Evia Film Project 3rd Edition: Focus on Water

From 2 to 6 July, the Greek island of Evia will host the Evia Film Project for the third time. This eagerly awaited summer gathering of audiences, filmmakers, students and critics will once again include screenings, masterclasses, actions aimed at film industry professionals, workshops for children and students, as well as special musical events. The 3rd Evia Film Project will be held in the towns of Agia Anna, Edipsos and Limni, with free admission to all organised events. The leitmotif of the 2024 edition will be the axis between films and activities and it is none other than water: the sea, rain, all water resources, and their indispensable relationship with human life throughout history.

The Movies

The Odissey (L’Odysée, Jérôme Salle, 2016) France-Belgium 122′

We are in the summer of 1946, when the Cousteau family —Jacques, his wife Simone and their two children Philippe and Jean-Michel— live in their beautiful house by the Mediterranean. By day, they dive; by night, they stargaze. This place is paradise on earth, yet Jacques is dissatisfied, craves adventure, and has real faith in the virtues of progress. With his invention, the aqualung, his newly acquired boat “Calypso” and a crew of free-spirited adventurers he is ready to cross the world’s oceans.

Ten years later, when Philippe returns from the boarding school to which he was sent with his brother, he finds his father much changed. Jacques Cousteau is an international celebrity with megalomaniac dreams of grafting gills onto humans and creating underwater cities. Jacques can’t see it yet, but Philippe understands that progress and pollution have begun to ravage the underwater world. Despite their mutual love and admiration, violent conflict between these two passionate men is inevitable. But on their greatest adventure together aboard the Calypso in the Antarctic, they will find each other… before tragedy strikes. The Odissey stars Lambert Wilson, Pierre Niney and Audrey Tautou.

Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975) EEUU, 124΄

The film, or rather the phenomenon, that launched Steven Spielberg‘s career will be screened at midnight at the Apollon open-air cinema in Edipsos. Jaws was the highest grossing film in cinema history at the time of its release, proving that blockbusters and summer are a must-see duo. A bloodthirsty shark wreaks havoc in a tourist town at the height of the high season. The local sheriff, a marine biologist and a veteran shark hunter go on the hunt for the beast in what can be considered an aquatic western of impeccable tension and climax (thanks to John Williams‘ legendary theme song and the shark’s impressive underwater POV), which serves as both symbol and allegory. Jaws, a film of infinite sequels, delves into the guilt and unresolved historical traumas of an entire country, while challenging us to look head-on at the most ruthless monster: the one that lurks within us, triggering our most basic responses.

The Host (Gwoemul, Bong Joon-ho, 2006) South Corea, 119΄

The Han River still flows through the centre of the capital, Seoul. But one day in the year 2000… through an “unfortunate incident”, a creature of a dark nature is conceived in the waters. As it slowly begins to grow in the depths of the river, the people do not perceive the signs of impending disaster in their personal lives. Then, one day in 2005, before countless citizens strolling and enjoying the weekend on the banks of the Han River, the creature reveals itself in an eerie display of horror. One of Bong Joon-ho’s first gems, long before he conquered Hollywood with his Oscar-winning Parasite.

Burning Days (Kurak Günler, Emin Alper, 2022) Turkey-France-Germany-Netherlands-Greece-Croatia, 130′.

This film, which participated in the Un certain regard section of the Cannes Film Festival two years ago, combines the iconography of westerns and neo-noir with poignant social criticism. In Burning Days, Emre, a young and dedicated prosecutor, is newly appointed in a small town plagued by a water crisis and political scandals. After an initial welcome, he experiences an increasing number of tense interactions and is reluctantly drawn into local politics. When Emre establishes a bond with the owner of the local newspaper, the pressure builds amid heated rumours. Explosive from its opening scene, when a gaping hole in the floor leads into a universe of violence and blood, and engrossing until the end credits, this intense allegory about homosociality and power invents a new language to expose the intricacies of a male-dominated society, and to speak to its inner conflict.

The Weight of Water (Kathryn Bigelow, 2000) USA-Canada-France, 114΄

Approaching melodrama with the same deconstructive impulse that Bigelow often applies to action genres, The Weight of Water tells two parallel stories a century apart: one of sexual tension, jealousy and rancour that poisons two couples in the present day; and another of the period, depicting a double murder driven by the same emotions. Bigelow characteristically accentuates the ambivalences inherent in the genre, mounting the psychosexual tension between affection and rivalry, identification and competition traditional to melodrama, with the difference of focusing on women, rather than men. The Weight of Water, one of the most intricate and ambitious films by the director of The Hurt Locker (2008), adds a more metaphysical dimension to the vein of dark fatalism that runs throughout her work, using water to evoke a constant sense of unsettling flux.

