Behind the Haystacks
A social drama about immigrants with a record of 17 nominations and 10 awards at the Greek Film Academy Awards, reveals through a Rashomon-style narrative the uncomfortable truth about an entire community embroiled in crime, fraud and collective denial.
A middle-aged fisherman living on Greece’s northern border, who is drowning in debt, starts to smuggle migrants across the border lake, in exchange for a hefty fee. His wife, a housewife and devout churchgoer, is seeking the truth in God’s Word, while their daughter tries to define her own life within an oppressive environment. Until a tragic incident strikes the family, pushing the three heroes to face their impasses and weaknesses, whilst having to deeply consider the price to pay for their actions.
Join the cocktail after the screening on Friday 29 November at 20:50 hours. Both screenings include a Q&A with the director Asimina Proedrou.
Friday, 29 November – 18:45
Sunday, 1 December – 14:15
ENGLISH SUBTITLES | 118 MIN
DUTCH PREMIERE
Q&A WITH THE DIRECTOR
COCKTAIL AFTER THE SCREENING
Directed by Asimina Proedrou | 2022 | Greece, Germany, North Macedonia
PRODUCTION
Ioanna Bolomyti, Markus Halberschmidt, Vladimir Anastasov, Angela Nestorovska – Argonauts SA, FICTION PARK, Sektor Film
COMPOSER
Marios Strofalis
DOP
Simos Sarketzis
EDITING
Electra Venaki
CAST
Stathis Stamoulakatos, Lena Ouzounidou, Evgenia Lavda, Christos Kontogeorgis
FESTIVALS & AWARDS (SELECTION)
Thessaloniki International Film Festival, 2022 – National Premiere, six awards, including Fipresci Award | International Film Festival of India, 2022 – International Premiere, Best Debut Feature Award | Galway film Fleadh, 2023 – International Competition
DIRECTOR’S BIO
Asimina Proedrou was born in 1982, in Athens, Greece. She studied music (piano degree in 2001), International Economics (BA in 2005 and MSc in 2007) and Film Directing (BA in 2013 and MA in 2016). Her short film, “Red Hulk” (2013), which she produced, wrote and directed herself, won the Best Short Film Award at the two major film festivals in Greece. It was officially selected for more than sixty international film festivals, including Clermont-Ferrand (International Competition 2014), and won seven international awards.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Behind the Haystacks is an exploration of where our modern societies are being led to and why, and about the way individual human relationships collapse within these societies. An exploration, which, however, has no intention of condemning the everyday man who – defeated – submits to corrupt social structures. On the contrary, it attempts to shed light onto the darkness and unveil everything human and beautiful in his/her everyday struggle to survive, from his/her need to love, to enjoy her life, and to improve the world around her.
