Draft:Το Καλοκαίρι της Κάρμεν (The Summer with Carmen)

Το Καλοκαίρι της Κάρμεν (English: The Summer with Carmen) is an emotional and comedic queer film of 2023 directed by Zacharias Mavroides (Greek: Ζαχαρία Μαυροειδή). The main actors are Giorgos Tsiantoulas and Andreas Lampropoulos, playing two friends (Demosthenes and Nikitas) who reminisce about a remarkable summer with a dog named Carmen while brainstorming ideas for Nikitas' next film. It is a color film with a runtime of 1 hour and 46 minutes. The movie was produced by Argonauts SA in collaboration with Atalante Productions SA.

Plot

Two best friends, Demosthenes and Nikitas, meet at the beach to spend time together. Nikitas is anxious about his idea for a screenplay, as it represents a major opportunity for his career. Demosthenes suggests they write it together and base it on the summer of Carmen. Through a series of flashbacks, the two men recall the events of the summer two years earlier. Demosthenes had just broken up with his partner, Panos, and was looking for distractions. Nikitas, striving to become an actor, decided to adapt his play Sisters (Greek: Αδερφές) into a film script with Demosthenes’ help. However, Demosthenes' brief and superficial relationships with men, his father's injury, and Carmen's condition caused complications. In the present, imagining their lives as a fairy tale helps them understand the conflicts in their friendship and the ways they have grown.

Cast and Film Crew

Actors

• Giorgos Tsiantoulas as Demosthenes
• A civil servant and former actor who struggles to balance friendship, family, and love.
• Andreas Lampropoulos as Nikitas
• A director and former actor who is Demosthenes' best friend and confidant, collaborating with him on screenplays while navigating relationship challenges.
• Roumpini Vasilakopoulou as Kaiti
• Demosthenes’ mother, who offers her son advice while caring for her ailing husband.
• Nikolaos Michas as Panos
• Demosthenes’ ex-partner, who adopts a sweet dog named Carmen.
• Vasilis Tsigrisraris as Thymios
• Demosthenes’ new love interest, who teaches him valuable lessons.
• Zak Sima as Kostakis
• A friend of both Demosthenes and Nikitas.
• Lena Giaka as a Ministry Official
• Demosthenes’ colleague.

Production

• Director - Zacharias Mavroidis
• Authors- Fondas Chalatsis, Zacharias Mavroidis
• Producer - Ioanna Bolomytis
• Composer- Ted Reglis

Response

Most critics and viewers loved the film and said that the film is enjoyable, very contemporary, and has a good narrative. The film received a rating of 7.2/10 on IMDb and 83% in Rotten Tomatoes. Viewers loved seeing two gay heroes who are just friends, not partners. And they especially loved the protagonist, Giorgos Tsiantoulas, and the energy he brings to the role of Demosthenes.

Other critics think the story is entertaining, but the film goes nowhere. They say the film uses too much time to show Demosthenes' sex life and not enough time to show Nikitas' story or the change in Demosthenes' character. There are also reviews saying that the plot and chronology were confusing.

Awards

Το Καλοκαίρι της Κάρμεν έχει 4 βραβεία και 16 υποψηφιότητες. Στο Φεστιβάλ Κινηματογράφου Θεσσαλονίκης, κέρδισε το Βραβείο Γοργόνα για ΛΟΑΤΚΙ σινεμά και το Βραβείο Κριτικής Επιτροπής Νέων, στο Διεθνές Φεστιβάλ Κινηματογράφου FEST, κέρδισε το Βραβείο Merlinka Queer Film, και στο Festival Cinéma Méditerranéen de Bruxelles κέρδισε το Βραβείο Καλύτερης Ταινίας. Επιπλέον, Tο καλοκαίρι της Κάρμεν ήταν υποψήφια από την Ελληνική Ακαδημία Κινηματογράφου για το Βραβείο Σκηνοθεσίας, το Βραβείο Μεγάλου Μήκους Ταινίας Μυθοπλασίας, το Βραβείο Σεναρίου, το Βραβείο Β΄ Ανδρικού Ρόλου, το Βραβείο Β΄ Γυναικείου Ρόλου,το Βραβείο Μοντάζ, το Βραβείο Ενδυματολογίας, το Βραβείο Ήχου, το Βραβείο Σχεδιασμού Μακιγιάζ, Κομμώσεων και Ειδικών Εφφέ, το Βραβείο Φωτογραφίας, το Βραβείο Σκηνογραφίας, και το Βραβείο Πρωτότυπης Μουσικής. Και ήταν υποψήφια από το Διεθνές Φεστιβάλ Κινηματογράφου Βενετίας για το Βραβείο Giornate degli Autori και το Βραβείο Queer Lion και από το Φεστιβάλ Κινηματογράφου Sunny Bunny LQBTQIA+ για το Βραβείο Sunny Bunny και το Βραβείο Κοινού.