DOK Leipzig, the oldest documentary film festival in the world is looking for a new Festival Director who is fluent in German and English and should take up her or his position on 1 January 2015.
You can find more information on the job profile and application here.
The 57th edition of DOK Leipzig will be between 27 Oct. and 2 Nov. 2014
In times of recession three Greeks try to take their destiny in their own hands.
Could this crisis be our chance to re-invent ourselves and our society?
This is the theme of the feature length documentary "Gr. work in progress" (the title is indeed not so good - but the film is!) by Elena Zervopoulou which made its premier at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival in March. Elena Zervopoulou the film director who also did the production is a ethnopsychologist and holds a master in documentary making from the University in Paris.
In her film she succeed to make 3 strong portraits of Greeks who took their destiny in their own hands! This is what she was thinking about her film in December 2012... "The financial crisis strikes Greece and spreads out worldwide. We are loosing our financial security and our living standard, but how much of our values, our humanity and our decency is going down with the rest? Could this be our chance to re-invent ourselves and our society?"
The three protagonists together reflect the current potential for transformation in Greece. Positive change dynamics move from the bottom up. We follow the single individual (Giorgos) who finds the strength to overcome his difficulties and rebuild his life. The film examinee Grigoris’ family as it retightens its bonds and seeks a better quality of life. Finally, the journey takes us to the activist volunteer group behind the “potato movement” (Ilias) as their activities impact the society as a whole by challenging the commercial foods supply chain and practicing solidarity and direct democracy.
Watch the trailer:
http://onevibefilms.com/en/creative-documentaries/produced/greece-work-in-progress-greek.html
Danish Documentary is one of the world’s leading production companies when it comes to producing creative documentary films for the big screen and television.
The company is founded and co-owned by four celebrated Danish documentary directors, Phie Ambo, Pernille Rose Grønkjær, Eva Mulvad and Mikala Krogh, together with internationally acclaimed film producer Sigrid Dyekjær. What is Sigrid working on now?
I am working on a fantastic story, very unique, by Oscar nominated polish director Hanna Polak, Yula´s Dream, that we are editing right now. Hanna has followed a girl for 14 years on a garbage dump outside of Moscow. from she is 10 until she is 24 and actually gets away and moves to Moscow. Really a wonderful project and Hanna is a wonderful director. And the finished film was also wonderful - and won idfa in 2014!
I have just closed a 40 min film Eva Mulvad has made for Danish national tv The Castle I hope to launch it internationally on a festival in 2014. A funny, strange film about living in a castle in Denmark, exclusively, with other elderly people, where you have gardeners, cooks, maides, and servants, and you live in furniture from 1700 century. Here they have their own special elderly home, and in order to get in, you have to live up to certain rules. Not written rules, no the unwritten rules from the upper class. It has been a really fun film to produce. And we are finishing a film by Mikala Krogh about the biggest tabloid magazine in Denmark, where she has followed them for two years in the crises of the newspaper degrading and the net paper being the only thing young people wants to read, but nobody earns money on it, not even the tabloid magazines.
Point of no return is a film by Alkmini Bourra produced for the ARTE Greek Theme Day, broadcast on ARTE in August 2013, spanning an entire day dedicated to Greece.
It is a film about people who have chosen to stay in Greece and fight for a better life. The more the idea of democracy crumbles, the more faith in a sense of community increases. The film shows contemporary Greece and its people, who don't want to be seen as victims but as citizens who are coping with this challenge.
Watch the ARTE GREEK THEME DAY presentations here, filmed in Metaxourgeio, a vibrant, alternative central Athens area.
Production: dreamerjointventure Berlin, ZDF/ARTE
You can watch Point of no return at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival on March 20, 2014 at 15.00 at the John Cassavetes Cinema Theatre, or at the Market.
Don't miss the info session organised by the Creative Europe Desk - MEDIA on Thursday 20 March 2014 at 18.00 in the Electra Palace Hotel.
