Director Alexander Paynewinner of two Academy Awards, will be found in 2nd Evia Film Project (20-24 June 2023)the green action organized by the Thessaloniki Film Festival, to present to the public his film, “Microcosm”, a surreal social satire that comments on the effects of climate change and overpopulation of the planet.

Shortly before the premiere of his long-awaited new film, entitled “The Holdovers” and starring Paul Giamatti, the beloved creator and friend of the Festival, who has given us multi-awarded films such as “Sideways”, “Nerbraska” and “The descendants”, will be in Evia for the opening ceremony of the 2nd Evia Film Project. The film “Microcosmos” will be screened at the Apollo cinema, which was renovated last year by the Festival and the Municipality of Istiaia-Edipsos. After the screening, Alexander Payne will chat with the audience.

The film’s director of photography, the two-time Oscar nominee, will also be present at the screening. Phaedon Papamichael, who served as cinematographer on Indiana Jones and the Disc of Destiny, which premiered to critical acclaim at Cannes this year and will soon be released in theaters.

“Microcosm” proposes an unlikely scenario as an antidote to the planet’s population explosion: what if some Norwegian scientists found a way to shrink the dimensions of an average human. The master of “short” stories Alexander Payne centers on the story of a couple (played by Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig) who want to join a community of tiny people who wish to live in small, eco-friendly communities. The film makes a diabolical commentary on the utopias dreamed up by ordinary mortals and the destructive pressure they exert on the environment. “Microcosm” puts climate change, but also humanity as a whole, under the microscope, exploring the relationship between man and nature.

The Evia Film Project is the third activity pole of the Thessaloniki Film Festival after the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in November and the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in March. Its goal is to make Northern Evia, a region deeply affected by the devastating fires of 2021, a world center for green cinema.

The Evia Film Project is carried out with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, in collaboration with the Region of Central Greece, the Hellenic Film Center, the Municipality of Istiaea-Edipsos and the Municipality of Mantoudi-Limni-Agia Anna. The Thessaloniki Festival collaborates with the production organizations based in Evia and the Department of Digital Arts and Cinema of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in Psachna.