"Η πατρίδα (the homeland)" is a film written and directed by Athená Polymenis and produced by Avery Gann for the University of Texas at Austin's Undergraduate Thesis class. The film follows protagonist Amalia (Lia) as she navigates her ethnic dysphoria amidst her yiayia's (grandmothers) declining health. Ethnic dysphoria is a term coined by Polymenis to describe the otherness experienced within ones multiple cultures by multi ethnic peoples. Lia seeks solace through a greek chat service where she finds mentorship and friendship through an anonymous messager.
Starring Nikoleta Gallis as Amalia, Yanis Sgourakis as Stavros and Lili Morton as Jennifer, the three make up the Moustakatos Family. The film's dialogue is about 90% in Greek and finding native Greek speaking actors was no easy feat. Gallis was the first to be found by the films Casting Director Lily Klar, and was quickly realized by Polymenis to be a perfect match as Gallis had expressed similar experiences and connections to her Greek ethnicity. Finding a fatherly actor for Stavros who not only spoke Greek like a native, but also had the connection and chemistry for Lia's actor, Gallis, at some times felt impossible.
Having been on the casting hunt for about four months, luck struck when Gallis mentioned that she had a cousin, Sgourakis, who might be interested in the role. Klar, Polymenis, and Gann couldn't have hoped for a better casting for Stavros than Sgourakis. Once the leads were set, casting Morton as Jennifer wasn't even a question. Morton's interest in understanding not only her own character, but the family dynamic of Greeks made her an asset once rehearsals began.
Another special piece of this film for Polymenis is the footage she shot in Greece in August of 2023. The film itself was shot on a Sony FX9 while the Greece footage was filmed on a Panasonic GH5 ii. All of the Greece footage was shot on various parts of the island of Chios which is located in the east Aegean Sea. Chios is home to the majority of Polymenis' Greek family and a few of them are featured in the footage. The most striking figure in the Greece footage is Polymenis' Yiayia (Grandmother) who plays a key role in the film for Lia's character. Most of the footage embodies a first person documentary style perspective which fit well within Polymenis' vision for the film as it's almost like Lia's character is recounting these images as they are her own.
The footage makes a few appearances in the film in what Polymenis describes as "dissociative" moments for Lia's character. "It's especially the sounds of Greece that are a huge que for the change in visuals," Polymenis says. "We all have these moments - at least I like to think we do - where we wish we were somewhere else. Almost like a piece of us is left somewhere and we can't quite get back there due to our more present circumstances." Enjoy some more stills from the final film below which was edited by Editor Angelina Velis and colored by our Colorist Tatum Ostos.
Please also enjoy this brief album of behind the scenes photos of our cast and crew by BTS Photographer Coco Becker.
