant director Vassiiki Rouvali to help me, she carried the production’ Smaragda said, and admitted that, even the film is greek, there is no way her experiences in the Netherlands did not inspire the production. ‘It would definitely be a different film if I had only the experience of living in Greece’, she added.
What was really interesting for the filmmakers in the audience is the talk about the possibilitiy of filmmaking and the financial aspects, both in Greece and in the Netherlands. We talked a lot about the fact that films are significantly cheaper to make in Greece; one specific example was the bird that appeared through VFX in ‘Tektite’. The VFX prices in Greeece are at least 1/3 of the Netherlands’ price, and that makes it very difficult for Greek filmmakers to produce and shoot a film completely in a new country. Same goes for the production teams; the filmmakers have their most trusted collaborators back in Greece, and that makes it easier to travel back for at least the production process.
Both evenings were delightful, the audience loved the films and talked about them between themselves but also with the filmmakers. The bar of Cavia stayed open until late, serving greek delights and drinks. It only makes sense that the evenings should be repeated.
Which they will! On the 15th and the 29th of November at 20:30, there is a second cycle coming in Cavia, with five films from three female Greek directors that live (or used to live) in the Netherlands. The films are: ‘Arrival’ from Kleoniki Stanich, who lives for more than 10 years in Amsterdam, then ‘Bycatch’ and ‘Past where the sky turns’ by Anna Maria Pinaka, who also lived i the Netherlands for a long time, and now decided to go back to Greece, and ‘Home’ and ‘Transworld Love’ by Christina Maliariti, who still lives in Groningen (‘Home’ was co-directed by Belén Cornejo Daza).
The three films will be shown back-to-back and then the artists will stay for a discussion with the curator and the audience. The bar will stay open as long as we have an interesting conversation, plus there is exciting news yet to discuss about our upcoming Greek Film Festival. We hope to see you all there!
