Opening night 30 Oktober 6PM
After the welcome, there will be a short Franconian film about the beauty of the smock apron, ‘Sie sind alle so schön’ (They are all so beautiful) by Bamberg filmmaker Julia Flachmann.
Afterwards, we will show the German premiere of ‘People, Gods and Other Creatures’ in the presence of director Svetlana Strelnikova and her German producer Frank Müller.
Afterwards, we invite you to join us for discussions and refreshments.
Statement by Svetlana Strelnikova about her film:
Sometimes we all just want to escape, and the idea of fleeing to an island seems very appealing.
When I first heard about Gavdos, I was in a personal and creative crisis. I am Russian, and until 2014, relations between Russia and Europe had improved, visas were more of a formality, but then the Ukraine crisis hit in 2014....
Well, the nightmare of my childhood was back. Once again, I saw how easily people in Europe and Russia could be divided. So much hatred on both sides.
The idea of a utopian community is so beautiful... and so easy to ‘sell’. It's just very difficult to keep a utopian society alive.
Human nature is divided. On the one hand, people want to unite and get closer to others. On the other hand, you have to protect your borders, otherwise your own society is in danger of disappearing.
The crisis is everywhere. The mass media play dirty games, propaganda works on all sides. And life on Gavdos seemed so peaceful and quiet, but the same mechanisms apply on the small island as in the larger world.