Two Greek Films Join the 2012 Εuropean Independent Film Festival

The European Independent Film Festival (ÉCU) remains at the centre of discovery, promotion and projection of the very best independent filmmaking talents from around the world with this year’s festival taking place in Paris, on March 30-31 and April 1, 2012.

With thirteen categories for European films and another five foreign categories open to filmmakers from the USA, Africa and Asia, the film festival aims at showcasing those filmmakers and their work demonstrating quality, innovation and independence in both form and content.

Among the several hundreds of filmmakers expected to join this year’s festival, there are two Greek submissions in two separate categories representing the country in this highly esteemed competitive event.

“Little King” (Mikros Vasilias) is submitted in the European Dramatic Short category, and is directed by: Socrates Alafouzos. Socrates Alafouzos is a critically acclaimed Greek actor. His career includes leading roles in theater, film and TV series. His short feature film, “Little King”, is a presentation of his work, not only as an actor, but as a screen-writer and director. His current ambition is to pursue film direction and make it the primary focus of his career.

Awards:
• 2003 Honorary award from AWOG (American Women’s Organization of Greece)
• 2002 Korfiatika Awards for his performance in the TV series Air Silences.
• 1991 Fulbright Fellowship for Graduate studies in acting-directing.
• 1987 Honorary acting award at Thessaloniki Film Festival for his
performance in the film Noose.

The film is about Aris, a Greek man in his early forties, trapped behind a pleasant facade cultivated in response to childhood abuse. In truth, Aris fixates violently on any slight or insult. The discovery of his wife’s infidelity brings his repressed anger to the surface and she loses her life for betraying him. While serving his sentence for this crime of passion, prison therapists attempt to subdue his ferocity but their efforts are in vain. In an ironic twist, Aris is offered a chance to channel his fury rather than suppress it. His raw brutality becomes a useful tool and he begins life again with a completely new identity.

Watch the trailer at www.filmannex.com/movie/mikros-vasilias-little-king/29936

The other Greek film taking part at this year’s ÉCU is  “Sequence Error”, which is submitted in the Experimental Film category. The film is directed by acclaimed Greek director George Drivas, whose work has so far received numerous awards and distinctions both in Greece and abroad.

Drivas’ film focuses on “an error that arises when the arrangement of items in a set, does not follow some specified order”.

“Sequence Order” is inspired by the well known Karl Marx quote, ‘history repeats itself first as tragedy and than as farce’, and re-uses parts of two famous speeches of the 20th century delivered by Che Guevara (1963) and George Marshal (1947). In a contemporary corporate environment and on the occasion of a sudden system crisis, two leaders of two different groups (workers vs. executives) deliver some parts of the original speeches.

Watch the trailer at www.filmannex.com/movie/sequence-error/29929

The European Independent Film Festival (ÉCU) has established itself as a fantastic arena for independent filmmakers from around the world to screen their films to large audiences made up of a cinema-loving public, who are seeking alternatives to the offerings of major studios, as well as to agents, talent scouts, production company representatives, distributors and established producers looking for new projects and raw talent.

Attending directors will also have the opportunity to speak about their films at the “Speak to the Directors” panel sessions, which take place throughout the festival.