Dimitris Kourtis: Alec Scouffi | Echoes of unconventional wanderings

A hybrid video essay inspired by the genres of autofiction, docudrama, and still image film, unveils the fascinating story of a now forgotten, but once famous wandering bohemian queer persona, Alec Scouffi (1886-1932). Using fragments of historical memory, photographs, archival footage, rare gramophone recordings, and voice-over narration, the project attempts to explore the heterogeneities of the 1920s and to reconstruct an unseen reality of the Interwar period, through the turbulent life and work of Scouffi, a quite mysterious nocturnal figure who frequented the queer midnight cabarets and was brutally murdered in Paris. Born in Alexandria, family friend of Cavafy, collaborator of the legendary opera singer Enrico Caruzo and the famous composer Dimitris Mitropoulos, he worked as a baritone singer in many prominent venues such as the Monte Carlo Opera, while as a writer he is still considered today a pioneer of early homosexual literature.

Rich archival sources, including newspapers, magazines, photographs, and police documents, lay the groundwork for a first-person voice-over narration, while rare gramophone recordings transport us to the vibrant cabarets, opera houses, and ballrooms of the past. Armed with a Kodak Brownie—a commonly used camera of those days—selected moments from his journey will be depicted, such as Cavafy’s house in Alexandria, Bageion Hotel in Athens, and his apartment in Paris. This in-depth research, in the form of a hybrid video essay, serves as an adventurous quest in the 1920s, shedding light on Scouffi’s untold story and the Interwar period. The result is a captivating narrative that invites viewers to immerse themselves in a fascinating tale of cursed poets, strange artists, and bohemian wanderers.