ERTFLIX, the digital on-demand entertainment platform by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), has released a list of its latest offerings for users of the platfom in Greece and abroad.
The selection encompasses new content, accessible to Greeks everywhere, featuring award-winning films from Greek cinema, documentaries and ERT’S TV shows.
“ERTFLIX is the Netflix of ERT, and its international version is designed for Greeks living abroad, providing them the opportunity to watch ERT programs live and on demand at any time of the day, 24/7,” ERT President Konstantinos Zoulas recently explained in an exclusive interview with Neos Kosmos.
Zoulas had then revealed details of an ongoing project for the creation of a digital museum with stories of Greek migrants in Australia.
“Through collaboration with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, ERT, through the Directorate of the Greek Diaspora, has become a co-producer of the documentary series “Our people, Their Stories,” which will soon be part of the ERTFLIX program.”
“Having lived abroad myself, I always remember seeking not only news from my homeland but also staying informed about what is happening in Greece in general. I hope all Greeks abroad will embrace our effort,” Zoulas said.
Below, the comprehensive list of new content added to the platform:
GREEK CINEMA – FEATURE FILMS
Love is an Elephant directed by Stratos Tzitzis
We follow three love stories, whose protagonists are completely misguided in how they express love. The first story unfolds through the wild rhythm of clubs, the second centers around a love story within the working class, and the third deals with an unexpected and illicit love affair of the upper social class. Together, they touch on the theme, but none of them reach any clear conclusion, as all predictions regarding their outcome are overturned.
Starring Alekos Syssovitis, Dimitra Matsouka, Thodoris Atheridis, Anna Maria Papaharalambous, Babis Chatzidakis, Eva Vlahakou, Filippos Sofianos, Alexandra Palaiologou, Takis Papamatthaiou, Sakis Boulas, Dimitris Mavropoulos, and others.
Written and Directed by Stratos Tzitzis.
Babylonia by Giorgos Dizikirikis
Nafplion 1827. The members of the group having fun at the Bastias restaurant come from different parts of Greece. Among them are a man from Chios, a man from Arvana, an “intellectual”, a man from Morea, and a Cretan. During the feast, a fight breaks out and the man from Arvana injures the Cretan in the arm. The Ionian Police Officer Giorgos Fantes is called on the spot and tries to find out if this is a premeditated action or a random event. Mayhem follows because each person involved speaks a different dialect, as a result of which everyone is sent to prison…
Starring Elias Logothetis, Athanodoros Proutsalis, Yiannis Kontoulis, Ria Deloutsi, Thanos Papadopoulos, Evangelia Samiotaki, and others.
Directed by Giorgos Dizikirikis.
On the Time of Hellenes directed by Lakis Papastathis
In 1900, a group of bandits kidnaps a young bourgeois and takes refuge in the mountains, waiting for a ransom for his release. The young man develops a friendship with the leader of the bandits and realizes that the life of these outlaws is much more authentic than his own. The film includes references to Vizyinos, Papadiamantis, and folk culture: old leaflets, mythical figures, Roman traditions and rituals, and deep religiosity, all set against the backdrop of the harsh Greek mountain landscape.
Screenplay – Direction: Lakis Papastathis
Starring: Kostas Arzoglou, Alexis Damianos, Giorgos Sabanis, Yvonne Maltezou, Giorgos Kotanidis, Mimis Chrysomallis, Nena Menti, Tolis Polatos, Stavros Mermigkis, Michael Marmarinos, and others.
Journey to Mytilene directed by Lakis Papastahtis
The film follows the story of a modern-day hero, Kostas, who returns to his homeland, Mytilene, after twenty years in Paris. The catalyst for his return is the inheritance of his family home. The protagonist left the island at eighteen to study film in Paris and never returned since. A heavy family history kept him away. Upon his return, he encounters those of his relatives who are still alive and vividly remembers those who have permanently departed from life. Memories of his childhood at the age of ten, the time when dramatic events occurred in his family, come flooding back to his mind… Both the living and the dead make him fall in love with his homeland again. The relationship with Eleni, the dynamic and sensitive doctor who works at the nursing home in Mytilene, plays a pivotal role and opens new paths in his life.
Starring: Christos Hatzipanagiotis, Maria Zorba, Dimitris Kataleifos, Mirka Papakonstantinou, Eleni Gerasimidou, Smaragda Smyrnaiou, Loukia Michalopoulou and others.
Uranya by Kostas Kapakas
Summer 1969, dictatorship. In a small town, a group of five teenagers, Aris, Achilles, Thomas, Fanourios, and Fotis, grow up with dreams, prejudices, secrets, lies, and passions, both “family” and political. However, this particular summer will mark their dreams… Urania is a prostitute who lives just outside the village. From her little house by the sea, all the men of the village pass through. The children watch her, tease her, and dream of her. A common oath binds them secretly: to gather money so that Urania can initiate them into the mystery of love.
Starring: Aris Tsapis, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Andreas Kyriakakis, Giorgos Liatis, Michalis Tsirakis, Nikos Vasilikiotis, Dimitris Piatas, Taxiarchis Hanos, Giorgos Souxes, Tasos Palantzidis, Konstantina Michailidou, Christina Mantesi, Fotini Baxevani and others.
