Adam

Short film/Greece  

2022/25' 

Αfter their award-winning film Wreathless, writer/director George Sefer and the Belladonna Pictures team are about to release their second more ambitious short film ADAM, starring Petros Maliaras and Panos Lekos, premiering January 7 on the Belladonna Pictures channel on YouTube

 

 

Adam is born by the River. The first thing he sees is a stranger carrying him back into the freezing water. The first thing he experiences is how that same stranger tries to drown him. 

 

Surprisingly, the man decides to spare his life and adopt him. Adam will grow up by the river, at the mercy of his new father.

  

 Adam captures us from the first scene. 

The image of the young man (Panos Lekos) emerging / born from water with the immediate consequence of his violent drowning in it by a primitive-like man (Petros Maliaras) a guardian of an irrational natural balance (?) feels like a punch to the stomach.

When the man decides to break the vicious cycle of death and allow the young man to live, naming him Adam, a peculiar father-son relationship develops, violent and manipulative on the part of the man and ominous from the beginning.

Adam is looking forward to discovering the world finding his place in it, but is restrained by the suffocating supervision of his "father". 

Panos Lekos and Petros Maliaras

The nature of Imathia, the icy waters of the lake and the muddy shores of river Aliakmonas with its dense vegetation, co-star in the film, referring to the elementary raw instincts of the two characters. 

The river water, a symbol of purity and serenity, becomes a gateway, transforms into dark, tenebrous and miry and ends up as a weapon for murder.

Adam wanders in the environment, possessed by curiosity and primitive instincts, his own and that of his guardian.

In the literature of the fantastic the forest is the place where reality recedes and where the laws of the universe alter. Adam's universe is irrational and dystopian, visceral and cruel without clear boundaries and without explanations, it raises more questions and is sparing in the answers.

Petros Maliaras

In the leading roles, Petros Maliaras plays the part of the lonely man/ father with devotion, sincere and intuitive he conveys the brutality and cruelty of his character, along with wild tenderness and pain, with all his means of expression - face, kinesiology and voice. He emerges from mud -not water- both man and a force of nature.

We fear him and at the same time we sympathize with him.

Newcomer Panos Lekos, a student of Maliaras in the amateur theater groups of the Municipal Theater of Veria, holds his own, an equal at the side of his teacher, attributing the fragile, innocent inquisitive and potentially rebelious Adam with vigor, intensity and restrained passion. 

 There is real chemistry here.

Panos Lekos 

Creator of Adam, George Sefer, proves that maturity often has nothing to do with age.  

In his second short film, he confronts the inhospitable environment of river Aliakmonas and emerges a clear winner, taming both the elements of nature as well as the acting talent of both his teacher and his classmate in the theatrical workshops of Veria, delivering a compelling film, always with the help of his cinematographer, the exceptional Philip Priovolos-Tasikas.

Adam -like Wreathless- springs from the director's unconscious and although seemingly simple in its structure, it is complex and multi-layered in its conception, dealing with father-son relationships, power, violence, manipulation and control, generational conflict, loneliness and raising elementary questions about our place in the natural environment, the universe, human nature itself, and human suffering.

Despite its raw realism, Adam could be seen as a sci-fi film or one of existential quest, and without betraying its end, one of the best episodes of series like Black Mirror or The Twilight Zone.

It is worth noting that in addition to writing and directing, Sefer also participated in the composition of the original soundtrack of the film along with Giacomo Ranocchia, Charikleia Oursouzidou and Eugene Varaklis.

Writer/Director George Sefer

In the words of its director: "Adam" is a film covered in mud, water and tears.

The narrative centers around two characters that develop a doomed father-son relationship, as they try to survive isolated by the river side. Created with incredible love, persistence, and a fundamental respect of irreverence, "Adam" marks our second film production.

The short was set up against all odds, despite the pandemic and the constraints presented by it, as well as all of the difficulties that befall independent productions.

Yet, we are very proud and privileged to present our film, and hope that viewing it might be at least some indication of how much fun our team had creating it.

As a filmmaker, I have always been perplexed by the notion of the choices that we have, and our inability to properly tackle them.

What if somebody wants to be a father, but is not able to? 

What if someone grows up in special circumstances and is not aware of it? 

All this and more created our "Adam".

