Parallel Screening and discussion with the audience
THE BUTLER by Anna Kannava (ENG with GR subtitles)
Discussion moderated by Queer Wave’s director, Diego Armando Aparicio.
12 April 2023
20:30, Theatro Polis OPAP
Free admissions
THE BUTLER (Australia, 1997, 58’)
Writer/Director: Anna Kannava
Producer: John Cruthers
Cinematographer: Firooz Malekzadeh
Editor: James Manche
Anna Kannava’s great autobiographical film, set in Melbourne, Australia, as she now approaches 40 years of age, and with a severe illness (scleroderma). Anna has a special bond with her brother Nino (her “butler”, helping her). Archival footage plus acted scenes make this a comprehensive overview of Anna’s life after migrating from Cyprus as a teenager.
I’d much rather see a film which pushes the boundaries and takes risks because even if it doesn’t completely work such a film is likely to liberate and illuminate me. My love for film stems from my love for all arts. Filmmaking comes the closest to incorporating all of the arts together. If the actors are not moving then the camera does or just the fact that film consists of jumping from frame to frame, from shot to shot, to me is a dance. There is the rhythm of the shots and flow of the film from beginning to end, another a dance, a piece of music. Then there are the colours, textures, patterns, shades and light in each shot and frame like in a painting or a photograph. I love the power of sound, the word and the theatrical aspects of film. Perhaps I see myself as a collage artist; I try to mix and clash all the different elements and styles within the one film. – Anna Kannava, 2004
Anna Kannava (1959-2011) grew up in Melbourne after migrating from Cyprus at the age of fifteen in 1974. She completed a Bachelor of Education in Drama and Media at Deakin University where she studied drama, film, screenwriting, photography and fine art. She directed several plays and short films and worked as a writer, actor, director and animator. In 2003 she filmed her first feature film Dreams for Life, which was released in Australia in 2005. In 2008, she completed her second feature, Kissing Paris. She wrote two novels, Stefanos of Limassol (published) and So Much Joy – Lisboa! (unpublished).