LISTEN TO ME (2022, 108′) by Maria Duza
Best Film Award | Dhaka International Festivalin Bangladesh
Orpheus Award for Best Film | Los Angeles Greek Festival (LAGGF).
Best Performance Award for Ethalia Papakosta | Los Angeles Greek Festival (LAGGF).
After a long run at festivals abroad and its sale in Britain and Latin America the film LISTEN TO ME is presented in Chios at the Homeri Spiritual Center on Saturday, April 27 in two screenings (18:00 and 20:30) in the presence of the director.
SUMMARY
When the deaf teenager Valmira (EFTHALIA PAPAKOSTA) comes to live on her father’s (GIORGOS PYRPASSOPOULOS) island far from the special School for the Deaf in Athens, she faces the possibility of indifference and exclusion. Aris (DIMITRIS KITSOS), a boy from Bulgaria who is bullied at school, offers to be her friend and ally, but his status as “other” makes him an unwanted company for her. Instead, he makes up with the xenophobic Mario (NIKOS KOUKAS), hurting Aris and sparking conflict between the boys. When a twist of fate changes everything, Valmira will be forced to finally listen – not necessarily with her ears – to others as well as herself.
The main theme of the film is communication as a condition for understanding and accepting the other, as a condition for coexistence. Through this basic theme, the film touches on issues of school bullying, racism, isolation born from our inability to communicate with others.
Set on a winter island – by definition a metaphor for isolation and the need to communicate – the film follows the suffering and adventures of people – young and old – who struggle to understand and accept each other. It thus becomes a reflection on the exclusion born of our weakness, fear and resistance to communicate with others. Valmyra’s deafness functions as a metaphor for both our need to hear and our choice not to, our desire to be understood but unwillingness to understand. Selfishness can take many forms. The antidote to this is the compassion and kindness that define our humanity.
Written and directed by Maria Douza and produced by Michalis Sarantinou LISTEN TO ME was carried out as a Greek-Bulgarian co-production (Steficon, Greece – Ars Digital, Bulgaria) with the support of EKK, ERT, EKOME, Bulgarian Film Fund, Europe Creative Media, as well as North Aegean Regionof Municipality of Chios and her Mediterranean.
They play: Ethalia Papakosta, Dimitris Kitsos, George Pyrpasopoulos, Nikos Koukas, Yoana Bukovska-Davidova, Evangelia Andreadaki.
The film was shot entirely in Chios, in the winter of 2022, amid the difficult conditions of the pandemic and would never have been made without the generous support of local bodies of the island, cultural clubs and communities, as well as a multitude of talented Chiots who participated in the production, theater and film professionals, wonderful amateur actors, teachers, dance teachers, musicians, etc.
For example, let’s mention the Ephorate of Byzantine Antiquities, the Homeric Spiritual Center, the Communities of Kalamoti, Armolia, Mesto, the Fire Department of Chios, the Port Authority of Mesto, the Kalamotis Mastic Producers Cooperative and the Kalamotis Primary School, the Cultural Association of Mesto, the Progressive Club of Kalamotis.
The main Cast of the film is surrounded by Konstantinos Argyroudis, Ilias Sgouralis, Charalambos Argyroudis, Diamantis Argyroudis, Nikos Arakas, Christoforos Roussos, Periandros Sarantinidis, Manolis Sideratos, Dimitris Karydas, Michalis Kontos, Anthula Hairopoulou, Marianthi Xyntarianou, Stella Koinousi, Markella Delav eri, Markella Karapiperi, Alexandra Melachrinoudi, Despina Tourlioti , Mary Azapi, Dimitris Bachas, Michalis Kreatsoulas, Markella Georgala, Maria Revelaki, Miltiadis Sarantinidis, Sarandos Kostidis and Thomas Karamouslis.
The creative factors include, among others set designer Olga Leontiadou and costume designer Anna Karamousli and Sarandos Kostidis in teaching and performing traditional dances.
INTERNATIONAL COURSE OF THE FILM
The LISTEN TO ME premiered at the International Competition Section of the Thessaloniki Festival in 2022 and since then traveled to many international film festivals (Tallinn Black Nights, Cairo IFF, Sofia IFF, Galway IFF etc.). At the Dhaka International Film Festival it won the Best Film Award, while at the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival it won the Best Film and Best Performance Awards for the lead actress Ethalia Papakosta. The film represented Greece at the European Union Festivals of Canada and India, but also at the first WoW (Women of the World), an international festival of female creators, held in 2023 at the SNFCC. It was recently bought by the British company Screenbound and at the Berlin Film Festival it secured distribution in Latin America where it will be dubbed into Spanish and Portuguese.
PRODUCTION AND CAST INFORMATION
They play: Ethalia Papakosta, Dimitris Kitsos, George Pyrpasopoulos, Nikos Koukas, Yoana Bukovska-Davidova, Evangelia Andreadaki.
Coefficients: Screenplay-Director: Maria Douza, Producer: Michalis Sarantinos, Co-producer: Ivan Tonev, Production: Steficon, Co-production: Ars Digital, Director of Photography: Zafeiris Epaminondas, Editing: Ioanna Pogiantzi, Sound: Giorgi Filippov, Sets: Olga Leontiadou, Costumes: Angeliki Panagiotou – Anna Karamousli, Makeup: Hara Mavrofridis.
Music & Sound Art was done by Anna Stereopoulou.
THE Maria Duza he is a director and screenwriter. Her first film THE TREE & THE SWING (2013) was screened widely at international festivals, represented Greece at numerous European Union Film Festivals in Asia and America, had distribution in Greece and abroad and recently purchased by NETFLIX. And her new movie LISTEN TO ME (2022) screened at several international festivals garnering awards and accolades and was recently purchased by the British company Screenbound Uk and found distribution in Latin America. Between 2020 – 2023 Maria created (and co-directed with Olivia Tvardowska) the popular history series SMALL LESSONS FOR A BIG WORLD and WITHSTANDING TIME with Maria Efthymiou, for Vouli Television and ERT, while she is in the process of seeking funding for her next film THE END OF THE ROAD.
