NOVEMBER: 10th Athens Avant Garde Film Festival

Between November 22 and 28, Exile Room will be hosting a series of screenings and masterclasses within the context of the 10th Athens Avant Garde Film Festival, organised by the Greek Film Archive from November 20 to December 5, 2019.

Listed below, you can find the screenings that will be taking place at Exile Room. For more information and a full schedule, please visit the festival website here.

Friday, November 22

15:00
■ STUDENT SHORT FILMS
Adrian ist nicht Achill
Direction: Sophia Schiller
Fiction / 2019, Germany, 80’
The portrait of a relationship, between Adrian and the theater-actress Florina, which seems not to be compatible with daily life. Attraction and rejection, desire and contempt lie close together.
Northern malady
Direction: Gerrit Kuge
Experimental / 2019, Germany, 28’
The narrator recalls his last vacation as a couple. Trapped both in a remote place the tension between the two rises and they fall into a helpless silence.

17:00
■ STUDENT SHORT FILMS
Der jährilche anruf
Direction: Nina Eberle
Fiction / 2019, Germany, 12’
The relationship between Sophie and her father has stagnated and they have lost contact. When the father calls her on her birthday, deeper conflicts resonate through the seemingly innocent small-talk.
Out of image
Direction: Jason Stewart
Fiction / 2019, Germany, 7’
At the gallery, a young man stumbles into an intimate experience with an eccentric photographer finding himself on the wrong side in this relationship and behind the delusional scenes of his artistic work.
Threesome
Direction: Boris Creimerman
Fiction / 2019, Germany, 21’
David and his longtime girlfriend Jane have finally found somebody for a threesome. But when fantasy turns to fact they end up discussing their relationship, which is full of disappointment and jealousy.
Humanimals
Direction: Elizabeth Liarakou-Fisher, Yorgos Perrakis, Angeliki Petropoulou
Documentary / 2019, Greece, 14’
It is a video-essay on the power relations between animals and humans. Humanimals revolves around the ways in which we, humans, project our needs, values and culture onto animals.
George Lappas: Happy Birthday
Work Group: Maria Komninou, Ioulia Merminga, Nikos Mirtou
Documentary in progress / 2019, Greece, 7’
A small excerpt from a work in progress about the life and work of the renowned artist George Lappas. Starting point the exhibition, curated by Aphroditi Liti, at the Benaki with the same name, at the Benaki Museum, the first after his demise.
The Cavern
Work Group: Yannis Tananakis, Ioanna Panagopoulou
Documentary / 2019, Greece, 6’
A short ride to a tiny record store with the owner as its hero!

19:00
■ Masterclass João Tabarra

Saturday, November 23

12:00
■ STUDENT SHORT FILMS
Ifigenia – No more tears
Direction: Yorgos Georgakopoulos
Fiction / 2019, Greece, 18’
Ifigeneia visits her future husband’s parents’ house for the first time, for lunch. Instead of dessert, she brings a little girl and makes a good impression to family and friends. However, the unexpected visit of two intolerance auditors makes matters complicated.
Sad girl weekend
Direction: Leda Vargioti, Dimitris Tatareas
Fiction / 2019, Greece, 15’
Three best fiends are spending their last weekend together, since the two of them are leaving to study abroad.
Chimera
Direction: Melina Loukanidou
Fiction / 2019, Greece, 9’
The Creator follows her more mature self, her simulation, in a foggy, illusional walk. Hesitation and cowardice are the reasons her journey remains unfinished. She can sense her escape, she makes it happen, in this unfinished journey, without ever completing it.
Eyes bleeding amber
Direction: Christos Angelis
Fiction / 2019, Greece, 9’
A girl pretends she is doing research so as to meet after many years her mother, who had renounced her.
The boxer
Direction: Arya Saridi
2018, Greece, 15’
Beatbox, dancing with the mouth
Direction: Yorgos Gargalas
2018, Greece, 15’
Old Thessaloniki photographs
Direction: Andreas Agelaridis
2018, Greece, 15’

15:00
■ STUDENT SHORT FILMS
Trial and error
Direction: Marie Falke
Documentary / 2019, Germany, 57’
The film recounts the encounter between an aging cosmopolitan who struggles with death and a film student who is seeking stories, in the inventory of his articles, photographs, love letters and film reels.
Queens of Ksamil
Direction: Sophie Reissfelder
Documentary / 2019, Germany, 41’
Valla is a female mussel-farmer, from the village Ksamil in Southern Albania and Soraldo a young local tourist guide. A film about the contradiction of the upcoming tourism and traditional cultivations.

17:00
■ STUDENT SHORT FILMS
Shapes of ruin
Direction: Klemens Czurda
Documentary / 2019, Greece, 48’
Three buildings in former Yugoslavia star in this story of war, destruction, collective identity and cultural heritage. Examples of the way societies deal with the remnants of an armed conflict.
Louis Café
Direction: Despina Kaloyanni, Dimitris Ekonomou, Arya Saridi
Documentary / 2017, Greece, 9’
Luis. He could be a man. He is a book-hero. It is also a kafenio in the Keramikos area. The recording of the every routine of morning coffee.
Ubuntu
Direction: Fjoralba Koka, Irini Konstanda, Yorgos Pashos
Documentary / 2018, Greece, 13’
Zandile Ngubane is from South Africa. She dances. She dances in the neighborhoods of Athens. The need to communicate is expressed through the experience of dancing, as a collective agent of national and local identities.
Taboo
Direction: Elizabeth Liarakou-Fisher, Vassiliki Boura, Evi Panou, Ioanna Pardalaki
Documentary / 2018, Greece, 13’
Sex-shops in Greece are widely considered shady and vulgar, shops-taboo.. However, the idea that most shop-owners have about their business is quite a different one.

Wednesday, November 27

17:00
■ THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THE FAMILY
Washingtonia
Direction: Konstantina Kotzamani
Experimental documentary / 2014, Greece, 24’
Hector Malot: the last day of the year
Direction: Jacqueline Lentzou
Fiction / 2018, Greece, 24’
Mum, I’m back
Direction: Dimitris Katsimiris
Fiction / 2017, Greece, 5’
Profiterole
Direction: Chrysanthi Karfi-Koi
Fiction / 2017, Greece, 13’
37 days
Direction: Nikoleta Leousi
Fiction / 2018, Greece, 23’
Goldfish
Direction: Yorgos Angelopoulos
Fiction / 2017, Greece, 14’
A strange child
Direction: Marina Danezi
Music video / 2018, Greece, 5’

Thursday, November 28

19:00
■ Masterclass Marie Losier

21:00
■ MARIE LOSIER TRIBUTE
Cassandro, the Exotico!
Documentary / 2018, France, 105’
Director attendance
Ιn the gaudy, flamboyant world of Lucha Libre, Cassandro is its most eccentric star. He is the king of the Exóticos, the gender-bending cross-dressing wrestlers who fight prejudice as much as their opponents in this macho-dominated sport.