The Journey of Askavlos
- event type:WOMEX 21 Film Library
- date:28 Oct 2021 - 30 Oct 2021
- time:11:00 - 17:00
- city/area:Porto
- venue:Film Library, Conference Area - Foyer, Alfândega do Porto
- country:Portugal
- event posted by:Piranha Arts
Directed by Yorgos Arvanitis
Duration 52’ | Greek with English subtitles
The Greek bagpipe, the askavlos, is being revived in the hands of musicians dedicated to restoring and maintaining this ancient tradition. Slowly but surely, the instrument finds its way to the city, where modern musicians bring it into the contemporary music scene. The viewer becomes a witness to this revival and, alongside the protagonists, discovers a thing almost lost: the customs and an ethos of a people of another era, and an oral tradition that was once a way of life, preserved over the centuries.
Yorgos Arvanitis was born in 1978. After studying Business Administration in Larissa, he attended seminars by Wim Wenders and Fatih Akin at the University of Fine Arts in Hamburg. He has worked on short films as an assistant director and has written, directed and produced short films and short documentaries. The Journey of Askavlos is his first feature documentary.
Yorgos Arvanitis will be present at WOMEX 21.
Production Country and Year Greece, 2020
Producer Yorgos Arvanitis
Director of Photography Zoi Dalaina, Markus Haaser
Sound Sönke Strohkark, Thodoris Babouris, Vasilis Athanasas, Anastasios Karadedos
Editor Chronis Theocharis
The Journey of Askavlos is available in 2 versions. One for cinemas and one for television.
The cinema version has a running time of 88 minutes, while the television version has a running time of 52 minutes.