26th Athens International Film Festival: Friday 25th September [Daily schedule]

The 26th Athens International Film Festival will take place between 23rd September and the 4th October 2020,  presenting a total of 138 films from around the world, three competition sections, special tributes, documentaries, Greek premieres, selections from the cancelled Cannes Film Festival and Greek short stories. For the online screenings of the 26th Athens International Film Festival visit online.aiff.gr.

Download the daily schedule HERE.

Buy tickets online: www.viva.gr/tickets/cinemas/nyxtes-premieras-2020.

BABEL – FROM SILENCE TO THE EXPLOSION
DIRECTOR: Meletis Miras

Much more than a magazine or festival, not only did the legendary “Babel” teach the Greek public that comics are not just for children but also affected, from the start of the 80s and for two and a half decades, the cultural fabric of the country through contemporary comic artists, visual artists, musicians and authors it introduced to them. A group of people motivated by their love of the 9th art, who left a permanent mark on the indigenous cultural scene, are the protagonists of this invaluable documentary, destined to act as a reminder for the older and an introduction for the younger members of the audience. Filmmakers in attendance

25/9/2020, 19:30, ANESIS

SPRING BLOSSOM / SEIZE PRINTEMPS
DIRECTOR: Suzanne Lindon

Sixteen-year old Susan who is nothing like her peers and is bored stiff, meets a 35-year old actor (Arnaud Valois from “120 Beats Per Minute”) and falls in love with him. But even love isn’t the answer to everything. The 20-year old daughter of the great Vincent Lindon is introduced to us as a multi-talented individual, who will be much discussed, as she directs and stars in a postmodern reversal of the norms which we are used to seeing in romantic and coming-of-age films. This year’s official selection of both the Cannes and San Sebastián Film Festivals is a fresh debut on the enigma of puberty, which usually starts with an explosion within. Director in attendance

25/9/2020, 19:30, AEGLI ZAPPIOU

GREEK SHORT STORIES - IN COMPETITION II
Duration: 98'

Πάρε το Πράγμα και Σφάξ' το / Take It and End It
ΔΙΑΡΚΕΙΑ / DURATION: 21’ ΣΚΗΝΟΘΕΣΙΑ / DIRECTOR: Kirineos Papadimatos

A veal has to be slaughtered by a butcher. But this veal is different than the others.  It’s his 'child'. Based on a chapter of Giorgos Skambardonis book 'Everything Works Fine Against Us'. 

Under
ΔΙΑΡΚΕΙΑ / DURATION: 19’ ΣΚΗΝΟΘΕΣΙΑ / DIRECTOR: Vangelis Bekas

A ragman meets a mysterious young woman living under a bridge. His attempt to save her appears as a chance to escape from the underworld of his memory reflected in the dark side of Athens.

Stefanos Rokos: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ No More Shall We Part, 14 πίνακες, 17 χρόνια μετά / Stefanos Rokos: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds' No More Shall We Part, 14 paintings 17 years later
ΔΙΑΡΚΕΙΑ / DURATION: 18’ ΣΚΗΝΟΘΕΣΙΑ / DIRECTOR: Rinio Dragasaki, Araceli Lemos

Two filmmakers document three years in the life of contemporary Greek painter Stefanos Rokos, as he is working on the making of his exhibition. His daily routines, his artistic process, some spontaneous inspirations, and his creative dialogue with legendary musician Nick Cave.

Νορμάλ / Normal
ΔΙΑΡΚΕΙΑ / DURATION: 20’ ΣΚΗΝΟΘΕΣΙΑ / DIRECTOR: Nikos Gkoulios

Infuriated by the continuous bell toll of a nearby church, a young lady charges at the temple and triggers the reaction of a female faithful christian. Three authority figures, representatives of three competent institutional bodies, come along to claim the exclusive management of the incident in their own terms.

Αέναη Δημιουργία / Eternal Creation
ΔΙΑΡΚΕΙΑ / DURATION: 20’ ΣΚΗΝΟΘΕΣΙΑ / DIRECTOR: Pantelis Koulouridis

Teenager 89 years old! Hagiographer George Karpontinis didn’t hesitate to abandon everything and follow the difficult path of art. In return he was given peace,optimism and fullness. Endless creativity became a shield against adversity. And he goes on...

25/09/2020, 19:30, ATHINAIA

KUBRICK BY KUBRICK
DIRECTOR: Grégory Monro

Aside from an unsurpassed filmography, which could easily be deemed part of the cultural heritage of the 20th century, Stanley Kubrick, the archetypal introvert, is considered by most to be the sacred legend of cinema and simultaneously an enigma of a director. So far, that is, as this revelatory documentary brings to light twenty years of conversations between the director and the only film critic he trusted, the legendary Michel Ciment of the French magazine Positif. And so the man who always hated to talk about his films, for once, does just that.

