The tree we hurt. Panorama of the 20th century Greek cinema
THE TREE WE HURT by Dimos Avdeliodis | 1986 | 65´| Screenplay: Dimos Avdeliodis | Producer: Dimos Avdeliodis | Cinematography: Filippos Koutsaftis | Editing: Costas Fountas | Music: Dimitris Papadimitriou | Sets: Maria Avdeliodi | Costumes: Angeliki Zyglaki | Sound: Dinos Kittou | Production: Greek Film Centre.
Cast: Yannis Avdeliodis, Nikos Mioteris, Marina Delivoria, Dimos Avdeliodis, Takis Agoris, Katerina Kyriakodi, Vagelio Misailidou, Stelios Makrias.
Awards / Distinctions / Festival participations: C.I.F.E.J. Award, Berlin Film Festival 1987. Special Mention by the Greek Film Critics Association, Thessaloniki Film Festival 1987. Official Selection, Semaine de la Critique, Cannes Film Festival 1987. Golden Elephant for Best Film and Silver Elephant for Best Director, New Delhi Film Festival 1987.
Chios, 1960. A few days before the school summer break, the friendship of two boys is unwittingly spoiled by an unfortunate incident. In mid-summertime the boys meet again and spend carefree time with their friends. They find ways to make some money and go on adventures in their green kingdom. Yannis helps his mother collect the "tears" of mastic, the precious extract of the mastic tree, “The Tree We Hurt". A girl’s arrival will disturb the balance, but before the children know it, autumn is fast approaching, marking the end of an era - in every possible sense.
Dimos Avdeliodis’ feature debut paints the scrapbook of an innocent youth and one of the most distinctive coming-of-age stories in the history of Greek cinema with bright earthy hues and vivid, sui generis poetics. While the camera calmly follows the young heroes and an unparalleled sensitivity permeates the episodic narrative, small moments take on the significance of a seismic event. The narrative acts as a link between events that could be a narration, a dream or a memory. Sensitive, strange, funny and harsh, this "Tree" has grown on common, collective roots. It recounts a summer so specific that we might have dreamt of it.
The film will be screened in a newly restored digital copy, created for the purposes of the event “Motherland I See You”, with English subtitles.