You will get information about all the program and especially the opportunities for financing documentaries (Development-Single Project’ and ‘Support for TV Programming’). The discussion will be focus on the experience of two Greek producers, Rea Apostolides (Anemon Productions), Aggelos Tsaousis (Filmografik), Eleni Chandrinou, consultant, and Anna Kasimati (Greek Film Center).
Apply at [email protected] writing your name and company. The discussion will be held in English.
Femen is the story of Ukraine's eponymous topless feminist sensation activist group, which has created a media frenzy across Europe. But before they take the world by storm, these bold and beautiful women must confront the dark and perverse forces that power their organisation.
Director: Kitty Green
Stars: Inna Shevchenko, Sasha Shevchenko, Anna Hutsol
Inna Shevchencko, pictured with a friend at idfa in November 2013.
Inna is the soul of Femen. She is also a protagonist of the film Every Day Rebellion by Mira Films.
Who would have thought back in November what would ensue in Ukraine?
Don't miss the screening in Thessaloniki!
http://www.ukraineisnotabrothel.com/UINAB_-_PRESSBOOK.pdf
http://www.ukraineisnotabrothel.com/
Here is the programm
OLYMPION CINEMA
13.00
The Noose 12’, Greece 2013
Vassilis Loules & ANIMART
o.v. greek/eng. sub
Panayotis Tetsis “Playing with colors” 100’
Yannis Vamvakas Greece 2014
o.v. greek/eng. sub
18.00
The Godmother 105΄
Stelios Kouloglou Greece 2014
o.v. greek, english, german, italian, spanish, portuguese/eng. sub
20.30
Kalavryta – People and Shadows 112’
Elias Yannakakis Greece 2014
o.v. greek, german/eng. sub
PAVLOS ZANNAS CINEMA
15.00
Salt Flats 35’, Ira Dika, Yorgos Savoglou, Greece 2014
o.v. greek/eng. sub
TONIA MARKETAKI CINEMA
13.00
A Breath in the Aegean 65’
Apostolis Asimakopoulos Greece 2013
o.v. greek/eng. sub
Voy – A Blind Football Match 18’
Eleni Chrysomalli Greece 2013
o.v. greek/eng. sub
17.30
Theodoros Papayannis: The Return to Elliniko, 48', Greece 2014
Panayotis Kravvaris
o.v. greek/eng. sub
Trip to Delphi 61’
Apostolia Papaioannou Greece 2013,
o.v. greek/eng. sub
20.00
The Red Bank. James Joyce:
His Greek Notebooks 29’
Vouvoula Skoura
Greece 2013, o.v. english, greek/eng. sub
Geneviève Clancy, Instants of Life 75’
Iro Siafliaki, Greece-France 2013,
o.v. french/eng. sub
22.30
The Other Human, 34', Greece 2013
S. Galazoulas
o.v. greek/eng. sub
Hope on the Line 73', Greece-France 2013
A. Papanikolaou, E. Yannoukou
o.v. gr., eng., de, fr./eng. sub
FRIDA LIAPA CINEMA
15.30
The Void: The Musical Case of Katerina Petrakou, 19', Greece 2013
Dimitris Papoulias
o.v. greek/eng. sub
Yusef’s Song 75’
Kostas Pliakos Greece 2014
o.v. arabic, english/eng. sub
JOHN CASSAVETES CINEMA
13.00
Relentless 53’
Dimitris Statirirs
italy-switzerland-greece 2013
o.v. italian/eng. sub
STAVROS TORNES CINEMA
13.30
Unplugged 10’, Greece-Switzerland 2013
Tzortzis Grigorakis
o.v. greek, french/eng. sub
How did you approach your main character?
Hope on the line is an observational documentary without commentary. The content approach is direct and tells the story from the inside. We had exclusive access to Alexis Tsipras’s daily schedule.
The main aim of this documentary is to remain close to the character at all times. We tried, and believe we managed, to quickly gain his trust in order to create an honest and fair portrait. We wanted to have a successful portrait of his personality, so we initially tried to make ourselves “invisible” to the campaign team. Alexis Tsipras and his officials were not at all distrustful and did not hesitate to open their doors and let us into the core of the party.
