CM 2021

Onassis Foundation

Neda Film

Cora

Pitch video

Goals at CineMart France is a priority for us both due to the great record between our two countries, as well as because of Evi&rsquo;s recent success with her short film selection in competition in 2020 Cannes, which we should capitalise on. In addition, Eurimages is an important part of our strategy, we would certainly want to explore a third country to form a coherent and strong co-production. As the shooting is to take place in Greece (thus taking advantage of our 40% cash rebate, which forms a big part of the financing plan), the co-production would centre both around heads of departments as well as post-production. In addition, Evi has been working with the UK for a few years now and has active relationships with actors and musicians she would like to explore.In addition, a top priority for us is attaching the right sales agent as early as possible in the process. We want to establish a creative relationship with the filmmaker as well as for them to be involved in creative and financing decisions as an active partner.Synopsis The New District of Aspropyrgos lives under the shadow of the giant oil refinery. Maria, a young factory worker, searches for belonging as the only female member of a gun-toting cult that views the refinery as a form of deity that gives life and takes life away. For years she's been trying to wash away her mother's sins; the "witch" whose actions caused a deadly fire, many years back. But her newfound sense of identity is about to be tipped out of balance with the arrival of Eleni, a sexually promiscuous out-of-towner who sings at the local bar. A rare friendship starts to form between the two lonely women, as they ride their motorbikes around the barren town, finding moments of solace within a sea of male bravado, gunfire and high-octane drifting. But as their friendship slowly evolves into a romance, strange things start to happen around town. Sudden onsets of blindness, violent epileptic fits, and otherworldly hallucinations grip the men of the town. The townsfolk become wary of the two star-crossed lovers. And as a new witch-hunt ensues, Maria is forced to dig deep into her own past. To unearth the source of the odd power that reigns over everyone, as well the source of her own. And that power can't be beaten by guns.Director&rsquo;s Biography Evi Kalogiropoulou is a visual artist and filmmaker working both in Athens and London. Evi has studied at Athens University of Economics and Business, at the Athens School Fine Arts and she holds a Master in Moving Image from the Royal College of Art. She is an Artist in Residency at Somerset House Studios in London. She accomplished a film commissioned by Onassis Foundation for the ENTER online exhibition and a film commissioned by Polyeco Contemporary Art Initiative for their film collection. She was awarded with the Stavros Niarchos Fellowship at ARTWORKS. Her sculpture work is represented by The Breeder Gallery. She participated in the exhibition &ldquo;The Same River Twice&rdquo; organised by The DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art. Her short film Motorway 65 was in official competition at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival.Evi&rsquo;s films had various screenings in spaces such as the BFI, the Chisenahale Gallery, and the Whitechapel Gallery in London. Her projects explore ideas associated with the inclusion/exclusion, cross-culture identity, female figures in Ancient Greek mythology frames and post-apolcalyptic environments.

In a dystopian town ruled by the imposing oil refinery and its gun-toting townsmen, two women fall in love and struggle for identity, belonging, and escape.