Love at 16

Αγάπη στα 16
Agapi sta Dekaksi

"An original and cheerful description of the personal experience of young boys towards love and sexuality." 7th Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People.

This is a charming tale of first love, seen through the eyes of its young male protagonist. The story is set sometime in the 1980s, in an idyllic Greek village. Fifteen-year-old Alexis and his friends are at an age where curiosity about girls - what their bodies look like, how they function, how to get close to them - has started to feature foremost in their minds and actions, and results in some mischievous pranks.
   Antigone is a confident young Athenian girl who joins Alexis’ class. Her father, a policeman, has just been posted to the village. All of the boys - but Alexis in particular - are drawn to this assured, aware female who knows about life in a big city and who also seems to know a bit more about boys than they know about girls.
Alexis quickly falls head over heels for Antigone and slowly but surely starts to win her over. As the story evolves, so do his relationships with those dearest to him: his oafish father and his sagacious grandmother. However, events soon follow that will change his life.
   Alexis suffers the sudden loss of his beloved grandmother. Shortly thereafter, an incident involving Antigone’s brother results in their father deciding that his only course of action is to take the family back to Athens immediately.
Alexis is devastated, and a blossoming first love is brought to an abrupt end.

Director: Constantinos Haralambous | Rating: R 18+ | 2004 | Drama - Coming of Age | 102 minutes | Greek dialogue with English subtitles

Director's Bio - Constantinos Haralambous

Constantinos was born in Malesina, Greece, in 1968. He studied naval architecture and film directing in Athens. He has directed over 50 documentaries for the Hellenic Broadcasting Coorporation’s ET-1 and NET channels – many of which have been aired on major European networks. He has also directed five shorts.

PRINCIPAL CAST

Giorgos Gerontidakis, Markella Pappa, Giorgos Lazaridis, Tassos Rapaj, Meletis Rapaj, Vangelis Nikolaou, Spyros Panayotopoulos, Elias Tsikos, Betty Valasi, Vassilis Andreopoulos, Dina Michailidou, Antonis Loudaros, Petros Xekoukis, Stefanos Iatridis, Denise Baltsavia, Ilias Stratakos

AWARDS

45th Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2004
   Best Debut Film Director Award
 

DIRECTOR's – PREVIOUS FILMS

1989 Upsets (Short Film)

1995 – 96 The Old Man and Death (Short Film)

1997 The Hero of the Day (Short Film)

2004 Love at 16
 

INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL SCREENINGS

45th Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2004
Berlinale 2005 - 55th Berlin International Film Festival (European Filmmarket Section)
7th Olympia International Film Festival for Children & Young People
1st South Eastern Europe Film Festival 2005 (Ottawa-Canada)


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