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At the impressively young age of 21 years old he won the Best First-Time Filmmaker Award at the Cannes’ World Film Festival, experiencing “a huge challenge that instantly opens the door to a whole dimension”.

Stylianos Papadimitriou

The youngest multi-awarded Greek director

Text: Marni Hatziemmanouil
Stylianos Papadimitriou

Through close-ups and camera angles focused on the protagonists’ faces, the short film Unique Chance directed by the young multi-awarded Greek filmmaker and screenwriter Stylianos Papadimitriou keeps the viewers glued to their seats. The film has been traveling all over the world for quite some time now, taking part in international festivals, snatching awards and distinctions. “The secret to capture the audience is no other than the truth. When a story is told genuinely and reaches out the viewers’ feelings and experiences, it is bound to touch them. Identifying with the characters builds a solid emotional connection. You must not aim just to impress, you have to remain true to your vision and not get carried out by the market’s or the critics’ expectations.”

The 20-minute film, where Papadimitriou holds the quadruple role of film director, DoP, screenwriter and editor, revolves around human despair and loneliness. The main character is Jason, who gets immersed into the world of writing while facing inner conflicts, following the loss of his parents and brother in a fatal accident. “I tried to convey the rough patch experienced by the protagonist, while sending out a loud message to all those suffering from depression and other mental illnesses that we’re in this together, as I myself had suffered from depression and I know the feeling.” In order for these emotions to appear on screen, Stylianos Papadimitriou employed a series of targeted techniques. “A low angle oozes the sense of power or threat, whereas a high angle portrays weakness or vulnerability. Lighting and shading, in tandem with the camera’s movement, foreground both psychological tension and tenderness, enhancing the dramatic effect and the psychological state of mind of the characters.”

The 24-year-old film director and screenwriter from Kavala is also a street photographer, a videographer, a filmmaker, a DoP, a graphic designer and a music producer. “I write and direct films as it allows me to breathe, to relive everything, to craft a world where I can express myself. It is a way of life and not a job, every shot is endowed with its own character and perspective. All the above breathe life into a film.”

At the impressively young age of 21 years old he won the Best First-Time Filmmaker Award at the Cannes’ World Film Festival, experiencing “a huge challenge that instantly opens the door to a whole dimension, as you suddenly realize that every detail counts when lining up against many of the film industry behemoths. The first feeling that overwhelms you is a mix of awe and stress. You find yourself among auteurs that you have been admiring for years, now competing against them. Taking part in such an event was like being admitted to the hall of fame of world cinema. As much as it was a dream coming true, when it actually happened it felt like a fairy tale. In 2021, I made it to the list featuring the best upcoming film directors in the world; a truly unique feeling.”

The secret to capture the audience is no other than the truth. When a story is told genuinely and reaches out the viewers’ feelings and experiences, it is bound to touch them. Identifying with the characters builds a solid emotional connection. You must not aim just to impress, you have to remain true to your vision and not get carried out by the market’s or the critics’ expectations.

Stylianos Papadimitriou

When he begins setting up a film, he does not reveal the entire script to his actors, but only the part they need to know. “Of course, what I do share with them is my vision and the overall approach of the film, as I want the actors to feel a part of the creative process, but also to bring them to a state of surprise that would allow them to express the genuine feeling of the role embodied.” The 24-year-old filmmaker makes use of “both the geometrical axes and the axes of physics, as art is not an arbitrary concept, but an expressional entity that eventually leads to emotions. The use of axes guides the gaze of the viewers, shifting their attention to the core theme of the film, triggering thoughts and concerns.”

Film directing is an integral part of his life, and as he confesses: “I take notice and watch closely everyday situations, picture them in scenes, I observe faces, figures and actions, trying to draw emotion from them and grasp what they have to say, what’s the story they are sharing with us. I study the light, how it falls, how it pervades any space, reflecting on the ways it could be used properly in every condition.”

The multi-awarded young film director believes that all issues that preoccupy mankind are timeless. “Love, death, loneliness, identity seeking, social inequalities, freedom and survival. These existential, emotional and social issues are portrayed within a film, which serves as a mirror of reality, using the script, the images and the sound to convey these concerns.”

As a new kid on the film industry block, he thinks that “innovation in film directing may very well renew the language of cinema, whether it comes from technology or the new forms of narrative and filming.” However, he makes sure to point out that “the important thing is for innovation to serve the film’s storyline and emotional impact, offering something meaningful and not just aiming to make an impression, while strengthening the aesthetic of the imagery, one of the most defining factors in a film. After all, imagery goes way beyond mere beaty, as it channels the script’s emotions, ideas and ambiance. A solid aesthetic leaves indelible images in our mind, often accompanying us for a long time after the film’s screening. It is the tool that renders a movie unforgettable, endowing it with perspective, identity and depth.”

Stylianos Papadimitriou already has a full-length film under way, titled The Vertigo of Animals, “based on the outstanding theater play The Vertigo of Animals before the Slaughter by Dimitris Dimitriadis, with a screenplay adaptation by Christos Gkaitantzis. I am deeply connected to this film, as it expresses many of my artistic and existential features.” In addition to this full-length film project, he’s also preparing a documentary on his hometown, Kavala, joining forces with the historian and researcher Konstantinos Papakosmas. The film will shed light on the military events that occurred in the wider region, but also on the history of the 7th Infantry Military Division, now a part of the IV Army Corps.

Wrapping up our talk, Stylianos Papadimitriou concluded with a saying that has become a way of life for him. “Art knows no boundaries and can be omnipresent, as it exists to make the world evolve.”

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