Short Films

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No More Flowers

ANIMAL
ANIMAL

• Director: Sofia Exarchou
• GREECE, AUSTRIA, ROMANIA, BULGARIA / 2023 / DCP / Colour / 117’ / Greek, English, German; Turkish, English s.t.

• Screenplay: Sofia Exarchou
• Director of Photography: Monika Lenczewska
• Editing: Dragos Apetri
• Music: Wolfgang Frisch
• Cast: Dimitra Vlagopoulou, Flomaria Papadaki, Ahilleas Hariskos, Voodoo Jürgens, Chronis Barbarian, Ilias Chatzigeorgiou, Danai Petropoulea, Kristof
• Producer: Maria Drandaki, Maria Kontogianni
• Production Co.: Homemade Films
• World Sales: Shellac

2023 Locarno Best Performance
2023 Vancouver Vanguard Award
2023 Thessaloniki Best Film, Best Actress
2023 Valladolid Special Mention

Under the hot Greek sun, the animateurs at an all-inclusive island resort prepare for the busy tourist season. Kalia is the leader of the pack. Paper decors, glossy costumes, and dance shows fill the stage. As summer intensifies and the work pressure builds up, their nights become violent, and Kalia’s struggle is revealed in the darkness. But, when the spotlights turn on again, the show must go on. The crew is once again all-smiling, all-singing, all-laughing. The performance of Dimitra Vlagopoulou, who has a serious dance background performance, as Kalia, who keeps no boundaries between her job and her life, brought her awards at several film festivals. ‘For me, Animal is an allegory for any kind of labour and work,’ says Sofia Exarchou, ‘the real antagonist in the film is the socio-economical system itself, a huge faceless entity.’

This film was a Meetings on the Bridge participant.