A: A journey from Mussolini to 90s
Duce narrates, Σταμάτης Πολενάκης (Ελλάδα,1945), 6’ 48’’
This film is an antifascist satire. Musolini tries to cover up with lies his defeat in the Greek front. Resourcefulness and audacity exemplified by the director characterize this first, heroic Greek attempt in the world of animation.
Shhhh, Θόδωρος Μαραγκός (Ελλάδα, 1971), 5’ 52’’
This film conveys hidden messages of satire (the inauguration of big constructions), a risky attempt to have been completed during the Greek military junta [1967-74]. Its general command “Shhhh” means “let sleeping dogs lie”.
The line, Γιάννης Κουτσούρης, Νάσος Μυρμηρίδης (Ελλάδα, 1973) 3’ 00’’
Everyday people move on a straight line, guided by gigantic fingers and having fingerprint bodies. Whoever tries to get out of the line gets crashed and disappears.
Walk, Στράτος Στασινός (Ελλάδα, 1979) 4’ 46’’
A lonely man is suffocating as he walks around the streets of a big and impersonal city, which seems to him completely deserted.
The hole, Ιορδάνης Ανανιάδης (Ελλάδα,1983) 7’00’’
A satire of Greek social reality: the leading character dares to step out of the security of his hole, the underground home where he lives in a secluded state. What he faces in the outside world makes him go back to his hole -and hide even deeper than ever before.
Cosmos, Δημήτρης Καραθανάσης (Ελλάδα,1987) 5’ 10’’
Cicada and Ant, Αλέκος Παπαδάτος (Ελλάδα,1988) 3’ 11’’
An amusing variation of the famous Aesop’s fable.
Scent of City (Odeur de ville), Γιώργος Σηφιανός (Ελλάδα,1994) 8’ 13’’
A young woman lives in a small attic within a big city, having her cat as her sole companion. While both live in adverse conditions, the woman progressively develops feelings of dependence, oppression and identification with her cat. As it goes, the only escape still left to her is that of her imagination or even revolt…
35 Χ 50, Σπύρος Ρασιδάκης (Ελλάδα,1997) 4’ 05’’
Three designing tools as leading characters: a pencil, a rubber and a sharpener. The three of them are having fun on a “paper floor” of 35X50cm, until a bad-tempered black marker appears only to ruin their moment of fun.
Β. Our decade
Deconstruction, Σπύρος Πανταζής (Ελλάδα,2011) 5’ 00’’
Spiros Pantazis, a fan of science- fiction films, creates a special atmosphere in his film Deconstruction (5min, colour), which is also his final degree project for T.E.I of Athens (Technological Educational Institute of Athens). “A man, living for years in a planet by himself, is ready to commit suicide. Something unexpected takes place outside his spaceship, turning things upside down.” Well- designed characters and locations in a film that suggests a modern use of 2D animation in Greece.
Why can’t you just see me?, Ελένη Τωμαδάκη (Ελλάδα,2012) 2’ 42’’
ΜA very interesting student film, Eleni Tomadaki’s Why can’t you just see me? (2.42min, colour) uses a stop-motion drawing technique on glass. It manages to describe the tragedy and loneliness of human relations, “the continuous effort of finding the best possible way to express ourselves in order to be comprehensible to others”.
Apodemy, Κατερίνα Αθανασοπούλου (Ελλάδα,2012) 5’ 03’’
The film uses the term Apodemy (Migration) referring to immigration, confinement and stagnation of a force that leads to motion, creation and to migration as a salvation but not as an escape. This film took the Lumen 2013 award, one of the highest international distinctions in the world of digital arts.
Man in a Box, Ηλίας Παπασταματίου (Ελλάδα,2012) 4’ 36’’
A figure appears from a piece of clay, but getting out of it seems impossible. Desperately, it searches different ways to separate itself from the piece of clay where is stuck. Freedom is near…
Knight, Θανάσης Ράδολγου (Ελλάδα,2013) 4’ 43’’
In this film of Thanassis Radoglou, a wooden night decides to renounce the familiar squares of the chess set and find out what lies beyond it. He ends up on the floor, where he has the opportunity of making new friends. They will help him find his way back to his familiar places. This first small taste of freedom, far away from the predetermined moves of the chessboard, will make him rethink how he wants his life to be from now on.
Head Hunter Christos Papandreopoulos (Ελλάδα,2013) 2’ 00’’
A hard working employee finds out that his lazy colleague earns a higher salary than he does and he decides to do something about it.
My Stuffed Granny, Έφη Παππά (Ελλάδα,2014) 10’ 00’’
Effie Pappa’s film “My stuffed granny” focuses on the relationship of a granddaughter with her grandmother and takes an optimistic look on today’s social crisis: a little girl tries to grow little seeds from food leftovers in order to feed her whole family.
Dinner For Few, Νάσος Βακάλης (Ελλάδα,2014) 10’ 00’’
A ten minute sociopolitical allegory animation that depicts the effort of people to survive in a hierarchically organized society. During the Dinner, the system works as a well-oiled machine. It feeds constantly those that stupidly consume all the resources, while others hardly manage to gather whatever falls off the table. Inevitably, when resources run out, everything leads to a violent and destructive solution. Unfortunately, the result of this radical and deep change proves not to be a sign of hope, but the identical image of its creator.
Portrait, Αριστοτέλης Μαραγκός (Ελλάδα,2014) 2’ 00’’
Using a moving line, the director looks into the life and death of his grandfather.