Chania Film Festival:Premiere of the Greek-Austrian film “Pelekanos”, Chania 18th October
A contemplative cinematic experience set against the wild nature of Crete premieres at the Chania Film Festival, set against the backdrop of the landscape of Azogyres in the Municipality of Kantanos-Selinou.
On Saturday, October 18, from 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM, the Chania Film Festival hosts the world premiere of the short film “Pelekanos” by director Lukas Ipsmiller. The screening marks the entry of a new film director onto the Greek film map and illuminates the landscape of southwestern Crete, through a deeply poetic and existential lens.
Shot entirely in Azogyres in the Municipality of Kantanos-Selinou, the film incorporates the unique natural environment of the area into its visual and narrative universe.
When nature becomes the protagonist
In an era of suffocating speed and information overload, “Pelekanos” comes to remind us of the power of silence, simplicity and interiority. Two men, withdrawn from the modern world, live at a pace that obeys nature and time, without haste, without voice.
The film reveals their world through flowing long shots, atmospheric sounds, and a nirvana-like flow that seems to dissolve time. Nature is not the setting – it is the very body of the narrative, the spirit and the rhythm.
The narration, in the voice of Maros Stavrou, functions as a thread that unites the philosophical dimension of the work with the physical experience of the viewers.
Inspired by François Jullien and Greek landscapes
Influenced by the philosophy of François Jullien, Lukas Ipsmiller presents a work that does not seek to explain, but to evoke a sensation. “Slowness”, “transformation without noise” and “integration into the landscape” are pillars of his cinematic writing.
Luca Sulzbach’s music, Sebastian Arlamovsky’s cinematography, and Zoë Schreckenberg’s editing combine to create an experience that touches on poetry.
International collaboration with Greek roots
The film is the result of a Greek-Austrian collaboration with key contributors:
Director: Lukas Ipsmiller
Screenplay: Lukas Ipsmiller & Sebastian Arlamovsky
Producer: Lukas Ipsmiller & Sebastian Arlamovsky
Actors: Loukas Manousakis, Eftychis Koukoutsakis
Director of photography: Sebastian Arlamovsky
Music: Luca Sulzbach
Narration: Maro Stavrou
Running time: 20 minutes
Countries of production: Austria – Greece
About the film director: Lukas Ipsmiller
Born in 1984 in Vienna, of Cypriot and Austrian descent, Lukas Ipsmiller is an interdisciplinary artist based in Athens, Vienna and Paris. Having studied Transmedia Art at the University of Applied Arts Vienna under the guidance of Brigitte Kowanz, he has focused on works that move between visual art, photography and cinema.
He has collaborated as an artistic assistant to Arman T. Riahi (director of “Everyday Rebellion”) and has received important scholarships, such as Pixel, Bytes and Film from the Austrian Ministry of the Arts in 2016, and in 2024 the international scholarship for a film project in Cyprus.
The Chania Film Festival welcomes for another year creators who focus on the local landscape as an artistic matrix. The choice of Azogyres as a filming location confirms the growing role of Crete in independent cinema, offering spaces full of symbolism and pristine beauty.
Source: chaniafilmfestival.com
More about this movie here.
