Thelyia Petraki
Greece | 2020 | 24 min
World premiere
Languages : Greek, English
Subtitles : English, French
Just before the Berlin Wall came tumbling down, at the end of the Cold War. Everything is changing in front of Anthi’s eyes and Christos seems to be changing too. Bella is the story of a moment in time recreated as if in a feverish dream where fiction and documentary overlap perfectly, creating a striking and emotional cinematographic universe.
Greece 1986-1987: a few years before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War. Anthi dreams about humane ideals, the revolution and most of all saving the world. She struggles on a daily basis to keep everything afloat: the family debt, the bills, raising her teenage son and even dealing with the issues regarding the adoption of a girl. She misses Christos though. Christos is away on a business trip to Moscow. Everything is changing and Christos seems to be far away. “The story is based on true events and characters”, declares director Thelyia Petraki. “Some of whom I have personally met. I met Anthi by reading her letters to Christos and the film is based on these very letters. I was so touched by the unique way - maybe even a little utopian - she experienced life, perceived the world and loved people. Additionally, while reading her letters, I myself recalled personal memories from my childhood and reminisced about images and events which I would love to bring back to life and experience all over again through this film”. An extraordinary and stunning film where documentary and fiction overlap seamlessly.
Giona A. Nazzaro
