For its tenth edition the Greek Film Festival in Berlin presented thirty-three feature films. This included six international premieres, eighteen German premieres and three Berlin premieres. Following five days, three competitions, special screenings and side events was the award ceremony. The award category prizes were for the main competition, documentaries and short films.
Winners
The winner of the main Emerging Greeks Competition award was Meat by Dimitris Nakos. The three-person jury also gave a motivation for the award. Part of it read, “…a feature debut which kept our attention throughout…” Director Dimitris Nakos was present to pick up the award.
The same jury also awarded the prize for the Documentary competition. The winner was Tack by Vania Turner. Within the jury motivation it read, “The filmmaker closely follows two victims of sexual abuse in their struggle…” Furthermore, they commended the animated sequences in the courtroom that could not be filmed. The use of silence and subtitles heightened the eerie court atmosphere. Director Vania Turner was also present to receive her award.
Honeymoon by Alki Papastathopoulos won the Short Film award. The film is a serious plea from the transgender community to support inclusion. The jury said, “What could have been a story about victims became a story about heroes.” Lead actress Nassia Sydeta picked up the award for the absent director. A Special Mention was awarded to the short Scorched Earth by Markela Kontaratou. The jury justified how, “…the female gaze turned a simple story of a stay by the sea into a thriller…”
This year’s closing film was Athens Midnight Radio by Renos Haralambidis. An Athens late-night radio producer turns fifty and realizes he’s no longer young. On air he reminisces about his life so far with creeping regret. The solitude feels ghost-like, complimented by the beautifully filmed Athens night. For its German premiere, main actor and director Renos Haralambidis introduced the film. Joining him for the Q&A after the screening were producer Angelos Venetis and main actress Margarita Amarantidi.
Following the closing ceremony, a party was held in Berlin to sign-off on this special tenth edition. In the presence of guests, the festival team cut the commemorative birthday cake.
By Steven Yates
