Let’s get a taste of all the events and activities that took place on Wednesday 3rd, July, the second day of the 3rd Evia Film Project
Workshop With Pablo Soto González
The multi-awarded 17-year-old director, screenwriter, actor, musician, choreographer, while still a highschool student Pablo Soto González and Manolis Melissourgos, artistic director of Camera Zizanio of the Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People talked to students on how to write, direct and promote a film. The Festival’s artistic director Orestis Andreadakis welcomed them while stressing that Pablo Soto González is a “very creative young man who learned filmmaking by himself,” as well as Manolis Melissourgos, artistic director of Camera Zizanio of the Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People. “They will explain how you can make a film on your own and how to promote it to audiences and, why not, to the big festivals," added Mr. Andreadakis.
Pablo Soto González’s first advice to children and young people was the importance of having ideas and inspiration and that all practical and technical issues take a back seat: "We have to find our own way of storytelling, have our eyes and ears open, listen to music and watch films. By searching, watching and listening, what we call inspiration slowly takes shape. He emphasized that he takes ideas from other films, underlining the importance of experimentation in cinema as it is the only way to find what we want to say. He also advised young filmmakers to experiment primarily with short narratives before moving on to longer onesMr. Melissourgos went on to take the baton, mentioning that Camera Zizanio is addressed to children and young people of 4-20 years old, having established a fully-rounded networking space, based on the pedagogical principles of Freinet, which treat children as autonomous active agents. “Our job is to offer support to children so as to formulate and speak out what they have to say. Cinema is by nature a window to the world. What we are trying to achieve is to open this window inwards as well, to Greece and our own audience, and outwards, with film screenings and the multinational workshop “mythos project”, a vivid and beautiful experience,” he added.
In response to a question posed by Manolis Melissourgos related to the importance of equipment, he mentioned that it was “the last thing he was concerned about.” For him, the most essential thing is the narrative that one will be able to build with the means he has at hand. He shot his first videos with his mother's old laptop. "Nowadays, we are the generation that has a mobile phone in hand. With a mobile phone you can both shoot and do the editing properly," he added.
Then, he mentioned that he utilizes a storyboard, a tool which renders the procedure of preparing for a shoot easier for him. Moreover, he encouraged young people to ask for help from the people closest to them, because "this is the magic of cinema, when we all work together for a result," and stressed the importance of good cooperation with the whole creative team.
As for the style of a filmmaker, he referred to the importance of colors and particularly music, saying it is one of his favorite parts of a film: “A director used to say that the difference between a horror film and a comedy is the music. It's part of the narrative and, sometimes, it works as a narrative itself." Due to his father being a musician, he used to listen to music all the time at home. He said that his vision is to create films belonging to a kind of "quiet cinema," in which there will be no dialogue at all and the narration will be done only through music, looks and action. Immediately afterwards, Pablo Soto González spoke about the great love he nurtures for the art of dancing and his wish for it to become part of his projects, explaining that “for me, as a creator, it is important that we have knowledge beyond what we want to do.”
Together with Manolis Melissourgos, they stressed the importance of the Festivals during the promotional process of a film, and how valuable it is to meet other people in the industry: "It's nice getting to travel with your film and meeting children from other cultures," he stated. Mr. Melissourgos referred to all the actions by Camera Zizanio, and invited all young emerging creators to get in touch with the Festivals that open a window to the world.
Pablo also spoke about how supportive his parents were when he decided to get involved in cinema, remarking that they made up his first audience, the first people who made him believe in himself. Next, regarding his personal insecurities, he mentioned that he used to desire acknowledgement, keeping it in his mind, but it was a wrong thought: “Nowadays, I try to please myself with the result and somehow seduce the viewers with the enthusiasm I create.”
When asked by actor Fanis Mouratidis about his source of inspiration, he said that it originates from photographs, humorous signs in the streets, but mainly from walks on his balcony, which create terrible associations in his thoughts. At the core of his personal experience is his vision of "quiet cinema" and the creation of a different narrative, where music takes center stage.
Raising Awareness Action for An Environmentally Sustainable Filming
At “Melina Mercouri” Cultural Hall, in Loutra Edipsou, the Greek Film Centre organized a raising awareness action for environmentally sustainable filming. The speakers of the event were Stavroula Geronimaki (GFC, Hellenic Film Commission), Linnea Merzagora (Green Film) and Dimitra Tenta (Sustainability Coordinator). The speakers were presented by the head of the Agora, Angeliki Vergou.
Initially, Stavroula Geronimaki took the floor, and after thanking the Thessaloniki Film Festival for the invitation and the smooth cooperation, she presented Hellenic Film Commission’s actions, saying that in recent years she has started focusing towards environmentally sustainable filmmaking, with activities at the Berlinale and the 2023 Thessaloniki Film Festival.
Next, the floor was taken by Linnea Merzagora from Green Film, referring to the way in which one can calculate and obtain certification for environmentally sustainable productions. She also spoke about the devastating consequences of the major fire in Evia in 2021 and the enormous importance of the effort being made to limit the effects of the climate crisis. She added that attempts are being made with Green Film to transfer knowledge about sustainable practices in the film industry and noted that it is a tool that certifies and ultimately aids in networking partners around sustainable practices. She analyzed the ways with which the certifications in question take place and she concluded, remarking that sustainable practices have practical benefits, both in relation to the carbon dioxide emissions and the financial costs of producers.
