“No Walls – More Horny”

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On the Festival of Greek cinema in Berlin, the country presents itself: thematically, the arc of the Nazi occupation stretches up to the football team of the unemployed.

You want to get an impression about the current movies of the Greek Directors, Hellas Filmbox Berlin is the right address. It is probably the most important Festival of the Greek cinema abroad. Since 2015 it will be held annually in January. This time it shows productions of established filmmakers and newcomers, feature films and documentaries. 30. The year of the fall of the Berlin wall the Motto “No Walls – More Horny”.

Tear down walls, which was also the original motivation of a group of movie-goers, the Greeks and the Germans in Berlin, in order to call this project. In the Wake of the financial crisis in Greece, there was substantial tensions in the German-Greek relationship, stereotypes and prejudices. “We wanted to do something about it, help the people of both countries closer,” said the Initiator of Hellas Filmbox, Asteris Koutoulas.

The German occupation of Greece in Film

Contributed to the tensions between the two countries, the discussion on the German occupation of Greece and Greek demands for reparations and compensation. Two films of this year’s festival act of the German occupation. In both uninvolved be in retaliation for the death of German Military personnel shot.

Pantelis Voulgaris (left), Director of the film “The last note”, Chrysanthos Konstantinidis (center), Director of the documentary film “The Balcony – Memories of Occupation”, and Ioanna Karystiani (on the right), screenwriter of “The last note”

In his feature film “The last note” shows, the old master of Greek cinema, Pantelis Voulgaris, the last days of political prisoners in the concentration camp of Chaidari in Athens. 200 of them to as so-called punishment measure for the killing of four German soldiers at 1. May 1944 be executed. Beyond the cliché, and very multi-faceted Voulgaris manages to atmospheric density. Very strong, the scenes on the last night of the prisoners before their execution. Up in the dawn of their death, they dance and sing in a kind of mystical Ritual. Outstanding in the role of the KZ-commander, German actor André Hennicke.

“It’s about dealing with the past”

Of course, he wanted to remind of the Murdered, but not only, said Pantelis Voulgaris after the screening of the film to the audience. He can see his Film as a contribution against the rise of right-wing extremism in Europe. His ideology will lead to nationalism and war, explained the Director in the presence of the former German Federal President, Joachim Gauck. He appears in the second Film about the German occupation of Greece.

The documentary film, “The Balcony – Memories of Occupation,” by Chrysanthos Konstantinidis. The Director can be members of the 83 people in the village Lyngiades to get a word in, the on 3. October 1943 by Wehrmacht troops as a retaliation shot for a German officer, stabbed or burned. It is almost exclusively babies, children, women and old people. “They came in the afternoon,” says a villager, “and when you left in the evening, we had no more children.”

2014 Joachim Gauck has visited this village in North-West Greece, and for forgiveness for German crimes in Greece, asked. Some of the villagers have the excuse of others not accepted. He did not want to accuse with his Film, the Director said in Berlin, coming from Lyngiades. To him it was a matter of dealing with the past. Interestingly, the Film with funds from the German-Greek future was financed Fund of the Federal foreign office. It mainly supports projects, which deal with the German occupation of Greece.

From Rio to Cairo, and in the depth of the sea

The 35-year-old Konstantinidis belongs to the new Generation of Greek filmmakers who were shooting during the economic crisis, your first strip. The filmmakers adhere more closely to international film trends, hot topics and local efforts, in the absence of foreign sources of Finance. The best known representative of this new Greek cinema of the award-winning Director Yorgos Lanthimos. His latest Film “The Favourite” is nominated for five Golden Globes. And just as Lanthimos more and more Greek cash turn your abroad.

Two documentalists on the Hellas Filmbox Berlin act of Rio de Janeiro. In the essay “Obscuro Barroco” appears Evangelia Kranioti into the night Rios live, and “Happy Princess” observed Panos Deligiannis in one of the Favelas of the city’s children between their hard everyday life in a theatre play.

Marina Gioti shows in “Invisible Hands” of Cairo during the Arab refugees and Stratos Tzitzis is in “Night Out” in Berlin’s sex Club “KitKat” on-the-go. Lefteris Charitos was under water in the seas off Japan, North America, Europe and India. In his documentary film, “Dolphin Man” he dove with Jacques Mayol, the protagonist of Luc Besson’s “The Big Blue”. Menelaus Karamaghiolis follows in his documentary film, “Kick Out Poverty” of the Greek national football team of homeless people to Poland to an international tournament.