Outdoor screening of films by Stavrakos Film School graduates
Three short films from the school's archive
UMMI, Nikos Avgoustidis, 15 min., 2016
Mohamed, a six-year-old refugee, finds himself alone on a crowded Aegean beach. He is hiding behind a rock, watching tourists bathing and waiting for his mother to come back. He lost her in the sea and now he needs to find her again, in order to continue on the great trip to the West.
Vandals' Era, Thanasis Trouboukis, 13 min., 2015
Vandals' Era is a short film about the vandalism of historical statues at the center of Athens.
Sunflower Seeds, Antonis Tolakis, 32 min., 2013
A group of children surviving on the streets of Athens. Among them is Sayid, a twelve-year-old boy, who works all day selling sunflower seeds in the city’s suburban parks. His existence borders on absolute poverty, as he prowls for food from philanthropic organizations. His daily routine in the chaotic capitol of Greece is a continuous struggle for survival. At the same time, however, he manages to find and enjoy the freedom the city streets can offer. Sayid, along with his friends who are all immigrants from Afghanistan, escape their desperation by clinging to their hopes. He plays innocent childhood games with then and dreams of a better future: He wants to leave for northern Europe, to go to school, and to have a decent job when he grows up. But how fast does a child grow? Sayid is trapped in Greece, a country plagued by a financial crisis, increasing unemployment, rampant xenophobia, and racist violence. Sayid states clearly, “I’ve been here about two years, and it feels like twenty have passed.”