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FESTIVALS / AWARDS Greece

Digger dominates the 12th Greek Iris Awards

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- The Berlinale Panorama-premiered feature by first-time director Georgis Grigorakis has snagged ten of the Hellenic Film Academy’s awards

Digger dominates the 12th Greek Iris Awards
The winners of the 12th Greek Iris Awards

There was one clear winner at the 12th edition of the Iris Awards, organised by the Hellenic Film Academy, as Georgis Grigorakis’ debut feature, Digger [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Georgis Grigorakis
film profile
]
, received the Best Film Award and nine more gongs from among the 14 that it had been nominated for, during last night’s ceremony. Produced by Athina Rachel Tsangari, Maria Hatzakou and Chrysanthi Karfi Koi, in co-production with Gabrielle Dumon, Nikos Katsaounis, Ernst Fassbender, Fenia Cossovitsa and Anna Nikolaou, the film is a contemporary western about a native farmer who lives and works alone in a farmhouse in the heart of a mountain forest in Northern Greece. For years now, he has been fighting against an ever-expanding industrial monster that is digging up the forest, disturbing the lush flora and threatening his property.

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Among the prizes handed out for Digger, Grigorakis received those for Best Director, Best First-time Director and Best Screenplay, while Vangelis Mourikis was crowned with the Best Leading Actor Award and George Karvelas with Best Cinematography. As for the remaining four gongs, they were on the technical side, with the movie receiving the Irises for Best Production Design, Best Sound, Best Make-up, and Best Special and Visual Effects.

Another Berlinale Panorama-premiered drama, Pari [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Siamak Etemadi
film profile
]
by Iranian-born, Athens-based debuting writer-director Siamak Etemadi, snagged two Irises in total: Best Actress in a Leading Role for Melika Foroutan and Best Editing for Panos Voutsaras. Also, Tailor [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sonia Liza Kenterman
film profile
]
by first-time filmmaker Sonia Liza Kenterman, which premiered at last year’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, scooped two awards: Best Original Score for Nikos Kypourgos and Best Costume Design for Julie Lebrun.

As for the remaining acting accolades, Vasiliki Kallimani, in her first role, snagged the Best Actress in a Supporting Role Iris for Ballad for a Pierced Heart [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 by Yiannis Economides, while Stathis Stamoulakatos picked up Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Amercement [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
by Fokion Bogris.

Here is the full list of winners at the 2021 Greek Iris Awards:

Best Film
Digger [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Georgis Grigorakis
film profile
]
– Georgis Grigorakis (Greece/France)

Best Documentary Film
The Unknown Athenians – Angeliki Antoniou (Greece/Germany)

Best Minority Co-production
Sow the Wind [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Danilo Caputo
film profile
]
– Danilo Caputo (Italy/France/Greece)

Best Short Film
Bella – Thelyia Petraki (Greece)

Best Short Documentary Film
Teo, my neighbor – Christos Karteris (Greece)

Best Short Animated Film
Sevarambes – George Kontos (Greece)

Best Short Student Film
Violetta – Foivos Imellos (Greece)

Best Director
Georgis Grigorakis – Digger

Best First-time Director
Georgis Grigorakis – Digger

Best Screenplay
Georgis Grigorakis – Digger

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Vangelis Mourikis – Digger

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Melika Foroutan – Pari [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Siamak Etemadi
film profile
]
(Greece/France/Netherlands/Bulgaria)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Stathis Stamoulakatos – Amercement [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
(Greece)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Vasiliki Kallimani – Ballad for a Pierced Heart [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
 (Greece/Cyprus/France/Germany)

Best Cinematography
Giorgos Karvelas – Digger

Best Editing
Panos Voutsaras – Pari

Best Original Score
Nikos Kypourgos – Tailor [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sonia Liza Kenterman
film profile
]
(Greece/Germany/Belgium)

Best Production Design
Dafni Kalogianni – Digger

Best Costume Design
Julie Lebrun – Tailor

Best Sound
Leandros Ntounis, François Abdelnour, Simon Apostolou – Digger

Best Make-up
Ioanna Lygizou – Digger

Best Special and Visual Effects
Matthaios Voulgaris, Dafni Kalogianni, Arnaud Chelet – Digger

Honorary Awards
Mairi Hronopoulou
Giannis Papadakis

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