SYNOPSIS:
Yanni’s mum is on her way to audition for a role as Shakespeare’s Viola, when she discovers that her young son has been left home alone. Through a series of phone calls, she fights to balance the most important roles of her life, whilst walking in the most controversial area of central Athens, Patision Avenue.
DIRECTOR’S NOTE:
“Patision Avenue” is my genuine attempt to understand my own mother. It begun with the thought that she was a creature of admirable sensitivity, but she was also torn between her female nature, stereotypes about women’s roles and her true and deep desires. My mother fought to balance what seemed like a lost game. What I can now clearly see is that she tried hard winning some battles but losing others. Yanni’s mother, Katerina, being single and an aspiring actress, walks down an avenue heading to an important audition; a place in the center of Athens, in an area once aristocratic but nowadays decadent. Setting priorities and making choices seems like the most difficult task she must face in her 10 minutes’ walk. My most difficult task was shooting this film as a single long take; I believe that this way Katerina’s mounting agony is vividly portrayed, and the suspense comes through, helping the viewer empathize with her. We never see her face, and this was a difficult decision aiming for everyone to freely identify to the woman of their life that matches the profile. Above all this, having 70 extras, a complex long-take-shot to coordinate in one of the most crowded avenues in Athens (bystanders, locals & refugees, police force, children playing, etc) and only one take to achieve the ideal lightening, was my personal Everest as a director.
FILM’S CV:
The film World Premiere was in 75th Venice Film Festival – Official Selection Short Film Competition. No has its festival circuit around the world.
DIRECTOR’S CV:
Thanasis Neofotistos is a Film Director, Writer & Architect from Athens Greece. Berlinale Talents 2016 alumnus. ”PATISION AVENUE” world premiere will be in Venice Film Festival 2018 (Orizzonti) and has already participated in NisiMasaESP 2016. ”PROSEFHI: Greek School Prayer” was his dissertation and has been selected by several important International Film Festivals (21st Encounters, 26th SaoPaulo, 23rdRaindance, 35thMunich, and 40 more IFF) and won the 1st prize (Golden Dionysus Award) at the 37th DramaISFF, as well as other significant distinctions (Best Sound, Photography, Nomination GFA, etc). His documentary called ”POGONISKOS” won the Best Documentary Award at the 38th DramaISFF. He is now in development stage of his first-debut feature film, which he envisions as a dark, coming-of-age, folktale, ”PETER AND THE WOLF”; the film project has already been selected, amongst other, at First Films First 2017, MFI, Sarajevo Script Station and got MEDIA development funding.
SPECIAL SPECIFICATIONS:
- One-Long-Take-Shot.
- Filmed with ALEXA MINI.
- Only live sounds were used in the film.
- An extract from the play “Twelfth Night” by W.Shakespeare is heard in the film.
- The film took 3 months of rehearsals and only 1 final long-take shot to complete.
Website: http://www.patisionavenue.com/
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