Bitter September
After the murder of Greek LGBTQI+ activist Zak Kostopoulos, his childhood friend Sophia Farantatou finds herself in the middle of an impasse, between the media storytelling and the archive footage she shot with him. Only time can give her the space to mourn and come to terms with the absence of her friend.
| Director | Sophia Farantatou |
| Actor | Jason Todd |
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Bitter September. “September” for the month the director should have been celebrating her birthday. “Bitter” like the fruit of the Seville orange trees that symmetrically line the streets of Athens. The city's residents know not to eat them.
Sofia Farantatou’s approach underscores how deeply personal experiences are political. Not only because her childhood friend Zak, brutally murdered, became a posthumous symbol of the Athenian queer community, but above all because she chooses to keep the devouring imagery of media narratives off-screen—or even erase it entirely. She offers her own account of events, giving shape to her friend’s memory and, in doing so, seeking justice for his unjust passing.
In crisis over her faith in the camera, Sofia is angry. Angry at the journalistic cameras that endlessly repeat Zak’s name, that consume his image, that distort any sense of direction. She holds onto his commitment and the vibrancy of their shared memories as her compass. And that, no one can take away from her.
Olia Verriopoulou
Director and programmer
-
Français
26 mn
Language: Français
Subtitles: Français -
English
26 mn
Language: English
Subtitles: English
- Année 2022
- Pays Switzerland
- Durée 26
- Producteur HEAD - Genève
- Langue Greek
- Sous-titres French, English
- Résumé court After the murder of her friend, Greek LGBTQI+ activist Zak Kostopoulos, filmmaker Sophia Farantatou seeks to recompose his portrait as faithfully as possible.
Bitter September. “September” for the month the director should have been celebrating her birthday. “Bitter” like the fruit of the Seville orange trees that symmetrically line the streets of Athens. The city's residents know not to eat them.
Sofia Farantatou’s approach underscores how deeply personal experiences are political. Not only because her childhood friend Zak, brutally murdered, became a posthumous symbol of the Athenian queer community, but above all because she chooses to keep the devouring imagery of media narratives off-screen—or even erase it entirely. She offers her own account of events, giving shape to her friend’s memory and, in doing so, seeking justice for his unjust passing.
In crisis over her faith in the camera, Sofia is angry. Angry at the journalistic cameras that endlessly repeat Zak’s name, that consume his image, that distort any sense of direction. She holds onto his commitment and the vibrancy of their shared memories as her compass. And that, no one can take away from her.
Olia Verriopoulou
Director and programmer
-
Français
Duration: 26 minutesLanguage: Français
Subtitles: Français26 mn -
English
Duration: 26 minutesLanguage: English
Subtitles: English26 mn
- Année 2022
- Pays Switzerland
- Durée 26
- Producteur HEAD - Genève
- Langue Greek
- Sous-titres French, English
- Résumé court After the murder of her friend, Greek LGBTQI+ activist Zak Kostopoulos, filmmaker Sophia Farantatou seeks to recompose his portrait as faithfully as possible.