Adam has already been honoured with awards at international and domestic film festivals, including the one for best Greek short film at the 2021 Thessaloniki Free Short Festival.

 You can now watch Adam here     

              You can find the Greek version of my review HERE

Wreathless

Read about and watch George Sefer's strangely funny,

 crude, poetic and surreal awarded short film.

From 'Belladonna Pictures'

 

Wreathless

 

Short film/Greece

2020/8' 26''

Leonard (George Sefer) is in a void with a radio and a worn out photo. He 's been there for such a long time, he now seems to belong there, young and old at the same time.

His monotonοus routine is interrupted by 'visitors' who suddenly appear surprised, ignorant and terrified.

Leonard does not welcome them nor does he confort  them, he taunts and abuses them and as soon as he gets bored, he 'helps' them get through to the darkness. First he removes from them something of their own. What they consider valuable becomes his trophy.

When an old woman appears, Leonard seems to react differently. Her engagement ring reminds him of something. The woman is strangely familiar. Unable to remember, Leonard leads her into the darkness.

Confused, Leonard looks first at the ring and then at his photograph.

It is a picture of a young couple.

In it, Leonard smiles at his beloved, who seems strangely familiar to us.

Alone in the void, Leonard is still waiting for her.

This story is told by the 8-minute short film 'Wreathless, now available for streaming on Belladonna Pictures on Youtube

What makes this strangely funny, crude, poetic and surreal film really admirable, is that it marks the first cinematic attempt of the then high school student (!) and now film student, George Sefer, from Veria Greece, who wrote the script, played the leading role and directed it with the help of a group of young filmmakers, he co-founded, under the name 'Belladonna Pictures'.

In the leading role, Sefer -reminiscent of Jared Leto's Joker in 'Suicide Squad', is intense, evocative, truly fearless showing real acting skills. This is not by chance, since from a very young age he' s been participating in amateur theater groups of the Municipal Theater of Veria under the guidance of the charismatic teacher and mainly responsible for the theatrical revival of Veria, Petros Maliaras.

Sefer in his directorial debut serves the story in an exemplary manner, showing maturity, knowledge of technique -guiding actors, camera movement, lighting, editing- and in collaboration with young cinematographer Philip Priovolos-Tasikas.

Special mention to the original music of Sammy Copley

George Sefer

Having already won 2 awards (Best High School Film Award at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival and Best Youth Film Award 18-20, Camera Zizanio-Olympia Festival) and with 10 official selections in international film festivals under his belt, the future for the young filmmaker and the team that surrounds him, looks extremely promising.

You can watch Wreathless here:

George Sefer and the Belladonna Pictures team have released the trailer for their second, more ambitious short film entitled ADAM, starring Petros Maliaras and Panos Lekos, which you can watch right here:

You can find the Greek version of my review HERE

Into the Wild : A love confession to my favourite film

Back to the Top

Documentary

2018/96min

Creece

In 2008,  23-year-old Leonidas climbed on the top of Mount Olympus for the first time.

On his return to Athens, a motorcycle accident nearly cost him his life, putting him in a wheelchair.

Ten years later, he attempts to go back to the top and his friends will make sure he makes it.

What if none of them has ever climbed on a mountain before?

A feel-good hymn to the power of will, friendship and ... punk rock.

Reasons to see this movie: The protagonist. The tenacious, stubborn, romantic, punk rocker Leonidas.

The camera follows him as he unhesitatingly wheels himself in the chaotic traffic-jammed center of Athens, or as he gets ready for his mountain climbing expedition, on Mt. Chortiatis and continues to follow him on his crazy adventure on the rough steep paths of Olympus.

Leonidas is a visionary. He is the captain.

He is accompanied by a team of dedicated and just as mad allies, the unlikely crew of a pirate ship, rallying around him, with the sole purpose of getting him to the top and shooting a film while doing it.

On the occasion of the 'Back to the Top' premiere - with two sold out screenings-  at this year's 20th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, in which the film won two awards (the ERT Award and the Audience Award), I had the pleasure of talking with its director Stratis Chatzielenoudas.

The 'Back to the Top' director Sratis Chatzielenoudas

'Back to the Top' was undoubtedly inspired by the story of its protagonist, Leonidas. Did you already know Leonidas?

