A poignant character study about the darker side of tourism
Over the course of a hot Greek summer, a group of young performers provide entertainment for seasonal tourists at the tawdry island resort Hotel Mirage. Under the guidance of Kalia, now in her 30s and returning for her ninth year, the group stages activities: bingo and water aerobics by day, cabaret and clubbing by night. Drunken revelries and hookups with random tourists are routine. As the summer stretches on and takes its toll on her body, Kalia begins to doubt her choices.
An incisive and poignant character study of a woman in decline, with a sensational performance from lead actress Dimitra Vlagopoulou. With the tourism industry’s expectation of ceaseless entertainment as its backdrop, Animal is an exploration of committing oneself to a path that trades on never-ending youth.
Best Performance, Locarno Film Festival 2023, 2023, ch
Crew United Award for Meet the Future, Best Actress, Golden Alexander Award, Thessaloniki Film Festival, 2029, gr
Vanguard Award, Vancouver International Film Festival, 2023, ca
Prix Europa, Festival Cinéma Méditerranéen de Bruxelles, 2023, be
Sofia Exarchou
Sofia Exarchou is a Greek film director and screenwriter. She studied electrical engineering at the Athens Polytechnic, film direction at the Stavrakos Film School, theatre at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting in New York, and film and audiovisual studies at the ESAV in Toulouse. Her debut feature, Park, won the New Directors Award at San Sabastian IFF. Animal is her second feature-length film.
