Experiencing Interruptions?

KOUMI

Nikos, 55 years old, leaves his marital home and job in Chalkida with the intention of returning to his village Koumi, Rethymno - where he comes from - to reunite with his elderly father, Giorgos, after 7 years. Upon his arrival, Giorgos greets him cautiously, criticizing his every move. During their tour to the film crew, their turbulent relationship and chemistry becomes evident. Nikos tries to connect with Giorgos, while Giorgos, on the other hand, rejects any attempt to bridge the gap between them. Giorgos' continuous and intense criticism of his son leads to a heated argument, and Nikos breaks down, expressing his impatience to return home. The village and Crete, of course, hold many beautiful memories for Nikos, which he cannot forget. His friendly farewell leaves an open ending, with Nikos, despite his father's disagreements, likely to cherish memories of Koumoi for a long time to come.

  • Damianos Chrysochoidis
    Director
  • Damianos Chrysochoidis
    Producer
  • George Stagakis
    Producer
  • Giorgos Dellis
    Producer
  • Giorgos Dellis
    Director of Photography
  • George Stagakis
    Editor
  • Odysseas Kalogeropoulos
    Sound Design
  • Nikos Stagakis
    Key Cast
  • Giorgos (Senior) Stagakis
    Key Cast
  • Ilias Panaritis
    Colorist
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    ΚΟΥΜΟΙ
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Observational, Drama, Comedy
  • Runtime:
    24 minutes 51 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 2, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    970 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Greece
  • Country of Filming:
    Greece
  • Language:
    Modern Greek (1453-)
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - SAE Athens
  • New Generation Film Festival
    Athens
    Greece
    September 27, 2023
    Greece
    Best Picture Nomination
  • Karditsa International Short Film Festival Opseis
    Karditsa
    Greece
    Semi Finalist
  • International Documentary Festival of Ierapetra & Awards
    Ierapetra
    Greece
Director Biography - Damianos Chrysochoidis

Damianos was born in Athens in 1999 and raised in Xanthi. In 2017, he started studying in the Athens University of Economics and Business, until he discovered his true passion, filmmaking. In his attempt to change his career, he begun his studies in filmmaking in 2020 at SAE Athens.

During his studies, he wrote and produced one short-film, featuring established actors from Greece, as well as creating, directing and producing the observational documentary, KOUMOI. At the same time, he felt important to learn more about filmmaking as an art and at the same time as a business.

While being on of the members of the funding team of the green Greek non-profit "Ecogenia", his role in the organization transitioned to more storytelling duties. The visual content (namely videos) was created by him in the manner of serving some of the most important pillars of the organization (reporting, fundraising, community engagement, promotion). His job and his studies gave him the necessary tools to start freelancing as a filmmaker/videographer, where he worked for Non-profits and Businesses and even being a director, producer and editor of an Erasmus funded documentary about civic service and volunteering in Europe, which is going to be released soon.

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Director Statement

The observational documentary film "KOUMOI" captures the trip of a son, Nikos, who's living behind his work and family to visit his father, Giorgos, who he has a complicated relationship with, at the village where both are from, named KOUMOI, in Crete. Furthermore, it captures everyday moments, words and silences of the two protagonists that outline the particular dynamics of their relationship. Having said that, the documentary offers a third person experience of the personal perspective of Nikos while he guides the film crew through his own perspective of the village, his memories, his farm, his people and while he endures a very critical, hard to please father. It is fair to assume that his journey can be considered as an obligation that carries a mix of memories he wants to forget and memories he wants to relive.

The story is told in a linear way and does not hide any surprises, starting from Nikos' arrival at the port of Chania and ending with Nikos' departure. The viewer watches the events unfold at their own pace, without rush of emotions. The goal of the director is to keep the viewer in the dark regarding all the small details of the drama of this relationship while highlighting just the mere fact of its friction and of its unsteadiness.

The static shots at the house and at a high vocal length on the objects, indicate the observational nature of the documentary and serves the very intent of the director that is mentioned above, a peek from distance without the full information. Having said that, the camera is predominantly hand-held. This brings energy, rawness into the story, and is used especially in sequences where there is action or friction. Moreover, one-shots serve the element of continuity and anticipation. They bring viewer closer to the world.

In conceptualizing what the documentary would like, I was significantly inspired by the great Abbas Kiarostami and his movies, namely "Where Is the Friend's House?" and "Taste of Cherry". His, human-centered storytelling changed my perspective in filmmaking. He made me rethink of how to associate places, whether that is Koumoi or Iran, with characters, whether that is Giorgos/Nikos or Ahmed/Mohammad. Lastly, I was more open to work with a story where not major events are happening, and try to capture how the protagonists experience their "conventional" lives, and do it in a manner that is valuable for the viewer.

Concluding, broken relationships between a son and his/her family, even at that age, is not an uncommon problem and that's why I think the story is so powerful. All of subtilities that this relationship hides and the realistic portrayal of the two heroes empowers the story even more, making it relatable to a wide audience, especially in Greece.