Private Project

Olive Harvest

In-the-field story of the olive growers and pickers

A short doc about small scale olive growing in Western Greece, an area where olives have been grown for centuries.

Selected for eight film festivals in Europe, won 2 awards, shot and directed by a woman.

  • Lane Shipsey
    Director
  • Daniel Athanassiou
    Producer
  • Lane Shipsey
    Producer
  • Chris Hurley
    Editor
  • Jorge Kachmari, The Underscore Orkestra
    Music
    Band whose music is inspired by Greek, Russian and Balkan melodies, based in Ireland
  • Athanassios Zourtsanos
    Key Cast
    "self"
  • Lane Shipsey
    Key Cast
    "narrated bt"
  • Lane Shipsey
    Camera
  • Lane Shipsey
    Writer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    To Mazeuma Tis Elies
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Student, Television, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Rural, Environmental, Sustainable, Agricultural
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 35 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    January 31, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    0 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Ireland
  • Country of Filming:
    Greece
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Mobile Phone (iphone 8)
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - UCC
  • Richard Harris Film Festival, Ireland

    Nominee: Student Film
  • Wales International Film Festival

    Short Film: Finalist
  • West Side Mountain Docfest, Greece

    Semi-Finalist
  • Paleochora Lost World Film Festival, Greece

    Official Selection
  • Waterford Film Festival
    Waterford
    Ireland
    Irish Premiere
    Official Selection
  • European Short Film Festival
    Berlin
    Germany
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Lane Shipsey

Lane Shipsey is a photographer from Ireland who lived and worked in Greece long enough to pick up some of the lingo. OLIVE HARVEST, a self-shot short doc about olive farming in Western Greece, is her first documentary.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Making OLIVE HARVEST was a learning process that grew out of the wish to know how olive oil is made. Big manufacturers run ad campaigns, but small producers can't afford to do so. OLIVE HARVEST aims to redress the balance a little by shining a light on small-scale olive growers who farm sustainably.

Working with no budget, OLIVE HARVEST was self-shot, unfunded, as a passion project. It was co-produced with help and support from amateur olive grower Dani Athanasiou.

Main challenges were:
• Greek to English communication
• Hiking up and down the mountain to recharge gear
• Hailstone showers on day 1 of the shoot. Yes, in Greece they get hailstones too!

Having no transport was awkward at times, but made the shoot pretty green, and was a good way to meet people. Lifts offered by local farmers and producers were very welcome - a backer on a papaki driven by an old woman being the most exciting.

THANKS to all who helped to make OLIVE HARVEST especially Dani, Zourtsanos, editor Chris Hurley, & the Underscore Orkestra.