“Red cheek. Red blood.”
Mitch, a 13-year-old tomboy, is suddenly confronted with the weight of a local custom when she gets her first period. “So you’ll have the strength to bear pain now that you’re a woman,” her grandmother says, marking the transition with a sting. Mitch, however, might have taken that lesson the wrong way.
This story is the inspiration of director Gevi Dimitrakopoulou, who gave me the opportunity to step into her world for a year of deep collaboration. Together, we worked on character development and refined the final screenplay, navigating the delicate balance between a young girl’s reality and the ancient traditions that seek to claim her.
For over five intensive days, in a small seaside village in the Peloponnese, a collective of immensely talented people gave their best selves to transform this script into cinema. The film was deeply loved and celebrated at the International Drama Film Festival, where it was honored with the Onassis Film Award and the Best Leading Actress Award for our lead, Filia Papagelidi.
Credits
Cast: Filia Papagelidi, Agapi Zoi Saltogianni, Kaiti Manolidaki, Vassilis Koutsiogiannis // Written & Directed by: Gevi Dimitrakopoulou // Produced by: Iro Aidoni, Mina Dreki // Executive Producer: Theodora Valenti // Co-produced by: Greek Film Centre (GFC), ERT (Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation) // Casting: Sophia Dimopoulou (Ready2cast) //Director of Photography: Dimitris Lambridis Production // Design & Art Direction: Rectifier // Editor: Smaro Papaevangelou // Music: Kakia Goudina // Script Consultant: Stavroula Papadaki // Costume Design: Georgia Boura // Makeup & Hair Design: Vasiliki Kita // Sound Recording: Daphne Farazi // Sound Design & Mixing: Valia Tserou // 5.1 Mixing: Tone Studio (Kostas Fylaktidis) // Colorist: Manthos Sardis (A10 Productions)// 1st Assistant Director: Jo Kapralou // 2nd Assistant Director: Stavroula Papadaki // Script: Selini Papageorgiou // Production Manager: Efthimis Micheloudakis // 1st Assistant Camera: Asimina Dionysopoulou // 2nd Assistant Camera: Arsinoi Pilou // DIT: Themis Katsimichas // Gaffer: Vlasis Papapetropoulos // Electrician: Alexandros Daikos // 1st Production Assistant: Petros Delatolas // 2nd Production Assistant: Giannos Marinis // Prop Master: Kostas Barlis // Construction: Giannis Damigos // Graphic Design: Manos Athanasiadis // Title & Poster Design: Korina Gallika