Ballad for a Pierced Heart

From the sunlight into the dim lighting of a silent, almost menacing place. Pieces of a world living in another time. In a past which is so recent and at the same time so distant. "We are in the Kommandatur's holding cells. Entry 28-12-42. Exit unknown..."

Daphne, a teenage judo athlete from a remote Greek island, is ready to spread her wings and follow Sensei Yuri to the big city and ultimately to the next Olympic Games. Yuri, for unknown reasons, has been absent from the world of Judo for the last few years and he is looking for a new beginning, while Daphne transitions from the carefreeness of adolescence into the hard world of adults.

Thomas Alexopoulos is a businessman drowning in debt, watching the walls close in around him. Cornered by a threatening loan shark and with only a few days left to save his home, he sets a seemingly flawless plan in motion.

Dimitris, a grumpy middle-aged man, is having a hard time with his business partner on a particular decision as to opening a new business; and he's also having a hell of a time with his family members. He has a really short temper, and the unpleasant behaviour of his nasty wife and his disrespectful children don't contribute much to his health.

Hope lives with her husband on the mountain, and all summer makes charcoal in a kiln in the heart of the forest. When it reaches the village the recently released from prison Marco, under the pretext of the foot treatment, hanging out every day, and promises to take her back home, Kavala, which has much nostalgia.

Katja's life collapses after the deaths of her husband and son in a bomb attack. After a time of mourning and injustice, Katja seeks revenge.

At age 19, Stratos committed a crime of passion. He spent half his life in prison, where underground boss Leonidas took him under his wing. One day during a rival gang attack, Leonidas saved his life. Stratos never forgot this. A free man now, Stratos works the night shift at a bakery workshop, a far cry from the killing contracts he executes by day. He gives away all his money to spring Leonidas out of prison, funding an escape plan managed by Leo’s brother, Yorgos. The fulfillment of his debt is the only thing that matters to Stratos, everything else is indifferent and he lives detached, surrounded by ghosts and fallacies. The day of the escape, the most important day of his life, is near…

A little story from a blue-collar neighborhood. Lina, a middle-aged lady who never leaves the balcony of her house, intervenes in everything that happens within her visual field. People passing by in front of her building, neighbors from the apartments across the street, everyone realize that whatever they do, Lina is watching day and night and intervenes: From throwing a bandage from her balcony when an accident takes place to giving parking advice or notifying the police for a burglary. Some are surprised by her attitude, but most are annoyed by her constant gaze on them. Until Lina loses her son in a car accident and does not go out to her balcony ever since. The neighborhood is not the same anymore.

Takis is trapped. Takis tries to escape. Takis wants money. He's got a family, a baby, a home... Takis is being cheated. He loves her and he suffers... Takis can't take it at work. He's besieged by savages. But his boss tops them all... Takis has one friend and relatives. Woe is him!... Takis has run out of time. Yet, in his mind, a heavy black cloud has settled, turning everything dark... Takis is silent. He lies down and fills with rage. He fills with rage and sinks deeper...

After his father death, Nikos moves from Ptolemaida to Athens. His uncle offers him food and shelter while he starts taking care of his dogs. Alone in an isolated suburb, he's wearing down into his misery routine, till the moment his relationship with his aunt changes everything.

Kostis is a 40-year-old doctor that finds himself in the small island of Antiparos, in order to take over the local clinic. His whole life and routine will turn upside down when he meets an international group of young and beautiful tourists and he falls in love with Anna, a 19-year-old goddess.

Vangelis, a remnant of the rave party generation of the late 90s, sells weed for a living. Wants a steady job, no risks involved. Petros, a smalltime gangster. Wants a family. Demands respect. Katerina unwillingly brings them together under the same roof.

Harris, a 16 year old boy spends his day skateboarding aimlessly around Athens with his friends. Vassilis, a middle aged cop, is frustrated with his dead-end job and crammed in his small apartment with his family.

A Documentary about Nikos Nikolaidis' work. Nikos Nikolaidis was an acclaimed film director and author from Greece. He is famous for creating controversial characters in his films that have a rebellious attitude towards the social and political status quo. He illustrates a dark and pessimistic present and future, but also providing ambiguous hope for the end when his heroes find their escape in death. His films are shocking and contentious, raising questions during times when political visions start to fade away. His filming was poetic, dynamic and aesthetically beautiful in order to present situations on edge and elicit his audience's feelings. The aim of this project is to transfer his dynamics in a documentary that will convey some of his messages and create a platform for exchanging opinions among filmmakers from all over the world, in an effort to decipher his universe and his symbols as reflections of his unique and rare personality.