Inside, a claustrophobic thriller shot with narrow-angle lenses and a small depth field, oozes a sense of disorientation, inviting us to base our faith on the feelings triggered.
Nikos Christodoulou
Seeking allegorical symbolisms
Text: Zafeiris Konstantinidis
Ever since a child he enjoyed taking risks. He still does. He learned to passionately experience stories and was fascinated by the very idea of narrating them. Mystery always cast a spell on him. No surprise therefore that film directing became a one-way road for him. Today, he still vows his love for the path he chose in life. Twenty-five-year-old Thessaloniki-born (and based) Nikos Christodoulou was recently awarded for his short film Inside at the Cannes Film Festival.
Inside snatched the 2023 Grand Prize for Best Student Film, at the Cannes Film Festival’s “Remember the Future” section. On his part, he admits that just setting foot on the “city of cinema” marked one of his most exciting moments in life and served as a recognition of his hard efforts. Inside, a claustrophobic thriller shot with narrow-angle lenses and a small depth field, oozes a sense of disorientation, inviting us to base our faith on the feelings triggered. The movie could be described as a puzzle for the mind, aiming to raise concerns over the meanings emerged. “The audience is not dumb. You have to take its sharp perception for granted and respect it, so as to receive respect in return and appreciation for your work,” mentions Nikos Christodoulou.
As every artist, ambitious artistic goals get him pumped up. Nevertheless, he has come to terms with the insecurities and the shattered expectations, considering them an inherent part of both the artistic process and human nature. His first experience as a director came through video clips of rap house and RnB music artists. He has studied Film Directing at a Greek college, having also received a degree from Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University. Right from his early steps it did not take him long to realize that short films, commercials and video clips were fascinating prospects that he wished to learn, experiment with and conquer.
“Mystery, the element of fear, dark shots and frames, intense contrasts and deep underlying meanings behind seemingly innocent scenes made the film stand out. It is a film based on a rather straightforward concept, but endowed with a complicated portrayal,” he confesses for his work. He is inspired by the complex yet simple identity of life. Facts and emotions, people and relations, times of success and times of failure; in a nutshell, the ingredients life and art are made of. Nikos Christodoulou prefers not to be aware of everything beforehand, feeling fascinated by what he will discover along the way. “If you can feel, you can create. If you have created, that means you have felt,” he points out, stating loud and clear his view on the bond between art and life.
If you have created, that means you have felt. “I’d rather make something mediocre yet original, rather than something flawless but conventional.
Among the most acclaimed directors of our times he singles out Christopher Nolan, David Fincher, Jordan Peele and Darren Aronofsky as the ones who made him fall in love with cinema. “My greatest sources of influence were David Fincher and Christopher Nolan, due to their dark intensity they stir, and the way they transform simple situations into a true spectacle. When it comes to the relationship between a film director and actors, he puts his faith in balance. “It proves useful to adopt a friendly approach up to a certain point, so as to establish a pattern of better and more direct
communication. However, it is equally important that this relationship is shaped within professional boundaries that would render the carrying out of each project more functional.”
Nikos Christodoulou is making films featuring the qualities he wishes to see on the big screen as a cinema lover. He goes as far as to say that an attentive look at his films bears testament to most of
his personality traits. He values the element of the unpredictable as the quintessence of every artistic creation, whereas he detests anything conventional. “I’d rather make something mediocre yet original, rather than something flawless but conventional,” he reveals. He is also fascinated by allegorical interpretations that seek the deep meaning of symbolisms into everything, avoiding the raw and superficial interpretations both as an artist and in his everyday life.
Nikos Christodoulou is an explorer of life and art, a person that experiences life with passion and a director who depicts life as he experiences it. This exploration journey is endless, as are the limits of his imagination. As for the obvious questions that springs from our talk, as to whether directors approach their work in a similar way as their life, Nikos Christodoulou’s answer would be a loud and passionate “yes”.
Photos
Contact
nickchristod98@gmail.com
