The life of Athanasios Diakos, from the day of his baptism in the Church’s baptismal font until the baptism of martyrdom on April 24, 1821 in Lamia, was made into a fiction film by a very special group of volunteers, and comes with special anniversary screenings in cinemas in Thessaloniki and of Athens.

The film “DIAKOS the Hero Martyr” is the third production of “Filotimo films”, the group named so, thanks to the philotimos of its members. These are people who are members or friends of the Cinematographic Group of the Spiritual Center of the Holy Metropolis of Kitrou, Katerini and Platamonos “Saint Photios”.

Four hundred and fifty volunteers of all ages, from young children to the elderly, participated in the creation of the film, each from their own background and based on their knowledge and willingness to contribute. The orchestrator of this effort and their inspiration is Archimandrite Pavlos Douros, who first got involved in art from his student years, before he even became a priest.

The Archimandrite – director and screenwriter

“While I was studying philology at AUTH (where I also graduated from the School of Theology), we took theater lessons and often attended theater performances at KTHBE. Then I returned to my village, Rachi Pieria, where I directed and performed in the amateur theater of the very active cultural club of the area”, states Father Pavlos to the Athenian/Macedonian News Agency.

He was then ordained a priest and was assigned by the then Metropolitan Kitros to Agios Photios, where the Spiritual Center of the local Metropolis belongs. “There we developed a similar activity with theater workshops and thus the idea slowly began to be cultivated within us, mainly seeing the cinematographic works containing things that – for our own data and perceptions … escaped. We were hoping that at some point films would come out with Christ and Greece in them”, he notes.

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The members of the Spiritual Center made their own film production in 2013, presenting a documentary about Jerusalem, as they themselves, during their visits, filmed areas and services. A year later, the first fiction film came out. “In 2014, we completed the film “Tale without a name”, which was released in cinemas for the next two years”, recalls Father Pavlos.

The positive reviews and impressions they received led them to take another step, much bigger this time. A historical fiction film, which runs through the entire spectrum of the life of Athanasios Diakos. “His horrible martyrdom shocked the whole of Greece and became a banner for the revolution. His recapture – as well as the hanging of Patriarch Gregory V, were what fired the hearts of the Greeks in the struggle of ’21 and which they never forgot”, he emphasizes.

So in 2017, Father Pavlos and his team started writing the script for the film, at a rather slow pace, as – as he underlines, his main work and priority were his priestly duties. “The period of lockdown due to the pandemic helped us finish writing the script and in the summer of 2021 we started shooting,” he says.

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In 1821 …villages of Pieria and the surrounding prefectures returned

Filming lasted for five months in various areas of Pieria. From Agios Vasilios Karitsa, to Dion, Palaia Vrontou and Olympus, but also in surrounding prefectures, such as in Kokkinopilos Elassonas in Larissa, but also in Siatista Kozani, the picturesque town with strong elements of traditional architecture.

In the filming of …time, now, in addition to the hundreds of members and friends of the Spiritual Center from Pieria, Giannitsa, Thessaloniki and elsewhere – more than a hundred amateur actors, key roles, such as the cameraman, the director of photography and the sound engineer, were assigned to professionals, who helped in the effort with an indicative fee. In fact, MASSIVE PRODUCTIONS took over the production. “The editing of the film began in March 2022 and was completed some time before its first screening, which took place this year on January 22 in Katerini,” he says.

Since then there have been many screenings in Katerini, many of which were sold out and some of which were aimed at students. From today, the anniversary screenings and the first ones outside the prefecture of Pieria begin. “The message of the film is as relevant as ever, because unfortunately, to a large extent these days, we are experiencing a decline in love for the country and love for the nation. In our own way and with this cinematic effort, we wanted to highlight and project this element with the aim of passing it on to everyone, young and old”, he points out.

The screenings will take place in Thessaloniki this weekend (March 25 and 26), as well as the next one (April 1 and 2) at the Vakura Cinema (Ioannou Michail 8) at 5:00 p.m. On the same days and times, there will be corresponding screenings in Athens, at the Elli Cinema (Akadimias 64).

More information is available on the website www.diakos.gr