Thera 1984
16 mm 16 mins
Thera was shot almost entirely in a single day in the hilltop village
of Pyrgos on Santorini. It adopted a ritualised shooting
style of walking ten paces, waiting for any activity to enter the frame,
then shooting 10 secs of film. This took place from dawn
to nightfall, beginning in the lower outskirts, and ending at
the hilltop chapel. At this moment the villagers began their
own Easter ritual, and walked in procession back through the
town, blessing every household in turn.
The film explores the sometimes lonely, voyeuristic role
of the itinerant filmmaker, observing life in an intimate rural
community to which he does not belong. We hear
activities off screen and behind walls. We happen upon
the locals, and they return the camera's glare with polite,
uncomprehending stares of their own. A sense of mystery,
or a story waiting to unfold pervades everything.
Arts Council England Funded.
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