LOCAL FILMMAKERS

3-5 OCTOBER 2025
HYDRA ISLAND GREECE

DIRTY BOY

Directed by: Doug Rao
Executive Producer: Derek Colloredo-Mansfeld

Dirty Boy charts a disturbing ride into a fractured mind and a deeply corrupt system. Isaac’s desperate fight for truth against this all-consuming cult makes for an absorbing psychological thriller that resonates long after its strong, unsettling conclusion.

    • Director/Screenwriter : Doug Rao

    • Producers: Giles Alderson, Sarah Ann-Grill, Marek Lichtenberg, Doug Rao

    • Executive Producers: Derek Colloredo-Mansfeld, Klemens Kreuzer, Thomas Angermair, Katja Angermair

    • Cast: Graham McTavish, Stan Steinbichler, Susie Porter, Honor Gillies, Alice Lucy

    • Cinematographer: Ross Yeandle

    • Editor: Will Honeyball

    • Music: Matthias Jakisic

    • Running Time: 96 minutes

ARMY OF LOVERS

Directed by: Lefteris Charitos

The Sacred Band was formed by the city of Thebes in 379 BCE to end Spartan domination. Fighting for four decades undefeated, it was annihilated by the forces of Philip II of Macedon and his son Alexander in the Battle of Chaeronea. Buried on the battlefield where they fell, the 300 were forgotten by history, until pioneer archaeologist Panayotis Stamatakis discovered the mass grave in 1880.

  • Stamatakis never published his findings, and the grave was covered up, leading some historians to claim that the Sacred Band never existed. It was only in 2019 that a missing skeleton was found in the basement of the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, as well as the excavation logs with detailed drawings of the mass grave: they depicted an army of 300 men likely lying in pairs, their arms linked together.

    A team of international archaeologists and historians re-examines the newly uncovered evidence, gaining unprecedented insight into the story of the Sacred Band. Their findings challenge us to rethink our understanding of Ancient Greece and our perceptions of heroism, gender and love across time.

    Directed by Lefteris Charitos, Army of Lovers uses forensic archaeological research, unique archive, ancient artworks and animations to tell the story of the rise and fall of the Sacred Band and reveal the enduring relevance of antiquity in contemporary culture. The film’s central characters include archaeologist and skeletal biologist Maria Liston (University of Waterloo, Canada), historian James Romm (Bard College, USA) and contributors John Ma (Univ. of Columbia), Paul Cartledge (Univ. of Cambridge), Reine-Marie Berard (French National Centre for Scientific Research), Peter Krentz (Davidson College), Thierry Lucas (Collège De Marly), Jennifer Ingleheart (Durham University) and Panagiotis Iossif (Museum of Cycladic Art).

    • Director: Lefteris Charitos

    • Writers:  Rea Apostolides, Yuri Averof, Ρέα Αποστολίδη, Danielle Proskar

    • Narration: Jean-Marc Barr
      Animations: Effie Pappa, Pan Pan, Benjamin Swiczinsky

    • Cinematography: Carlos Muñoz Gómez-Quinter, Harald Staudach, Alexandros Stigas
      Editing: Yuri Averof

    • Music composer: Christof Unterberger
      Consulting Producer: James Romm

    • Producers: Rea Apostolides, Yuri Averof, Heinrich Mayer-Moroni

    • Running Time: 87 minutes

    The film is produced by Anemon (Greece) and Epo-Film (Austria) and is a co-production with ERT, ZDF / ARTE and ORF in association with SBS, Hearst Networks, History Italy, TV5 Québec and with the support of the Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Centre – Creative Greece (Tax Rebate and NextGenerationEU programme), Fernsehfonds Austria and Creative Europe. It is distributed by ZED.

MUSE

Directed by: Pawel Pawlikowski

Oscar-winning Polish filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski (Ida, 2013) directs Muse, a striking six-minute short film edited by Yannis Sakaridis and shot at Hydra’s historic Old Carpet Factory. Starring Małgosia Bela and Marcin Masecki, the film explores the charged dynamic between a master pianist and his fearless, fashion-forward muse.

    • Director: Pawel Pawlikowski

    • Writers: Malgorzata Bela, Jose Louis Padula, Mitchell Parish

    • Running Time: 6 minutes

HYDRA & SOPHIA

WORLD PREMIERE:

AN AI-ENHANCED DOCUMENTARY

We are delighted to announce the world premiere of Hydra & Sophia: Echoes of a Dolphin - ArtCinema Hydra’s first original production. This 30-minute experimental short documentary, filmed entirely on Hydra, is directed by acclaimed Greek filmmaker Antonis Sotiropoulos with producer Georgia Andreou, and commissioned by ArtCinema founder Amanda Palmer. It also marks the beginning of a feature-length project, set for completion next year on the 70th anniversary of Boy on a Dolphin.

The film revisits the 39 days in 1956 when a Greek-American and Italian crew arrived with 22-year-old rising Italian actress Sophia Loren to film the iconic movie, forever linking the island to her international career. By combining personal stories, archival material, and live performances from Hydra residents, it is a work shaped by the community itself.