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FILM SYNOPSIS

An octogenarian villager, Mrs. Metaxia Anaplioti, kept her vow for 40 years, lighting a candle daily at the 11th century Byzantine church of Hagioi Theodoroi in Vamvaka, Mani, in Southern Greece. This act of piety contributes to her personal sense of identity. Keeping alive customs of the village forebearers by preserving the church across ten centuries sustains collective identity claims for the villagers. The continuity of customs must be protected much like the territory the church was originally built to protect, recycling building stones from earlier periods repurposed for the new construction. A sense of historical continuity is sustained as much by the pastiche of various historical periods in the building of the church, as by village memory, belief, imagination and narrative. 

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AWARDS & PARTICIPATIONS​​​

1. Best Short FIlm, Byzanfest, Melbourne, Australia, November 6, 2022.

2. Best Director for Short film, Byzanfest, Melbourne, Australia, November 6, 2022.

3. Best Short Documentary, Byzanfest, Melbourne, Australia, November 6, 2022.

4. Best Short Documentary, Inca Imperial International Film Festival, Lima, Perú. May 18, 2020.

5. Best Short Documentary, Bridges International Film Festival of Peloponnese. January 29, 2020.

6. The Georgio Voyatsis Special Jury Award, Symi International Film Festival, Greece. August 15, 2019.

7. Best Documentary, Grecanica International Film Festival, Calabria, Italy. May 5, 2019.

8. Best Documentary for December 2018, Festigious Los Angeles Film Competition. 

9. Best Documentary (under 40 mins) for December 2018, Eurasia International Film Festival, Moscow.

10. Finalist, Long Story Shorts, International Film Fest, Bucharest. January 2020.

11. ​Finalist, Changing Face International Film Festival, Sydney, Australia. Nov. 15, 2019.

12. Finalist, Oniros Film Awards (100 best reviewed festivals 2018). May 31, 2019.

13. Finalist for December 2018, The Monthly Film Festival, Glasgow, UK. 

14. Semi-finalist, JellyFEST, biannual North Hollywood Film Festival. Aug. 1, 2019.

15. Semi-finalist, Best Short Documentary, Utah Film Festival and Awards. March 4, 2019

16. Semi-finalist, AXD Short Film Festival, Alexandroupolis, Greece. Sept. 28, 2020.

17. ​Longlisted, 42nd International Short Film Festival, Drama, Greece. June 25, 2019.

18. Official Selection, The Lift Off Sessions, UK​ 

19. Official Selection, Dumbo Film Festival, Brooklyn, New York 

20. Official Selection, South Eastern European Film Festival, Los Angeles

21. Official Selection, London Greek Film Festival, UK 

22. Official Selection, Moscow Shorts ISFF Awards 

23. Official Selection, International Documentary Festival of Ierapetra, Crete 

24. Official Selection, NYC Greek Film Festival 

25. Official Selection, West Side Mountains Doc Fest, Epirus, Greece

26. Official Selection, Chania Film Festival, Crete, Greece

27. Official Selection, Buenos Aires Film Festival, Argentina

28. Official Selection, Under the Stars International Film Festival, Bari, Italy

29. Official Selection, Nafplio International Film Festival - Bridges, Greece

30. Official Selection, Bucharest ShortCut CineFest, Romania

31. Official Selection, Psarokokalo International Short Film Festival, Athens, Greece

32. Official Selection, Southern Cone International Film Festival, Valparaiso, Argentina

33. Official Selection, Beyond Borders Film Festival, Kastellorizo, Greece

34. Official Selection, Los Angeles Greek Film Festival

35. Official Selection, Toronto Independent Film Festival of Cift

36. Official Selection, Byzanfest, Melbourne, Australia

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STILLS