Athens, 2004 summer Olympic Games. 11-year-old Misha arrives from Russia to live with his mother, Sofia. What he doesn’t know is that there is a father waiting for him there.

Interview with Writer/Director Elina Psykou

Watch Son Of Sofia on Kanopy, Prime Video and Vudu

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

To tell a story about childhood and thus find a connection with my own childhood.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

Because once you were a kid, too.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

They work in a very connected way. What began as a personal experience or memory came to be something so different that now even I can’t recognize my first impulse. Also, kids are kids anywhere in the world and their feelings don’t change, so the personal becomes universal in a very organic way.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?

They have evolved a great deal. I worked on the script during the Berlinale Residency with a script consultant and then the film kept evolving during all its stages (preproduction, production, editing). It was a really creative process.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The feedback has been great so far! But the first screening with an audience is next week, so we have to wait till then…

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

The feedback always gives you a different point of view about the movie. Listening to what somebody understands or feels having seen the film, is great. It’s so satisfying when you see that your movie creates so many different emotions, some of which you never even thought about…

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I would like to entice the spectators to come to the festival and discover our film!

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

Βuyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists - please come on board! And of course, audiences!

Son Of Sofia **Writer/Director Elina Psykou**

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I would like to move the audience, to make them think about their close relationships, their truths and their lies.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

What’s the one thing that you keep from the people closest to you? And why are you afraid of revealing it?

What are the key creatives developing or working on now?

A documentary called To Live and Die in Europe, about five life stories of Europeans seeking to cross European borders to accomplish their dreams of gay marriage or fertility, or find solutions to their life struggles through abortion, euthanasia and cremation.

Interview: April 2017

_______________________________________________________________________________

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

_______________________________________________________________________________

SON OF SOFIA

Athens, 2004 summer Olympic Games. 11-year-old Misha arrives from Russia to live with his mother, Sofia. What he doesn’t know is that there is a father waiting for him there.

Length: 111 min.

Director: ELINA PSYKOU

Producer: GIORGOS KARNAVAS

Writer: ELINA PSYKOU

About the writer, director and producer:

WRITER – DIRECTOR

Her first feature, “The Eternal Return of Antonis Paraskevas” premiered at the Berlinale Forum in 2013. During that same year, trade publication Variety singled her out as one of the “10 European Directors to Watch”. Her second feature, “Son of Sofia” premiered in competition at the Tribeca FF.

Key cast: VIKTOR KHOMUT, VALERY TSCHEPLANOWA, THANASIS PAPAGEORGIOU

Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors): buyers, distributors, festival selections

Produced by: Heretic

Co-produced by: KinoElektron, Chouchkov Brothers

Supported by: Greek Film Center, Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée, Bulgarian National Film Center, Eurimages, Creative Europe, ERT and Berlinale Residency.