25/9/2020, 19:30, GREEK FILM ARCHIVE

SEVEN MINUTES OF SOUL
DIRECTOR: Panos Vlachos

In the first modern Olympic Games which took place in Athens in 1896, Spyros Louis came first in the race at Marathon, marking one of the most legendary achievements in world sports. But how did an unknown water carrier from Marousi, without any prior participation in athletic races, achieve such an unimaginable feat? The documentary follows Panos Vlachos as he attempts to find out the exact conditions which lead to Spyros Louis’ success. At the same time he tries to re-enact the whole affair thus shedding light on one of the most controversial marathon races to date. Filmmakers in attendance

25/9/2020, 19:45, RIVIERA

ENTER THE VOID
DIRECTOR: Gaspar Noé

Motivated by an uncontrollable urge to push the cinematic experience to its limits, the boy wonder of contemporary French cinema orchestrates an attack on the senses with an audiovisual bashing, which he himself described as a “psychedelic melodrama”. A young American’s spectacular journey of life and death around Tokyo’s nightclub scene, a blatant show of directorial skills, primarily influenced by Kubrick's "2001", a cinematic hallucinogenic trip; any way you see it, it’s an achievement.

25/9/2020, 21:00, TRIANON

THE HOLY MOUNTAIN / LA MONTAÑA SAGRADA
DIRECTOR: Alejandro Jodorowsky

There is no easy way to describe the delirious magnus opus of the unorthodox Chilean director (“Santa Sangre”). There is the allegory of a Messianic figure crossing a totally corrupt modern-day world in the quest of enlightenment. And then there is the spectacular and utterly sacrilegious vision of a director-saboteur who bombards religion, power, society and cinema itself with some of the most inconceivable images, filming in an ecstatic state, wrecking taboo after taboo all of which results not in a film but a cultural shock in the guise of a film. With John Lennon’s blessings, in his secret capacity as producer.

25/9/2020, 21:00, STELLA

THE CAPOTE TAPES
DIRECTOR: Ebs Burnough

Recently discovered tapes featuring interviews with friends of Truman Capote, originally meant for a biography that was never written, shed light on one of the most enigmatic periods of an iconic 20th century author; a larger-than-life persona who fully immersed himself into the grand New York lifestyle with all of its frenzied pleasures. At the epicentre of all this, is his explosive unfinished book “Answered Prayers”, which was meant to expose Manhattan’s aristocracy and which became the cause of Capote’s expulsion from it.

25/9/2020, 22:00, GREEK FILM ARCHIVE



TRANSFER
DIRECTOR: Elias Giannakakis

On the occasion of its move from the imposing Valianeio building on Panepistimiou Street to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, the National Library is given a voice with which to narrate its troubled journey. The narration reflects every historical landmark from the formation of the Hellenic Republic to the present day. A priceless psychological portrait of an Athens which often resembles a battlefield, a multi-layered journey through time with the aid of the priceless treasures of this country’s most significant intellectual body, but above all current commentary on the importance of preserving memory, directed by one of the top contemporary Greek filmmakers. Filmmakers in attendance

25/9/2020, 22:15, ANESIS

MAKE UP
DIRECTOR: Claire Oakley

On a winter’s night, the young protagonist arrives at a haunted-looking windswept seaside Cornwall resort to visit her boyfriend who works there. Signs of his infidelity become the starting point of a journey full of mystery, during which uncharted aspects of the self and sexuality are examined. A psychological thriller, an unexpected love story, a hallucinatory exploration of human desire, captivating photography and atmosphere and seductive direction in a powerful debut which places this emerging director in the prestigious company of Andrea Arnold, Lynne Ramsay and Clio Barnard. Director in attendance

25/9/2020, 22:15, AEGLI ZAPPIOU



I CARRY YOU WITH ME
DIRECTOR: Heidi Ewing

One of the most important directors of contemporary American cinema, having received an Oscar nomination for “Jesus Camp” (2006), transitions over to fiction in an epic love story. Heidi Ewing tells the story of an aspiring chef and young university professor from the moment they meet in 80s Mexico all the way to modern-day New York, portraying their relationship like a night whisper, a charming fairy tale. That is, up to the moment when reality bombards the plot and destroys everything in an unpredictably redeeming finale. Winner of the Sundance Audience Award for the queer film of the year. Introduction by a representative of the Greek section of Amnesty International

25/9/2020, 22:30, ATHINAIA

VALERIE AND HER WEEK OF WONDERS / VALERIE A TÝDEN DIVU
DIRECTOR: Jaromil Jireš

Like a strange constellation from a far away galaxy, the legendary “Valerie” landed on the big screen exactly 50 years ago and to this day remains one of the most charming paradoxes of cinema. Inspired by “Alice in Wonderland”, the story of Little Red Riding Hood, folklore and Gothic terror, the wildest descendant of the Czech New Wave movement portrays the sexual awakening of a young woman as a torrent of fantasies, dreams and allegorical images through frenzied directorial ingenuity, which has inspired many filmmakers (Neil Jordan, Guillermo del Toro) and even bands (Broadcast).

25/9/2020, 22:30, RIVIERA