A film by Greek students from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki won second place at the La Cinef competition in Cannes.
The movie “The Chaos She Left Behind” was Greece’s first entry into the La Cinef competition at Cannes in 23 years.
The competition was created by the Cannes Film Festival in 1998 to inspire and support the next generation of international filmmakers.
Spearheaded by Nikos Kolioukos’s directing thesis and Alexandra Reba’s photography thesis, both at the Film Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts, the film features a predominantly student cast.
“I’m very happy about this award, it’s something I can’t realize at the moment. I am very moved. It’s a dream come true. I thank my team, these wonderful people who I consider my family for the unforgettable journey of the movie” Nikos Kolioukos told the Athens Macedonian News Agency.
18 student films participated in La Cinef’s Official Competition Section, which were selected from among 2,263 films from 555 film schools from around the world.
Winners of the La Cinef competition at Cannes
The first prize was won by Chidananda S. Naik from FTII Institute of India for the film ‘Sunflowers were the first ones to know.”
The second prize was shared by Nikos Kolioukos from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with Asya Segalovich from Columbia University in the USA for the film “Out the Window through the wall”.
The third prize was won by Mansi Maheshwari from the NFTS of the United Kingdom for the movie “Bunnyhood”.
The top films were selected by a distinguished panel among 2,263 submissions by film schools worldwide.
This year’s program reflected the geographic mobility of film students, with Greek students from Thessaloniki, a Singaporean director in Australia, an Indian and a Lithuanian in the UK, a Russian in the Czech Republic and three shorts made at American schools by Russian, Chinese and British filmmakers.
The Greek film at Cannes features a student cast
The film was produced under the mentorship of Dimitris Koutsiambasakos and Panagiotis Salapatas, professors of Directing and Photography respectively at AUTH’s Department of Cinematography.
Having premiered domestically at the Student Section of the Drama Festival last September, where it clinched awards for Best Director and Best Female Performance, the film continues its journey. It now vies for the Iris Short Student Film Award of the Hellenic Film Academy, representing the esteemed Film Department of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, already securing a place among the final 12 contenders.
“The Chaos She Left Behind” follows Anna’s poignant narrative as she navigates the pursuit of her musical aspirations amidst familial strife and personal struggles. A tale woven with themes of love and addiction, it resonates with audiences on a profound level.
Anna, the protagonist, is just before thirty and she feels that now is the last chance to achieve her dream, to pursue a musical career in Paris. Success wouldn’t seem so elusive if her self-destructive alcoholic father didn’t stand in her way.
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