The Greece International Film Festival takes place in a splendid cinema on Akadimias Street, in the center of Athens. In front of an audience mostly composed of cinema professionals, international short and medium-length films with diverse tones are showcased. The only requirement to participate is the artistic proposal. None of the works leave viewers indifferent, some hint at a promising future for their creators despite the financing challenges discussed during interviews. The competition results will be announced in April.
On Sunday, 9 short films under 10 minutes are screened. “Stuhi” and “Heartbreaker” directed by Chiara Feriani in Albania and Jagger Waters in the United States respectively, are the two presented musical clips. The first uses religious figures and parkour in an empty, frozen city to support its revolutionary message, sung by Shkodra Elektronike featuring Redi Hasa. The second illustrates a rock music piece by Hyland Church in a typical American imaginary setting.
Two other shorts stand out for their use of dance: “Ink Dance” by Zed xu from New Zealand and “Speculum” by Yannos Polychroniadis, a Greek director. Both films showcase contemporary dance, with very cold colors for the first and vibrant for the second. Each tells a story about the relationship with the body and the other using the camera and dance as communication tools, beyond words.
The only animated work of the day is “Reading Between the Lines,” a Swiss film by Jochen Rall. The fluidity of the image impresses with its technicality, and the light tone allows a break in this cinematic marathon.
Other more experimental attempts are also projected, like “The Sound of Blue” by Bruno Rodriguez, a Spanish film that contrasts a joyful, colorful past with a somber, black and white present. “The Veil” by Fintan Kearney, a Chinese film, questions the legitimacy of judgment in art, repeating the phrase “Who is the judge? Who defines the value?” as an anaphora.
The last two shorts convey a clearer message, possibly worthy of development into a feature-length format. First, “It’ll Make a Man of You” by Adam Lowry, an Irish film depicting the conscription of a young man. The close-up shots convey all the emotion and the film’s message, with the actors standing out for their accuracy. “Just Being Nice,” an Argentine film by Jeronimo Geldart, maintains suspense while leaving an open ending for the viewer, portraying the fear of a young woman encountering a man in a parking lot at night.
The art of medium-length films is displayed with “Volta” by Socrates Mousmoulidis, a Greek film about the impossibility of a love story. The warm, vivid colors evoke passion, and the shots juxtapose or bring together the characters according to their feelings.
“Ignition,” a German film by Andrei Turcan, follows a young man caught up in organized crime for 45 minutes, delivering a strong potential for a longer feature film. Lastly, the audience remains glued to the screen during the 20 minutes of psychological horror offered by “Gumboro” by Dimitris Vavatsis, a Greek film delving into the protagonist’s hallucinatory brain, with dissonant sound and vivid lighting creating a sense of unease.
To conclude the evening, the Brazilian work “What is left of Us” by Diego Borges, a one-hour film, is shown. In a dramatic black and white setting, male characters recount tragic events with a theatrical flair. It’s an immersive experience with implicit meaning, but the artistic performance may be unsettling.
This film marks the 7th edition of the Greece International Film Festival. It’s now time to follow the careers of these promising artists!