No, I did not know Leonidas. I used to come across  him in punk concerts and events and Ι was always impressed by him, without us being personally acquainted. It was awe-inspiring to watch him pogo dancing  at 3 a.m. for two or three consecutive nights.

When we finally met due to the documentary, it was not difficult for us to bond since we both have the same age, the same origins, we hear the same music and we are part of a common political-musical circle of people.

Who had the idea to tell Leonidas' story? Why was it important for you to tell it?

What made me want to tell his story was that when I first visited him at his home, he was sitting in a regular chair with his wheelchair being outside my field of vision. 

After spending a short time with Leonidas, Ι was swept away by the energy and the power he possessed. He looked as if he could get up from his chair at any given moment.

As Leonidas says, 'Disability is in the mind'.

Leonidas had visited Mount Olympus and Enipeas Gorge for the holidays. 

In the summer of 2008 and after Leonidas had climbed to the top of Mount Olympus, at 2.917 meters, on the way back to his home in Athens, he was involved in a traffic accident that nearly cost him his life.

From the first few weeks in the hospital, he expressed his complaint that he would not be able to go back to Mount Olympus again, but he somehow never lost his faith and that was something he had been discussing with his friends in the recent years.

A few years later Leonidas' friend, film producer Ioanna Petinaraki, had the idea to help ​​Leonidas  make his dream come true and film it in a documentary.

I personally considered it a very difficult venture. 

However Leonidas' contagious enthusiasm changed my mind.

I am quite grumpy man and Leonidas has made me realize just how important it is to appreciate and enjoy every minute one spends in this life.

When did you begin shooting the film? Under what circumstances? How hard was your journey to the top.

It took us 3.5 years to complete the film. It was a very difficult task in terms of production and filming.

In the beginning, there was a number of punk live concerts  organized in Athens and Thessaloniki, as well as an online funding campaign so that we could cover some basic costs, such as the trips to Thessaloniki and Mount Olympus.

Leonidas lives in Athens, but he often travels to Thessaloniki as he has many friends there, but also to visit the mountain shelter of Chortiatis, which is managed by Giorgos Bairaktaris, the co-star of Leonidas in the film.

Giorgos is an experienced mountaineer and rescuer. 

He also organizes mountain and sea activities for people with disabilities. 

Meeting him was quite accidental and I think that if it wasn't for Giorgos, we would not have accomplished anything.

He was the man who selflessly offered to equip our team, even invent the special equipment for Leonidas and train him and he also took upon him to plan how the whole team would manage to climb the mountain in safety. 

 

Don't forget that the only ones who had ever climbed on the peaks of Olympus were Leonidas and Giorgos. All of our friends and the film crew had never attempted to climb to such altitudes.

How did we manage to do it? I still have no idea.

I will repeat what Leonidas said when he was asked that question: 'When I was climbing, I would not look at the top. I would only look at the rock in front of me'.

The film is filled with a sense of community, comradeship and friendship, be it a group of friends, a rock band or a film crew. How important is friendship for Leonidas and for you?

Friendship and companionship and that we all together can achieve things, all these were the ideas I wanted to convey through the film.

In addition to the dynamic personality of Leonidas, the circle of people around him made a huge impact on me.

They are truly connected to each other and they care a lot about Leonidas and he cares for them.

The idea of friendship and solidarity is the protagonist of the film, and Leonidas is its flag, the man who never gives up. 

How important is the music for this film?

The original music for the film was written by punk rock veterans Vodka Juniors. We had a creative collaboration and they supported us throughout the production process.

Listen to the original theme here:

What are the plans for the film? When are we going to see it?

It is coming soon to the cinemas. I believe in the next two months. 

We are currently working together with the 'Neaniko Plano' (Youth Plan) organization to subtitle the film  for people with disabilities.

Tell me a few words about you. How difficult is it to make films in Greece today? 

Have you already thought about your next movie?

I live and work in Athens. A city I love to hate and to use it in my movies. It's hard to make films in Greece. Everything takes more time because bureaucracy hinders the funding.

On the other hand, people of my generation need to express themselves, and everyday I discover new and interesting projects running on low budget or no budget at all!

I am currently in the final draft of my screenplay for my first feature. It's a black street comedy and I' m working on the script with co-writer Takis Papanastasiou and producer Ioanna Petinaraki of Moving Rooster Productions.

