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| Suntan |
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| Poster designed by Fokion Xenos |
The programme for the 4th Evia Project has been announced. The green initiative, run by Thessaloniki Film Festival, will run on the Greek island from June 17 to 21 and this year has the notion of the Greek summer at heart.
The event, which was originally started in response to a devastating wildfire on the island continues to have a focus on sustainability and the environment. Alongside screenings, talks, workshops and music events there will also be a colloquium on cinema titled “Filming Greek summer”, which will be announced in detail at a later date.
The poster for the project has been designed by animator Folkion Xenos Heatwave.
He said: “The summer experience cannot be contained in one single image. On the contrary, it’s a compilation of small but intense moments that are mentally knit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Having spent my childhood summers in the island of Evia, in the village of Nea Styra, I know firsthand that the images of a ‘summer day’ supersede and complete one another. [...] From the beach towels and the summer fruit to the starry night sky of an open-air cinema, each scene aspires to convey the inherent lightness, nostalgia and simplicity of Greek summer.”
You can watch the animated spot he has created for the festival here.
Screenings will be held in the open-air cinemas Apollon in Edipsos and Elymnion in Limni, as well as in the Fishing Shelter in Agia Anna.
The films screening, which will be free for the public to attend are:
Super Paradise by Steve Krikris (2025)
Over the past 50 years, Mykonos has experienced radical transformations. It was dirt cheap, today it is unaffordable; it was “off-the-beaten-track,” now it is a top destination; it was a symbol of inclusivity, today it is one of exclusivity. How did a tiny island become a melting pot for such divergent experiences? Was it paradise? Is it still?
Animal by Sofia Exarchou (2023)
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| Animal Photo: Courtesy of Locarno Film Festival |
Suntan by Argyris Papadimitropoulos (2016)
Kostis is a 42-year-old doctor that finds himself in a tiny island, that is a total bore by winter and a sex crazed cosmopolitan hotspot during summertime. All young Anna has to do is burst into Kostis' clinic with her group of hard partying friends and the good doctor falls hard for her. Kostis will go out of his way to conquer her and impress them, but the more they tease him, the furthest he draws his lines. And too far might be closer than he thought.
Before Midnight by Richard Linklater (2013)
The charismatic Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy return as Jessie and Celine in Before Midnight, the third part of this unique love story. Almost two decades have passed since the two characters first met on the train bound for Vienna, and Jesse and Celine will be forced to face new challenges in their relationship against the backdrop of the magnificent Mani countryside. A summer tour of Messinia, directed by Richard Linklater and produced by Faliro House.
Mamma Mia! by Phyllida Lloyd (2008)
Award-winner Meryl Streep leads an all-star cast in this film adaptation of the beloved stage musical featuring the timeless lyrics and melodies of iconic super group ABBA, shot in the Greek island of Skopelos. Streep portrays a strong, independent hotel owner on an idyllic Greek isle who is preparing to host her daughter's wedding. The guests include not only her oldest and dearest friends, but also three men from her past whom her daughter secretly invited because she suspects one might be her father! Mamma Mia! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and new family found. Also starring Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, and Amanda Seyfried.
The Big Blue by Luc Besson (1988)
The film that made the Greek island of Amorgos famous, as some of its scenes were shot on the picturesque beach of Agia Anna. The highly fictionalized story is based on the friendship of two divers, Jacques Mayol and Enzo Molinari who have been into freediving since they were young boys, in the late 1950s. Twenty years later, they meet again and find themselves competing for the championship in Taormina. At the same time, a love affair is born between Zach and Johana. The stunning underwater shots and the music by Eric Serra, for which he was awarded a César, create a dreamy setting.
Summer Lovers by Randal Kleiser (1982)
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| Summer Lovers Photo: Courtesy of Thessaloniki International Film Festival |
Girls In The Sun by Vasilis Georgiadis (1968)
A shepherd wants to offer some almonds to a beautiful English tourist. She misunderstands his action, gets scared and starts running. He starts running after her and soon finds himself in jail accused of attempted rape. In vain, both the tourist and the shepherd try to convince the police captain that nothing at all happened. Soon, a strange love affair will develop between them, since neither of them speaks the other person's language.
Jenny Jenny by Dinos Dimopoulos (1966)
The film takes place on the Greek island of Spetses, where there is intense political enmity between the local party leader Skoutaris and the shipowner Kassandris. The latter is nominating his nephew, Nikos Mandas, who has been abroad until now, while Skoutaris is passionately supporting Gortsos, who is already ahead. When Skoutaris' daughter realizes her father's financial problems, she will accept Kassandris' proposal for a white marriage with his nephew in exchange for bailing out her father financially. The white wedding, however, will bring unexpected developments.
The closing day of this year’s EFP coincides with the summer solstice and the European Music Day celebrations. The Evia Film Project has scheduled a series of special events that revolve around both music and cinema.
There will also be a special screening of the film Waves of Light, directed by Pantelis Kalogerakis, Michalis Kalogerakis and Panagiotis Andrianos. It will see five landmark PPC's steam-electric power plants — in Aliveri, Ptolemaida, Megalopolis, Ladonas, and Lavrion — come alive through music and visuals, within the framework of the Waves of Light online festival, carried out by the Greek National Opera in collaboration with the Public Power Corporation, under the artistic curation of Yorgos Koumendakis.
The Evia Film Project is carried out with the backing of the Greek Ministry of Culture.