At this point, the floor was given to Dimitra Tenta, Sustainability Coordinator. She stated that in Greece it has not yet become mandatory for productions to comply with green practices, while the most important thing is for producers themselves to believe in the benefits of sustainable filming. In her presentation, she mentioned how film production can become more sustainable (waste management, reduction of paper, recycling, removal of plastic packaging from the workplace, reduction of carbon footprint, etc.).
Finally, Stavroula Geronimaki posed a question to Angeliki Vergou and Elise Jalladeau, Thessaloniki Film Festival’s General Director, concerning the biggest difficulty in the Festival’s decision to follow “greener” practices. Angeliki Vergou responded that the biggest difficulties were related to knowledge and training in sustainable practices: "We created a green team with a sustainability consultant, educated ourselves about sustainability issues and understood that it is a process that takes time and steps." The Festival’s General Director, Elise Jalladeau pointed out that the two biggest obstacles were data collection and setting a course as well as objectives.
Screening of Winona and Q&A
On Wednesday evening the screening of the Alexandros Voulgaris’ film, Winona, at Cine Apollon, in Edipsos, in the presence of the film’s director and lead actress, Sofia Kokkali. Just before, the screening of the short film Konstantinos Antonopoulos’ Postcard from the End of the World had taken place.
Orestis Andreadakis, the Festival’s Artistic Director presented Alexandros Voulgaris and Sofia Kokkali, welcoming the audience to the screening: “Both of these films are set on a beach, because this year's theme is water: seas, lakes, rivers, rain," he said. He even referred to the collaboration between Alexandros Voulgaris and Konstantinos Antonopoulos in the past.
“I met Konstantinos 20 years ago,” Alexandros Voulgaris said, prefacing the film Postcards from the End of the World. "It’s interesting because throughout the years Konstantinos was looking for something very much his own, and simultaneously something that spoke for our epoch, to create something fundamentally contemporary. This film, a very good film I might add, has in its own way achieved what Konstantinos was seeking: it is at the same time personal and remains close to the times we live in. It is a very enjoyable film and very particular in the way it utilizes its media."
For his own film, Winona, he mentioned: “"We shot the film in May 2018, on a beach in Andros. It was a very important film for several reasons, for all of us who made it. A film we had to make. Because we want to make every film, but some of them we could have done without."
A Q&A with the contributors of Winona followed the screening of the two films.
In response to a question about how the creative pieces of Winona were gathered, Alexandros Voulgaris replied: “There are filmmakers who prefer to change partners every film in order to renew themselves, and there are those who try to create stronger ties. I belong to the second category. From the film that preceded Winona, Thread, a lot of individuals were integrated to the team. We, the main partners, work ten years together.”
Regarding the element of improvisation, he noted “the film was built in its entirety around the girls and it was rehearsed very little.” At this point, Sofia Kokkali took the floor: “Alexandros is used to writing everything down. Everything we see in the film is written word for word. But there was also a creative space and improvisation, more in relation to the movement. For the most part, everything was written." Alexandros Voulgaris added: “You may have written something but how the other person conveys it is what makes the whole film. The entire tone of the film has emerged from how the girls perceived the script and their relationships with one another. It's also shot on film, during a period of only seven days, while the average feature film needs 25-30 days. The girls' input was very important. It was important that I have four actresses, not only talented but also confident."
Then, the filmmaker replied to a question from the journalist Aris Dimokidis on how he manages to speak to the female soul, writing the script utilizing the female gaze: “I'm not sure if I manage it. I'm not trying for something like that. I don't think whether a woman or a man would really do what I think about. I write things I want to see and that I want to be said. The fact that many of the characters I write are women has to do with many things, personal factors, and it is something I would discuss with my therapist if I could afford to continue the sessions. It definitely has to do with the people I want to work with, like Sofia, and as such I need female characters. It's just words that need to be said and they are said by people who have the personality and taste to get it right," she added.
On the reasons behind the film, she remarked: "For some reason, almost everyone who made this film was just in the right state for something like this at that time. Films are an expensive sport and many of them are just for commerce and entertainment. This one had no such ambition, it was created strictly due to personal reasons. It had much to do with managing loss, with the fact that we would like to say a final goodbye to our close ones in a more personal manner than the formal one, the funeral. Thus, this informal “funeral” was created. For me, the film in its entirety is a funeral, a farewell,” he noted.
Finally, in response to a question about why the film was shot on a beach and not in any other place, she replied: "Too many of the choices you make in a film correspond to the choices you make in your life. For example, the color you will paint the walls of your room, or the people you will choose to have beside you, it’s not a decision you make based on some kind of logic – it just fits. That was how this script came about, because it fit me. Ever since I was a kid, I've had a longing to make a film on a beach, since the time I watched Roman Polanski’s Knife in the Water, and Cul-de-sac, films that had a lot to do with water,” she concluded, while simultaneously referring to the theme of this year’s Evia Film Project.
