Iris Awards 2022

In the wake of two challenging years for the Greek film industry, this year’s Iris Awards by the Hellenic Film Academy have set their sights on life and creation, choosing to dedicate their 13th edition to love. The Iris Awards contenders across 22 categories represent 39 features and 65 short films drawn from the fields of fiction, documentary, animation, minority co-productions, and student projects. Among them are two Onassis Culture productions: the film “Builders, Housewives and the Construction of Modern Athens” by Tassos Langis and Yiannis Gaitanidis, and the documentary short “Girlhood” directed by Vania Turner and Maria Sidiropoulou.

30 minutes to the complicated world of three teenage girls in nowadays Greece. Commissioned and produced by Onassis Culture, “Girlhood” is a heartbreakingly tender documentary that offers a glimpse into the most significant transition in life.

“Girlhood” has already been selected by several international festivals in Greece and abroad. From the National Competition section at the 44th Drama International Short Film Festival (DISFF44) to the “Greek Short Stories” in Competition section at the 27th Athens International Film Festival; from the official Competition section at the 8th Peloponnisos International Documentary Film Festival to the 4th Athens International Children’s Film Festival.

Moreover, it was selected by the greatest International Children’s Film Festival in the world and one of only two Academy Award-qualifying children’s film festivals, the 38th Chicago International Children's Film Festival (CICFF), which took place in November 2021.

Credits

Produced by Onassis Culture
Directors: Vania Turner and Maria Sidiropoulou
Script, Editor, Sound, Director of Photography: Vania Turner
Creative Production, Research: Maria Sidiropoulou
Executive Producer: Laika Productions
Music Composer: Miss Trichromi
Sound Designer: Stelios Koupetoris
Colourist: Aggelos Matzios / MetaPost
Colorist Assistant: Foivos Petikas

A documentary about the most distinctive Athenian building type, the polykatoikía, and the reconstruction of the city through the life of the anonymous lay builders and their housewives, who were the most unlikely “co-authors.” Based on the same-titled book by Ioanna Theocharopoulou, the "Builders, Housewives and the Construction of Modern Athens" film is produced by Onassis Culture and directed by Tassos Langis and Yiannis Gaitanidis.

Who were those people from the countryside who came to Athens with their wives after the Civil War and ‘cemented’ the city? Who ‘demolished’ the neoclassical buildings and why did they fill the Attica Basin with apartment buildings?

How did they learn and develop their craft, where did they come from, what techniques and knowledge did they carry with them? How did they reinvent their tools to satisfy emerging needs? How did they communicate and negotiate with the ‘educated’ architects? What were their wives asking for? In other words, what was the story of their encounter with the ‘project of modernity’?

The film premiered at Athens International Film Festival "Opening Nights" 2021 (Official Competition)

Credits

Produced by Onassis Culture
Written and Directed by Tassos Langis and Yiannis Gaitanidis
Scientific Consultant: Panos Dragonas
Photography and Camera Operation: Tassos Langis and Yiannis Gaitanidis
Editor: Tassos Langis
Aerial Shots: Tassos Fytros – Flyingdog Greece
Sound Recording: Stefanos Efthymiou, Yiannis Gaitanidis
Sound Design and Mixing: Persefoni Miliou
Motion Graphics: Georgia Skartadou
Line Producer: Yannis Karachalios
Executive Producers: Shampoo Films / Eleni Asvesta / Harry Patramanis / Yannis Karachalios
Dialogue Editor: Chara Konstadara
Foley: Nikos Linardopoulos
Additional Camera: Viktoria Vellopoulou
Colorist: Manthos G. Sardis
Post Production Coordinator: Che Panousopoulos
English Subtitles: The Wordsmiths
Equipment: Kostis Nikolopoulos - Rent Photo Video
Music Licensing: Musou Music Publishing

The Onassis Foundation supports Greek cinema, unleashing the talent and potential of young filmmakers. It is embracing their creative process, research approaches, and artistic development by offering fellowships to artists from the world of cinema. From Evi Kalogiropoulou’s short film “On Xerxes’ Throne”, which won the Canal+ Prize as part of Critic’s Week at this year’s 75th Cannes Film Festival, to the landmark “Zeta, Floretta, Niki” film tribute program, to Onassis Culture’s ongoing partnership with the Drama International Short Film Festival, the Onassis Foundation is spotlighting emerging and established voices in the Greek film scene who dare to bring broader audiences in contact with new worlds.