locus athens and AIN are organising 'Unfortunately, it was paradise', an ongoing "collective cinema project" that includes film screenings showcasing cinema from Greece, the Middle East and North Africa. Borrowing its title from a book with selected poems by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, the project was initiated in September 2020 and seeks to explore issues that relate to the area of Tavros, Athens.
A suburb southwest of the city centre, Tavros takes its name from a mountainous region between Turkey and Armenia from which a wave of migrants arrived and settled in the 1920s. The area's distinct character comes from its refugee and industrial past, as well as its history in working-class struggles.
The project 'Unfortunately, it was paradise' takes a closer look at the histories and issues present within Tavros and presents films that resonate with them, including the struggle of women workers, environmental activism and labour movements. The film selection is diverse, spanning from fiction to documentary or experimental films and even a cine-concert, created by contemporary filmmakers but also pioneers from previous generations.
'Unfortunately, it was paradise' also includes a section called Corrsepondences; this involves talks and writings published online with filmmakers, artists, curators and activists who respond to and reflect on each screening.
The first screening of the project took place in public space in Tavros in September. The next two screenings are taking place this Friday and Saturday at Cine Alexandra in Kallithea, Athens. The programme of the two upcoming screenings is as follows:
Unfortunately, it was paradise #2
Friday, 30 October
18:30 — At Home by Athanasios Karanikolas (2014, 103’, Germany/Greece)
Book your seat online: https://forms.gle/tpo14nL7u5sYKFKf6
21:30 — Taste of Cement by Ziad Kalthoum (2017, 85’, Germany/Lebanon/Syria/United Arab Emirates/Qatar)
Book your seat online: https://forms.gle/RcM5SoCvCQ8LWt9K7
Ziad Kalthoum will discuss with the audience after the screening.
Please arrive at least 30 minutes before start time.
Read more athttps://tavros.space/projects/unfortunately-it-was-paradise2/
Unfortunately, it was paradise #3
Saturday, 31 October
18.30 — On The Edge by Leïla Kilani (2011, 106’, Morocco/ France/Germany)
Book your seat online: https://forms.gle/zJZgnCYSnFT15j2i7
21:30 — Her Job by Nikos Labôt (2018, 89’, Greece/France/Serbia)
Book your seat online: https://forms.gle/feB47atagnWPSJQ19
Nikos Labôt will discuss with the audience after the screening.
Please arrive at least 30 minutes before start time.
Read more at https://tavros.space/projects/unfortunately-it-was-paradise3/
