Comme des lions de pierre à l'entrée de la nuit
Olivier Zuchuat
Switzerland, France, Greece | 2012 | 87 min
World premiere
Languages : French, Greek
Subtitles : French, English
Between 1948 and 1951, 80,000 Greek citizens – suspected of being part of the “Communist threat” – were interned on the small island of Makronissos. They included many writers who, despite their sufferings and torture, wrote poems about their life/survival in this concentration camp environment. These texts, in some cases buried in the camp grounds, have been recovered. Comme des lions de pierre à l’entrée de la nuit alternates these poetic writings with the propaganda and re-education material that was constantly broadcast over the camp’s loudspeakers. Long travelling shots explore the ruins and “clash” with the photographic archives. A cinematographic essay which seeks to ensure that a forgotten episode finds its place in the public imagination. A film which “lets images speak”, to use an expression dear to Jean-Daniel Pollet, another singer of forgotten suffering and of a Mediterranean made of stones which bear eloquent witness.
Carlo Chatrian
Translation BMP Translations
