Blessings and Vows

Producer, director, script. © 2018 Katerina Zacharia, Athenoe productions.

Film Synopsis
An octogenarian villager, Mrs. Metaxia Anaplioti, kept her vow for 40 years, lighting a candle daily at the 11th century Byzantine church of Hagioi Theodoroi in Vamvaka, Mani, in Southern Greece. This act of piety contributes to her personal sense of identity. Keeping alive customs of the village forebearers by preserving the church across ten centuries sustains collective identity claims for the villagers. The continuity of customs must be protected much like the territory the church was originally built to protect, recycling building stones from earlier periods repurposed for the new construction. A sense of historical continuity is sustained as much by the pastiche of various historical periods in the building of the church, as by village memory, belief, imagination and narrative.Dedicated to the memory of Metaxia Anaplioti (1939-2018).

On the right under, "Other links and files" are three essays published in the peer reviewed journal Ergon (December 2021), complement the film, by reflecting on the folkloric, cultural, and diasporic discourses at play in Blessings and Vows.

AWARDS & PARTICIPATIONS​​​

The film screened at 36 film festivals in USA, Greece, UK, Italy, Romania, Argentina, Russia, Australia and received 9 awards.

1. Best Short FIlm, Byzanfest, Melbourne, Australia, November 6, 2022.

2. Best Director for Short film, Byzanfest, Melbourne, Australia, November 6, 2022.

3. Best Short Documentary, Byzanfest, Melbourne, Australia, November 6, 2022.

4. Best Short Documentary, Inca Imperial International Film Festival, Lima, Perú. May 18, 2020.

5. Best Short Documentary, Bridges International Film Festival of Peloponnese. January 29, 2020.

6. The Georgio Voyatsis Special Jury Award, Symi International Film Festival, Greece. August 15, 2019.

7. Best Documentary, Grecanica International Film Festival, Calabria, Italy. May 5, 2019.

8. Best Documentary for December 2018, Festigious Los Angeles Film Competition. 

9. Best Documentary (under 40 mins) for December 2018, Eurasia International Film Festival, Moscow.

10. Finalist, Long Story Shorts, International Film Fest, Bucharest. January 2020.

11. Finalist, Changing Face International Film Festival, Sydney, Australia. Nov. 15, 2019.

12. Finalist, Oniros Film Awards (100 best reviewed festivals 2018). May 31, 2019.

13. Finalist for December 2018, The Monthly Film Festival, Glasgow, UK. 

14. Semi-finalist, JellyFEST, biannual North Hollywood Film Festival. Aug. 1, 2019.

15. Semi-finalist, Best Short Documentary, Utah Film Festival and Awards. March 4, 2019.

16. Semi-finalist, AXD Short Film Festival, Alexandroupolis, Greece. Sept. 28, 2020.

17. Longlisted, 42nd International Short Film Festival, Drama, Greece. June 25, 2019.

18. Official Selection, The Lift Off Sessions, UK.

19. Official Selection, Dumbo Film Festival, Brooklyn, New York.

20. Official Selection, South Eastern European Film Festival, Los Angeles.

21. Official Selection, London Greek Film Festival, UK.

22. Official Selection, Moscow Shorts ISFF Awards.

23. Official Selection, International Documentary Festival of Ierapetra, Crete.

24. Official Selection, NYC Greek Film Festival.

25. Official Selection, West Side Mountains Doc Fest, Epirus, Greece.

26. Official Selection, Chania Film Festival, Crete, Greece.

27. Official Selection, Buenos Aires Film Festival, Argentina.

28. Official Selection, Under the Stars International Film Festival, Bari, Italy.

29. Official Selection, Nafplio International Film Festival - Bridges, Greece.

30. Official Selection, Bucharest ShortCut CineFest, Romania.

31. Official Selection, Psarokokalo International Short Film Festival, Athens, Greece.

32. Official Selection, Southern Cone International Film Festival, Valparaiso, Argentina.

33. Official Selection, Beyond Borders Film Festival, Kastellorizo, Greece.

34. Official Selection, Los Angeles Greek Film Festival.

35. Official Selection, Toronto Independent Film Festival of Cift.

36. Official Selection, Byzanfest, Melbourne, Australia.

The copyright of the depicted antiquities belongs to the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports © 2018 Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports - N. 3028/2002.