Greek Orthodox Community of Melbourne and Victoria

Greece, 2013, 82mins (Drama)

Director Dimitris Bavellas

A film about zombies... but NOT the flesh-eating kind.

Just when you think you've seen every interpretation of the Greek financial crisis, Runaway Day comes up with the most unique one yet.

Athens is in the grip of an inexplicable phenomenon that sees the disaffected citizens abandoning the city with no apparent reason. Maria (Maria Skoula, September, also appearing in the GFF 2014 program) has walked out on her financially-flush husband, Dimitris (Errikos Litsis), and Loukas (Efthymis Papadimitriou) – by contrast – is unemployed and debt-ridden.

As this woman and man wander the city, they meet a strange cross-section of inhabitants, and stumble into a number of seedy situations. Then, their existential liberation comes under attack when they discover they're being tracked.

The debut feature for Dimitris Bavellas, Runaway Day utilises black & white photography to evoke the feel of a 1950s sci-fi flick, as well as a sense of repression and the absence of meaning in the characters' lives.

Written by: Dimitris Bavellas, Thanos Nioplias

Produced by: Dimitris Bavellas, Sotiris Mitsios, Gina Petropoulou

Cast: Maria Skoula, Efthymis Papadimitriou, Errikos Litsis, Eva Vogli, Constantinos Staridas

About the Director:

Born in Athens, Dimitris Bavellas studied film direction at the Stavrakos Film School, and has directed several short films and documentaries, as well as video clips, TV shows and corporate videos. He undertook an MA in film and moving image production at the Northern Film School in Leeds, UK. Runaway Day is his first feature film.

Greek Synopsis:

Αν νομίζετε πως έχετε δει αρκετές ταινίες, για τη σημερινή κρίση στην Ελλάδα, θα αλλάξετε γνώμη όταν ζήσετε την εμπειρία αυτής της εξαιρετικής ταινίας.