Filming is under way in Chania for Recrucified, the new feature by Greek director Theo Papadoulakis, known for the multi-award-winning series The Island. The film is a contemporary adaptation of Christ Recrucified, one of Nikos Kazantzakis’ most celebrated novels.

The story unfolds in the near future, on a remote Greek island under foreign occupation, where Manolis, a young street artist with a speech disorder, struggles to find his place. Because of the tolerance of his father, the island’s chief security officer, Manolis has learned to live recklessly, skirting the limits of the occupiers’ laws. One night, he and his friends desecrate a statue of Christ. Under pressure from the Greek bishop, his father is forced to discipline him. Faced with the threat of brutal punishment, Manolis betrays his friends, joins the Security Corps and is forced to portray Christ in the Passion Play — a lavish production directed by the bishop himself for the celebration of Easter, with the blessing of the foreign commander. But when a local fisherman rescues a group of Greek refugees who have defected from a neighbouring island, Manolis becomes witness — and accomplice — to their cruel treatment. Torn between guilt and awakening, will he finally find his voice and take a stand against injustice?

The cast includes accomplished Greek and Italian actors such as Anastasis Laoulakos (The Right Pocket of the Robe [+leggi anche:
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Papadoulakis has co-written the script with Alexandra Dyrani-Maouni, and he notes that his adaptation is an “allegory of faith, power and spiritual awakening that drives its young protagonist towards uprising and sacrifice. Recrucified is a bold, contemporary allegory of the Passion of Christ, a reimagining of ancient tragedy for a new era, faithful to the spirit of Nikos Kazantzakis from which it draws its inspiration.”

Speaking exclusively to Cineuropa, he adds: “Among the issues addressed in Recrucified are climate change, migration, power and, primarily, what we are doing to help the person in need next to us. How complacent have we become and how willing are we to step out of our comfort zone? That's where change for the common good begins. There are no grandiose plans to save the world; there is only ‘who's next to me and how can I help them?’”

Producer Ioanna Davi also commented to Cineuropa: “It will be a Kazantzakis we've never seen before. Recrucified retains the essence of his work and its timeless narratives, but visually, it brings something very different to the screen. It is very important for us not to betray those who have read Kazantzakis and love him, but at the same time introduce him to an audience that has yet to discover him.”

Shooting began at the end of October in the old town of Chania and across the wider Chania region, and will run until 10 December, before moving to Italy’s Lazio region. Nikos Welter serves as director of photography, Jean Luc Simon as editor, Giorgos Georgiou as set designer and Natassa Sarri as costume designer, while Minos Matsas composes the score.

Recrucified is being produced by Ioanna Davi and Dimitris Xenakis for Chania-based Indigo View Productions, in co-production with Claudio Esposito for The Piranesi Experience, Alexander Dumreicher Ivanceau and Bady Minck for Amour Fou Luxembourg, Marinos Charalambous for Boycott Films, and Greek pubcaster ERT SA, in partnership with Custom Productions. It has received support from the Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center (EKKOMED), Film Fund Luxembourg, the Deputy Ministry of Culture of Cyprus (Department of Contemporary Culture), the Italian Ministry of Culture and Lazio Cinema International. Additional support comes from Creative Europe – MEDIA, the Hellenic Ministry of Culture’s Ephorate of Antiquities of Chania, the Region of Crete, the Municipality of Chania and the Kazantzakis Museum. Distribution in Greece is handled by Tanweer Greece.