I am also in the process of researching a feature documentary, but as it is at an early stage, I would not like to reveal much about it.

What have you personally gained / learned from this experience?

I made a lot of friends , I learned that I have to stop nagging so much and that punks can do anything!

That's all Stratis. 

Thank you so much for this conversation.

After its screening - in collaboration with CineDoc, at the Athens International Film Festival and at the Volos and Amaliada Festivals, 'Back to the Top' continues its journey to the Tirana, Chalkida and Ierapetra Festivals and will be heading to the Berlin International Film Festival, where it will get  distribution for the theaters in Spring.

For more information on scheduled screenings, 

visit the official Back to the Top page on Facebook

You can find the Greek version of my review here:

    Back to the Top / Επιστροφή στην Κορυφή

Into the Wild : A love confession to my favorite film

Killing Eve : The new era of TV is female

tv series

2018/season 1

BBCAmerica

Listen here, while reading

Eve Polastri a restless, witty and ingenious agent of the British secret services feels suffocated by the boring office assignments the Service entrusts her with.

To keep herself entertained she employs her oppressed talents, enters the MI5 and Interpol databases, studies every exciting and bizarre case of international crime, gets excited over the profiles of the most infamous serial killers, and shapes inspirational and comprehensive conspiracy theories.

Her unsatisfied professional aspirations do not prevent her from leading a happy personal life next to her adorable Polish husband, Niko (he has an excellent mustache).

Villanelle is charismatic, charming and fashionable.
She is also a mentally disturbed professional assassin in the service of obscure dark interests.

In a job preconditioned  to go unnoticed, Villanelle is struggling to be recognized for her many gifts, which is why she starts adding her unique touch to her every perfect kill.

Her need to impress not only will displease her bosses but will also arouse Eve's interest, who will soon be fascinated by her special skills.

Very soon the two women will engage in a cat-mouse hunt across the European continent, in alternating roles and with collateral losses.

Based on Luke Jennings's collection of short stories entitled "Codename Villanelle", Killing Eve is not just another cosmopolitan spy thriller with references to the James Bond or the Nikita series, mainly due to the screenplay, as its producers had the insight and audacity to choose the creator of the noteworthy Rabelaisian and somewhat anarchistic comedy series 'Fleabag', Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge: 'I have an appetite for transgressive women'

The combination of Waller-Bridge’s realistic-sarcastic writing and the choice of the two protagonists is killing it - both metaphorically and literally.

In the role of Eve we find Dr. Cristina Yang a.k.a. Korean originated Canadian actress, Sandra Oh.

The Doctor has left the hospital but didn’t forget to pack the lancets.

When Oh was given the screenplay, she did not think she would be offered the lead in a prime-time dramatic BBC series, fortunately - for her and for us - her assumption was in the wrong, making her the first actor of Asian origin to land such a role.

Her Eve radiates warmth, humor and humanity and we love her from the start. Her presence contrasts with the grey technocratic and competitive environment of the British Secret Services.

Moreover she contrasts with Villanelle.

Villanelle is portrayed by British newcomer Jodie Comer, who captures her playful artistic mood as well as her overt insanity and yes we also like her.

She also frightening. To the death.

When she shows up, our instinct of preservation takes over. Nature does know best.

The chemistry between the two women compares to that between Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling, adding the element of a not so subtle sexual tension with a heavy dosage of mutual obsession. A cocktail of doom.

Obsession is a key word for the show, dominating Eve's quest, and ultimately aimed at Villanelle who reciprocates.

The initially competitive, violent, erotic and dangerous relationship that develops between the two heroes, quickly evolves and unexpectedly changes at the end, without help from anticipated reversals.

Special mention to the particular and very inspired soundtrack of the series. 
Composer and music producer David Holmes collabored with Unloved, writing original material or borrowing songs by unlikely artists such as Serge Gainsbourg, Cigarettes After Sex, Julia Michaels and The Pshycotic Beats to accompany each scene and character in style.

Away from clichés and stereotypes, modern, fresh and surprising, dark but still comedic, absolutely feministic and totally unclassified, prepare to love Killing Eve to obsession.

The 4th and final season of Killing Eve premieres February 27th on BBCA and AMC+

You can find the greek version of my review HERE

ORPHAN BLACK

Drive: Pure Perfection