We followed him throughout the campaign, right up until the final results. We have tried to reveal his personality by following him closely, listening to his speeches, meeting his friends, relatives and colleagues, but also by filming him in contact with voters. Each day we added more brushstrokes to his portrait in a bid to understand his goals and motivations.
By observing only one candidate in these elections and then his rise to the position of main opposition leader, we tried, with the aid of several events that occurred during shooting, to highlight the current state of democracy in Greece and feel the pulse of Greek society.
How did you manage to get behind the surface of the public person?
This was the challenging part because from the beginning it was clear with Alexis that we could do this documentary by filming him at work only. He didn't want us to film him with his family and we respected that. Accepting to do this documentary was tricky for him too. So we tried to film him as if we filmed any other person at work and focused on Tsipras the political person. We also asked him unconventional questins, more about his personal beliefs or about his past, rather than on current political issues.
Are you satisfied with the way Alexis Tsipras is portrayed in the media (Greek and international)? Would you want to change that?
To be satisfied or not with the image of Alexis Tsipras in the media is not a question that we really ask ourselves - that is how the world functions. We are more interested in how the political system functions in our society. We are not image makers and we don't aim to change the course of things. We did this documentary because we wanted answers to our questions, even if in the end new questions come along. We think that the political situation in Greece makes the whole political picture even more dramatic. This makes sense because the situation is very tense, with big changes, scandals and injustice. Public opinion, the media and other countries are sceptical about all Greek politicians, not only Alexis Tsipras, and this is reflected in his image in the media.
What is he really like?
He is really friendly as a person. Also, without knowing us at all, he accepted our proposition to do this documentary and kept his word that he wouldn't interfere in the final cut, and that he would give us access to his office. He seems confident and calm, and is not afraid of his image, even when most of the media are punching him.
On the other hand, we won't make any comment on the politician, that's for the documentary audience to decide.
What was the challenge for you telling this story?
The challenge was that this doc is a portrait, but it's also the portrait of a politician. When you make a portrait of someone, you need to be fair with what you see and with the person that accepted you to film them. You need also to get closer to this person, and try to understand their way of thinking, even when you don't always agree. Then, when you do a documentary involving current affairs and politics, it gets tricky to balance the proximity you have with the person you film and the observational part filming the politician.
What was also challenging was to show the general feeling of a complicated period for Greece from the perspective of the offices of a political party during an election campaign.
How did you approach co-directing the film?
We are used to working together for years now; our experiences are common experiences. When we start a new project, with new challenges, we try to remember our past experiences and to go on. We discuss a lot about what we can expect. As independent directors and producers, we work together all along a project, from early writing until the end of post-production.
How did you work visually?
The conditions were not ideal because we had to work as a very small team. It was challenging to try to be creative at all times in these conditions. We tried to do nice outdoor images and close portraits in indoor scenes.
Could you give us some details about the production?
We started the production on our own. Then we did a rough cut with the help of our editor, Angelos Angelidis, who was selected with it at Berlinale's Talent Campus. We were thrilled! Angelos is a great editor, calm and wise. His mentor at Berlinale was touched by the work Angelos did on our doc. Then we found a co-producer, Ilias Bovalis, at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. He was very exited about our project and for that we thank him because we needed the support. It's always nice to find people who believe in your project and that can help you to continue to work on it. Finally we got the support of the French script fund SCAM.
The film premiers at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival "Images of the 21st Century", Tonia Marketaki Cinema Theatre, 16/03/2014 at 20.00 and 18/03/2014 at 22.30.