Finding Dory (Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane, 2016) USA 97΄

From the Oscar-winning creators of Finding Nemo comes this epic underwater adventure full of imagination, humour and heart. When Dory, the forgetful blue shark, suddenly remembers that she has a family who may be looking for her, she, Marlin and Nemo embark on a life-changing quest… They are aided by Hank, a cantankerous octopus; Bailey, a beluga whale convinced that her biological sonar doesn’t work; and Destiny, a short-sighted whale shark. The little ones will have the most fun in Evia with this film full of unforgettable characters and dazzling animation.

Above water (Marcher sur l’eau, Aïssa Maïga, 2021) Nigeria-France-Belgium, 89΄

Shortlisted for the Golden Eye Award at the Cannes Film Festival, this film by actress and director Aïssa Maïga immerses us in the life of a small village in Niger, one of the sub-Saharan countries most affected by global warming. Against the backdrop of mesmerising desert landscapes and a vibrant soundtrack, the documentary paints a visceral portrait of survival in this drought-stricken expanse of dry sand. Maïga shows us how, day after day, women and children walk for miles under the scorching sun to fetch water from a distant well. Children are often unable to go to school and mothers are forced to leave the country for months at a time to earn enough money to feed their families. So young people, like Houlaye, the 14-year-old protagonist, must look after the younger ones. Yet beneath their feet lies a vast lake of groundwater that has the potential to radically transform their lives, but it is not up to them to get it.

Twice Colonized  (Lin Alluna, 2023) Denmark-Greenland-Canada, 92΄

From the other side of the world comes Danish director Lin Alluna’s film about Aaju Peter, a renowned Inuit lawyer who has spent a lifetime fighting for the rights of her people. When her son dies suddenly, Aaju sets out on a journey to reclaim her language and culture after a lifetime of forced assimilation and whitewashing. But is it possible to change the world and heal one’s wounds at the same time?

Winona (The Boy-Alexandros Voulgaris, 2019) Greece, 88′

Alexandros Voulgaris, also actor, and composer and director, directs Anthi Efstratiadou, Sofia Kokkali, Iro Bezou and Daphné Patakia in an everyday story, which is apparently an ordinary excursion to a beautiful beach: Four women (none of whom is Winona) enjoy the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the sea, but a secret lurks behind their games. The film was shot on Kodak 16mm on a beach on the island of Andros in May 2018. Winona won the Best Editing Award and Best Original Music Award at the Hellenic Film Academy’s 2020 Iris Awards.

Underwonder (4th episode) (Kostas Karydas, 2024) Greece, 49′

Another Greek production to be enjoyed at the 3rd edition of the Evia Film Project is this fascinating journey, which begins when “Underwonder” explores the inaccessible underwater caves of Greece. In the Elephant Cave of Crete, a team of experienced cave divers unearth the bones of a unique elephant species, bringing to light images and stories hidden beneath the sea surface. A 3D re-enactment transports the audience back in time, giving them a glimpse of the island’s past, enhanced by the wildlife. An unexpected underwater adventure, directed by Kostas Karydas and produced by COSMOTE TV. The mission is accomplished and the team returns to the lake of Vouliagmeni, where a new and unexpected discovery awaits them.

Heatwave (Fokion Xenos, 2019) United Kingdom-Greece, 7′

This short film is one of the seven Greek productions selected this year. In the midst of a wave of madness and heat, two children find a way to cool everyone down. The film interweaves traditional animation techniques and digital special effects, and has won a dozen awards at festivals around the world. It made the shortlist for the BAFTA Awards and won, among many others, the Best Animated Short Film Award at the Hellenic Film Academy’s 2019 Iris Awards.

Nothing Holier than a Dolphin (Isabella Margara, 2022) Greece, 17′

In the film two fishermen find a dolphin accidentally caught in their nets. The dolphin, in turn, finds a fisherman drowning in the water and tries to save him. In this small Mediterranean village, an ancient myth unexpectedly comes to life. The film won the Audience Award in the International Competition section of the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival 2023.

On Xerxes’ Throne (Evi Kalogiropoulou, 2022) Greece 16′

A dystopian workplace in the Perama shipyards. An ancient ban on physical contact has turned human interactions into otherworldly simulations. The suppression of touch between workers has alienated their communication, transforming the shipyard into a landscape charged with alienation and repressed sensuality, beyond stereotypical heteronormative desires. The film received the Canal+ Award at the Cannes Film Festival 2022.

Postcards from the End of the World (Konstantinos Antonopoulos, 2019) Greece, 23′

Trapped on their dysfunctional family holiday, Dimitra, Dimitris and their two daughters will have to find a way off an isolated island in the Mediterranean, when they face the unexpected end of the world. Awarded Best Short Film at the Hellenic Film Academy’s Iris Awards 2020.

Is There Life After the Fire? Greece, 2022, 12΄

In August 2021, more than 500,000 acres of forest were burned by forest fires. In the summer of 2022, the PPC, appointed as contractor for the reconstruction plan and having taken over the planning and carrying out of flood control and anti-corrosion works in the Limni region, undertook a fact-finding and reporting tour of the area. Permanent residents and professionals recount the dramatic events of 2021 as they experienced them and discuss what the future will bring for their homeland.