Introducing: Cora
20 December 2020
Its vivid industrial setting immediately makes Cora a tempting prospect. 18km from Athens and on the border with the greater municipality of Eleusina, Aspropyrgos is dominated by factories and workers’ housing.
“At night it was like being in outer space with so many small lights from the oil refinery,” says writer-director Evi Kalogiropoulou who lived in the area and its surroundings on an art residency. Her short film Motorway 65, which was in competition at Cannes 2020, was also set there and deals with similar issues. More than just an atmospheric visual backdrop however, the area is steeped in the symbolism that underpins Cora, including the area’s relation to the ancient Greek Eleusinian mysteries and the chthonic female deities Demeter and Persephone. It is, as Kalogiropoulou puts it, an area “where the ancient meets the modern and mysticism comes together with dystopia.”
In Cora the area becomes an unruly town ruled by a violent male-dominated cult that, rather than worshiping ancient female deities, sees the oil refinery – the biggest in the Balkans – as a god and the source of life. This rings true of the real environment, says the director: “It’s the main source of work for the population but also a cause of huge environmental pollution.” Commenting on this as well as issues of gender are the focus of the film, which follows Maria, a young factory worker, and her lover Eleni as they navigate a chaotic, barren, and masculine landscape. “I met the local population, some of whom will be in the film,” says Kalogiropoulou of her time on the residency. “I feel inspired and comfortable working there, an area with exceptional characteristics combining the industrial with an ancient historical background, as well as the coexisting of different cultural groups.”
The project will be presented at CineMart by Kalogiropoulou and producer Amanda Livanou. This is their first collaboration after being introduced to each other in March by mutual friend and project supporter Afroditi Panagiotakou, who is director of culture for the Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens and in the United States. “We very quickly established a code of communication and we’ve been working closely on the development ever since” says Kalogiropoulou. “We also like the fact that we are both women, and as this is a film about women this feels very organic and appropriate. And we also like each other personally, which helps...”
Artist in residence at Somerset House Studios in London, represented by the Breeder Gallery in Athens, with a master’s degree in moving image from the Royal College of Art and countless exhibitions to her name, Kalogiropoulou’s credentials as a visual artist add a richness to Cora’s atmospheric setting. Producer Amanda Livanou also brings a wealth of experience to the project, with some notable highlights at IFFR. “Rotterdam is one of my favourite festivals,” says Livanou, “and I only have fond memories.” She produced films by Babis Makridis which appeared at the festival, including L (IFFR 2012), Birds (IFFR 2020) and Pity (IFFR 2018), which was first presented at CineMart in 2014. “I think Cinemart is an excellent platform to bring attention to the project internationally.”
This is not the only reason that IFFR conjures happy memories for Livanou: “Rotterdam was the last festival I attended exactly a year ago before travelling ceased and the world went into what seems like a permanent lockdown. I only wish we could be there again in person.