CREDITS
Production: Persona Production (France)
Co-Production : Elibo Productions (Greece)
Script, Direction and Production:
Alexandros Papanikolaou & Emily Giannoukou
Co-Producer: Ilias Bovalis
Editing: Aggelos Aggelidakis
Camera: Alexandros Papanikolaou
Sound: Stavros Avramidis
Research: Makis Malafekas
PERSONA PRODUCTION
http://www.facebook.com/personaprod
http://www.youtube.com/personaproduction
Hope on the line (Greece, 2013, 73 min.), directed by Alexandros Papanikolaou & Emily Giannoukou, follows the leader of the Greek radical-left party Syriza, Alexis Tsipras, during the course of a year, from the campaign for the close-call June 2012 elections to the sudden shutdown of the Greek public broadcasting corporation (ERT) in June 2013. Shedding light on Tsipras' personality, political views and ambitions, the film includes insider's footage from the party, the views of militants and high-ranked members, and witnesses decision-making processes both in Greece and abroad. From the frontline man, Alexis Tsipras, up to the party's Political Bureau, strategy is being built, political lines evolve, another future for the nation is timidly being imagined. Within the political turmoil, Greek citizens seek answers to their fundamental and dramatic questioning. The very status of the country is at stake: its place in Europe, its future and destiny.
What is so fascinating about this story?
The economic crisis in Greece, as well as elsewhere in Southern Europe led public opinion to take an introverted turn and installed a sense of distrust toward traditional politicians. Thus, the center parties, as in most European countries, are struggling to stay in power, while extreme groupings and radical parties are rising in the polls. In Greece, where the crisis worsened dramatically in a very short period of time, and where democracy is expressed directly as a result of the country's electoral system, the fact that Syriza might take power becomes all the more significant. Syriza rose from 4.5% to 27% in less than three months, and became the second-largest party in Greece and the leading opposition party.
Alexis Tsipras has an intriguing personality. An ambiguous and lesser-known figure until recently, he now stands a great chance of becoming the next prime minister of Greece. He is fairly experienced despite his young age. Thus, he was able to change the political scene in the country and win the support of voters who have grown disenchanted with the old parties.
This film shows the transformation of Syriza during the month that preceded the election, also seeking to reveal the actual goings-on within the party in order to provide a better understanding of the way decisions are taken. During the last campaign, we saw the young and charismatic Alexis Tsipras emerge as a true threat to his opponents, even if he was narrowly defeated in the end because of the debate over the euro. He managed to change the way his party is perceived by centre-ground voters and got a spectacular number of votes.
Through this documentary, we focus on Alexis Tsipras' personality during a crucial historical moment. We also try to provide insight into the political views that emerge from discussions behind closed doors, inside the party, how these views evolve and how Tsipras presents these ideas to the public, as well as how he shapes public opinion and becomes a symbol of opposition to the memorandum. Our aim was to sketch the image of a political persona during this difficult political juncture in Greece at which society is trying to regain its bearings.
Read the complete interview with Alexandros Papanikolaou & Emily Giannoukou.
Watch the official trailer.
Writer | Director: Nina Maria Paschalidou
Cinematography: Michalis Aristomenopoulos, ADDITIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY: Christophoros Loupas, George Karvelas. CAMERA: Dimitris Michalakis, Snorre Wik, Ozgur Baykal, Gabriel Psaltakis, Umut Kebabci.
Research: Hilal Bakkaloglu (Turkey), Mohamed El Tohami (Egypt), Danae Leivada (Greece), PRODUCTION MANAGER: Eleni Christodoulou
Editing: Thodoris Armaos
Music: Spyros and Michalis Moshoutis
Producers: Rea Apostolides, Yuri Averof & Nina Maria Paschalidou. Produced with Forest Troop. Co-produced with Agitprop, Nukleus Film and Veritas Films in association with AL JAZEERA, ARTE, SVT, YLE, RTS, CYBC, KNOWLEDGE CHANNEL, CHANNEL 8, MRT and BTV., Supported bu MEDIA, the CROATIAN AUDIOVISUAL CENTRE, the BULGARIAN NATIONAL FILM CENTRE and the GREEK FILM CENTRE..
World distribution: FILMS TRANSIT International JAN ROFEKAMP 252 Gouin Boulevard East Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3L 1A8 Phone (514) 844 3358 Fax (514) 844 7298 www.filmstransit.com e-mail: [email protected]