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to VanCoUVER
from ECFA Journal February 2022
by ECFA
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artemis anastasiadou about to VanCoUVER
“Scarecrows make the birds fly away
The landscape is wounded with scars of industrial decline. More than a place to stay, this is a place to leave. Which is what a young boy will soon do, leaving behind his little sister. The imminent goodbye brings up new feelings, but not the words to deconstruct them. In 2019 the script of TO VANCOUVER was awarded at the Olympia “Creative Ideas” Pitching Lab. Now the short film by Artemis Anastasiadou has been selected for the Berlinale’s Generation competition.
this story is somehow geographically defined. Where exactly was it shot?
Artemis Anastasiadou: In Aliveri, on the island of Evia in Central Greece. This industrial region with gas and cement factories is rich in lignite (known as brown coal). The mining industry came to an end in the eighties, leaving a trail of environmental pollution and unemployment. The place perfectly reflects the themes I wanted to address. From the visuals you can sense how these people are trapped with no way out.
In one scene we follow both protagonists on a motorcycle ride. What exactly are we looking at?
Anastasiadou: At a girl enjoying a ride with her big brother, alongside a power plant by the sea. The scene establishes the contrast between the idyllic Greek seaside landscape as we fantasise it, and the reality of it.
How does this relationship between two siblings fit into Greek family structures?
Anastasiadou: Their father died many years ago, a loss that she experienced at a very young age. Ever since, her brother has been like a father figure to her. Now again, she will be facing a loss. Her brother’s departure is a family decision that she has to accept, but she tries to find ways to cope with it, wishing and praying that maybe she can make him stay.
She even casts a magic spell on him.
anastasiadou: that spell is inspired by a local folktale about the Lamia, a monster that makes people vanish. the roots of the tale are in the coal that sometimes ignites, turning the soil into ashes, creating holes in which people would disappear. People have always been “disappearing”, whether it was because of the Lamia in mythic times, because of mining accidents later or because of the economy nowadays.
the film contains a picture of an intriguing scarecrow.
Anastasiadou: You don’t see many scarecrows in the Greek landscape. When spotting this one on the island, I realised how it incorporated many themes of the story. Scarecrows make the birds fly away. Like a bird, Yorgos will soon fly away too.
Why Vancouver?
Anastasiadou: I wanted it to be a faraway place; once you get there it won’t be easy to return. Greece has experienced different waves of immigration, for instance to Germany and other European countries. But migrating to Canada or Australia is a big thing; there is something mythical about those destinations.
In 2019 your project was awarded in the olympia Script lab.
Anastasiadou: The lab comes with a series of workshops. When I applied, I had already finalised the story and part of the funding. But throughout these workshops my ideas have matured. The award was very helpful. Even with the script ready, I wanted to invest in finding the locations and the cast. This prize helped us to establish the pre-production that we needed to end up where we are now.
–
Gert Hermans