Such a long absence by Stavros Tsiolis
Angeliki, a girl described by her mother as someone who “creates her own world with her mind,” revolts when her family decides to institutionalize her catatonic sister, Alexandra. She takes her sister from there and drives her to their hometown in the Peloponnese, where the climate is also hostile and ominous for the two women. Pursued, they return to the capital, where they lock themselves in an apartment, and in a desperate attempt to defend their freedom, Angeliki barricades herself and nails the door.
The film was honored with the awards Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Cinematography, as well as a Special Mention by Critics, at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in 1985.
Direction – Screenplay: Stavros Tsiolis.
SHORT FILMS
Patision Avenue, directed by Thanasis Neofotistos
In the highly acclaimed long take shot by Thanasis Neofotistos, filmed in the center of Athens, a woman is confronted with life’s greatest dilemmas. Giannis’ mom, as she heads to an audition for the role of Shakespeare’s Viola, discovers that her son has been left alone at home. Walking down Patision Avenue, one of the most contradictory areas in the center of Athens, she will struggle to balance all the roles in her life through her cell phone. Five major awards, premiere at the Venice Film Festival, and over 100 competitive entries in international festivals.
192 Nausikaa, directed by Angelos Spartalis
In Homer’s Odyssey, Princess Nausicaa, daughter of the king of the Phaeacians, and her friends are the first characters in world literature to play ball.
According to one version, the goddess Athena altered the course of the ball to lead Nausicaa to Odysseus.
After 3217 years, Diego Armando Maradona declared that the same thing happened to him in the goal that remained in history as “The Hand of God”.
Bella, directed by Thelgia Petraki
Greece 1986-1987, a little before the fall of State Socialism and just at the end of the Cold War. In Anthi’s eyes, the country changes, the world changes, and with them, Christos seems to change too.
Starring Elena Topalidou, Nikos Kouris, Elena Megreli, Adonis Chatzipopis and Theofania Dokou.
37 Days, directed by Nikoleta Leousi
When Maria, a young pregnant woman is fired, she goes on a birth strike.
A production by Marni Films, in co-production with ERT and G.F.C.
Starring: Elli Tringou, Giannis Tsortekis, Katerina Lypiridou, Giorgos Katsis, Ioanna Mavrea, and Argyris Bakirtzis.
The Village directed, by Stelios Polychronakis
The Greek short film “The Village” written and directed by Stelios Polychronakis with the stop-motion animation technique, won 2 awards at the Drama Film Festival, has participated in over 20 international festivals, and is the first Greek film to compete at the Annecy Festival in France. It deals with the intense urbanization of our time, and the centralization and desertification of Greek villages.
A Night at the Cemetery, directed by Stelios Polychronakis
Mrs. Maria, a petite and cheerful old lady from Crete, goes, as she does every week, to the cemetery to take care of the grave of her beloved Mr. Giannis. But on the way back home the bus breaks down, and Mrs. Maria is forced to spend a whole night in the cemetery!
Mine directed, by Daphne Xourafi
Amina is a girl who lives in the big city and works from home on her laptop. When the pressures of adulthood become overwhelming, her house comes alive in strange and unusual ways, forcing her to face an unseen enemy to save the day.
DOCUMENTARIES
The Rumble of the World, directed by Petros Sevastikoglou
Greece, Russia, USA, Brazil, China, Senegal.
Meeting young people in these countries, we felt their pulse foreshadowing a rumble and an explosion. The fall of communism, the crisis of capitalism, environmental disasters, migration waves, and globalization were the themes that popped up on our travels. The young generation is on the front line, exposed, helpless, and no longer able to envision a more optimistic future. This “Rumble” was the “voice” of the new generation. Their words, images, sounds, and music compose the notes of an audiovisual symphony titled: The Rumble of the World.
Screenplay – Direction – Cinematography: Petros Sevastikoglou
Unknown Journey, directed by Christos Giatrakos
The documentary presents the underwater discovery of the well at Sklives mine, by the team Addicted2H2O and records the exploratory dive, which was filmed and was the first in a flooded part of a mining gallery in Greece. The operation started on September 7th, 2020 by mine divers Henrikos Kranidiotis and Stelios Stamatakis.
The team, in collaboration with 8Film Productions and director Christos Giatrakos, completed the production of a documentary that had an international presence in 12 festivals and received 4 awards, among which best short documentary film at the London festival.
TV SHOWS
Book Club – Season 3
Giorgos Archimandritis reacquaints viewers with classic works that have shaped the history of the human intellect with their narrative world, language, and aesthetics. From Arthur Rimbaud to Toni Morrison, Philip Roth, and Milan Kundera, the recommended books are a reading guide for everyone, an “ideal library” of timeless masterpieces that continue to enchant and fascinate us.
Directed by Michalis Lykoudis
Hosted by Giorgos Archimandritis
Greek Acts – Season 8
“GREEK ACTS” travels, records, and presents timeless cultural expressions of people and places. The journey, the music, the myth, the dance, the world. This is the show’s destination. The protagonist is the human being, along with his mythical ancestors, as positioned in local cultural events. Where human adventure is characteristically detected, in its authentic expression, in the depth of time.
The show travels, investigates, and reveals a fascinating human geography
Directed by Antonis Tsavalos