A coming-of-age story of a teenage girl who suddenly grows up in one day when she has to drop out of school to go to the hospital with her boyfriend. A storm that comes to town, but also takes over the soul of a 15-year-old teenager who is about to have an abortion, but after that, everything will not be the same. This is the central theme of her new short film. Sofia Georgovasili “Memories of a Changing Storm”based on real events. “The inspiration for the film was the story of a friend of mine that he told me. It is based on what he experienced at the tender age of 15. Somehow I identified with the story a bit, but I also found common elements,” says the director.

This is a question that undoubtedly worries many women, and in recent years there has been much debate about the legal framework and abortion rights movements in America and Poland. What interested Georgovasili was the psychological dimension of such an operation, and so she decided to make this film. “All these obscurantist voices that have been heard in recent years, and the hype that has been raised around reproductive rights, was not very relevant at the time when I wrote the script. It happened at the same time as the movie,” he explains.

The latest work of the director and actress began its journey with the Berlin Festival, and then traveled to other cities and events in Greece and abroad. In fact, the 14-minute film was recently awarded in Taiwan, South Korea, Latvia and entered the competition section of the 2022 Short Dramatic Film Festival.

On Sunday, it will be shown in the Danaos 2 hall as part of it. 5th Athens International Film Festival for Children and Teens, in the section of teenage short films by budding Greek directors. These films are intended for viewers aged 15 and over. “This is an important initiative and I think that in the department where I am also involved, there are women’s voices that are nice to hear, especially in this context. We talk a little about the obvious, but, unfortunately, it is important in our time to define them. There was always such an intention, they were simply not given a place, ”she notes.

The festival returns this year and hosts 100 short and feature films from 34 countries until November 20, as well as exciting tributes for all ages. “Our slogan is: “As it was, but not like that.” We have a feeling that the audience we are reaching out to should also return to a more innocent time, as it was in 2019. But at the same time, we have all changed, we are different,” emphasizes Kalliopi Charalambous, director of the festival. and adds that the choice of films was made according to this criterion. “We need stories of optimism, engagement, acceptance and love. And most of all, these stories should be heard by our children.”