Norwegian ethnographic documentaries and jazz music will be highlighted at the Peloponnese International Documentary Festival, which will take place in Kalamata  between January 20th and 31st. Screenings will take place in Kalamata, Argos, Amaliada and Skala Lakonias.

The festival will also feature several seminars on visual ethnography by Norwegian ethnographers, as well as filmmaker Frode Storaas. His ethnographic research has focused on animal agriculture in African countries and as a filmmaker he has been involved in projects in Eastern and Southern Africa, in the Middle East, in Mexico and USA, in China and Nepal, on the Balkans and Greece and in Norway. He will be joined by German collaborator Martin Gruber.
There will be screenings of Norwegian ethnographic documentaries on January 24th. The seminars in collaboration with the University of Peloponissos are scheduled to take place on January 23rd, 25th and 26th.

Norwegian jazz from a Greek point of view

The film festival will also showcase a Greek documentary on Norwegian jazz, that was filmed during the Kardamyli Jazz Festival. It features the cultural link between Norway and Greece, when it comes to performing arts such as jazz. This Messinian documentary production entitled “It’s all jazz to me”, directed by Kyriakos Liarakos will take place during the opening night.
The organizers have invited a Norwegian jazz ensemble, the “Ann Hjemli Trio”, to perform along with Greek musicians during the opening night. The trio will also perform a “jam” session the following day in the “Boukadoura” cafe. The trio interprets jazz greats such as Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Charles Mingus and others.

The Peloponnese International Documentary Festival

The festival is organized by artistic director Ms Gina Petropoulou in collaboration with director Kleoni Flessa, the Centre of Creative Documentary of Kalamata,  with the support of the Municipality of Kalamata, the Region of Peloponnese, the Regional Section of Messinia, the Municipality of Argos, the Norwegian Embassy and the Norwegian Intitute of Athens, the Solidarity Centre of Municipality of Messini and in coordination with the Municipality of Evrota, the Goethe Institut, Ierapetra’s Festival Documentary, the Greek Enviromental and Cultural agency and the Festival of Archeological Documentary “Agon”.  It will include a panorama of 76 greek and foreign film productions of the last 5 years.

Some of the events scheduled to take place include:

• A tribute to Greek director George Kolozis will take place with the screening of six of his films at the Amphitheatre of the Labor Centre.
• Seminar on production of educational documentary from the director of the documentary “Mavri Thiella” Nick Kollara. Place of event: Artistic Centre. Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st of January.
• Pepi Rigopoulou’s book presentation under the title “Chamber of Resuscitation” with rapporteur Ilias Bitsanis. Saturday 23rd of January at 12:00 o’clock at “Boucadura” café at the park of the Port.
• Conference on the topic of “Art and Psychology”. It will be coordinated by psychologist Tessie Lazaratou and psychiatrist Thanasis Kouris.
• Special screenings: Director Stavros Psillakis with the documentary “The man who disturbed the universe”, Pepi Rigopoulou with the documentary “Sreber” and Kleoni Flessa with the documentary “Nickos Dragoumis. A painter in the shade of history”. Sunday 24th of January 6:00 pm. Place of event: Cultural Centre of Messini.
• The educational zone will be of particular importance. It was attended by more than 3.500 students last year and 2.100 students in 2014. This year students will have the opportunity to discuss with Greek and foreign directors, whose the documentaries will be screened during the educational zone.

SOURCE: Embassy of Norway / Peloponnese International Documentary Festival
PHOTO: Embassy of Norway (Ann Helen Hjemli Trio; Johnny Lauritzen Horns, Ann Helen Hjemli Vocals, Rodrigo Villagra Bass)