PATRIMONIAL FEARS AND OTHER SYMPTOMS
Elina Psykou
Homemade Films, StudioBauhaus / Red Carpet Films
GR / BG
DINOS is the father of LAKIS and Lakis is the father of KONSTANTINOS. All three of them are chubby and scared. Will their fears vanish when DAVID COPPERFIELD makes the Acropolis disappear?
Three generations of men, each on their own mission: widower DINOS, seeks company to go to Hawaii; his magician son LAKIS, must contact DAVID COPPERFIELD, to beg for his help; and Lakis’ son KONSTANTINOS, searches for his missing wife. They are chubby and scared. Will their fears vanish when Copperfield makes the Acropolis disappear?
ELINA PSYKOU / IMDB
ELINA’s first feature, THE ETERNAL RETURN OF ANTONIS PARASKEVAS, won the Works in Progress Award at the Karlovy Vary IFF in 2012 and premiered at the Berlinale Forum in 2013. During that same year, Variety singled her out as one of the “10 European Directors to Watch” and in 2014, she won the first-time director award from the Hellenic Film Academy. Her second feature, SON OF SOFIA, won the Works in Progress Award at the Les Arcs EFF in 2015, and premiered in competition at the Tribeca FF in 2017, where it won the Best International Narrative Feature Award. Currently, she is at the production of her first documentary, STRAY BODIES supported by Creative Europe and Eurimages.
Director’s statement
PATRIMONIAL FEARS AND OTHER SYMPTOMS is a story about the little, daily personalized fears that do not allow us to communicate directly and honestly but restrict and suffocate us instead. A story about the great collective fears, which we inherit from our family, religion, homeland, and that make us feel guilty, threaten us, control us.
The film will be defined by a subtle humor that stems from the absurd, mainly achieved by the choice of shots and pace. The cinematography, sets and costumes will be stylized to enhance the film’s realism, attempting to build a world between the real and the fairy tale. The spaces will be full, carrying the heroes’ burden, while the costumes will be gaudy, giving extra weight to the already existing weight of the bodies. Round figures, crammed in rooms, not fitting anywhere and carrying all this hereditary weight that they are expected to relinquish.
MARIA DRANDAKI / IMDB
MARIA DRANDAKI founded her own production label Homemade Films in 2009. With a taste for sharp, cutting edge, innovative cinema, Maria has produced and co-produced several successful short and feature films, which participated and won awards in many international film festivals (Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Locarno, Toronto, Rotterdam, IDFA, EFA, BAFTA, Palm Springs, etc.) and got distributed in movie theatres, TV channels and platforms around the world. She is a member of the EAVE and ACE Producers’ network.
KONSTANTINOS VASSILAROS / IMDB
KONSTANTINOS VASSILAROS recently completed Araceli Lemos’ HOLY EMY, in co-production with France and US, which premiered in Locarno FF 2021 and won Special Mention. In pre-production he has Orfeas Peretzis’ debut RIVIERA, developed through Midpoint and presented at Crossroads. The film has also secured MEDIA support and the Franco-Greek fund with co-producer Alexandre Gavras. In financing are Elina Psykou’s 3rd film PATRIMONIAL FEARS AND OTHER SYMPTOMS, presented at Berlinale’s Co-Pro Market, together with Homemade Films, and Thomas Künstler’s stop-motion animation debut MARKOS. Konstantinos is an EAVE & Ties That Bind alumni.
Producer's statement:
Elina's films boldly tell stories of people in turmoil, in need of change: seemingly boring lives filled with fear, people in dire need of real connection. Yet Elina's look on these characters is tender, playful, and we share her desire to find humour in the trivial or unexpected of their lives. The three male characters are presented through a female gaze full of empathy for the place of men in our society. We joined forces, as we believe that a collaborative approach, with each of our skills and time complementing one another, would be most effective for this ambitious production. Elina met David Copperfield in 2019, and we have kept in touch with his agent regarding his potential participation. We are currently a Greek-Bulgarian co-production and we are looking for two more co-producers to come on board. On a funding level, the project has received the support of the Greek Film Centre, ERT, Creative Europe - Media Slate Funding and Ekome, the automatic Greek cash rebate scheme.
Where are we at?
Total estimated budget: 1.328.500 €
Finances pending: 625.000 €
Financing in place: 703.500 €
Production timeline
Spring 2022: Initial casting and location scouting.
Summer - Winter 2022: CineLink Co-Production Market. Funding applications in co-producers’ countries.
Spring 2023: Follow up with key partners at EFM & Cannes. Final co-production structure in place. Application to Eurimages.
Summer 2023: Result from Eurimages. Confirm shooting locations, casting and creative team availability.
Autumn 2023: Pre-production.
Winter 2023: Start of principal photography.
Winter 2024: World premiere.
Production company profile
HOMEMADE FILMS is an Athens-based production and distribution company, founded in 2009 as a production label for Maria Drandaki. Since then, it has produced and co-produced several successful shorts and features, which participated and won awards in many international film festivals (Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Locarno, Toronto, Rotterdam, IDFA, EFA, etc.). Homemade Films offers film services in Greece, collaborating on a regular basis with various producers for projects from all around the world. The company is a member of the EAVE and ACE Producers’ network and the Hellenic Producers Association.