Who is Nana Papadaki?
I am an artist working across acting, theatre and film directing, and poetry, based in Greece. My work as an actress includes collaborations with major cultural institutions such as the National Theatre of Greece, the Greek Art Theatre Karolos Koun, the National Theatre of Northern Greece, the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, and many others, encompassing total participation in more than thirty theatre productions, including many leading parts. My directorial portfolio comprises four stage productions, most recently Tennessee Williams’ Two-Character Play, presented under the auspices of the Hellenic Institute of Cultural Diplomacy—USA and currently touring Greece. My literary work includes four published poetry books. Among these, Encore—Women of Odyssey engages with the female figures of Homer’s Odyssey through a contemporary poetic lens, while Primordial provided the conceptual and textual basis for the multi award-winning poetic film Primordial. In addition to my artistic practice, I am the founder of the artistic company Maldoror focusing, among other, on international cooperation and development and on the promotion of work that foregrounds women’s identity and creativity.
Do you remember the exact moment you fell in love with cinema?
When I saw Maya Deren’s Meshes of the Afternoon and the legendary film Evdokia by the Greek director and actor Alexis Damianos, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in person, and who played a role in my decision to pursue theater, since during a recording session he pushed me to a level I hadn’t known I was capable of reaching. I think that in every area of my life, I’m drawn to creations made by people who dare to go against the grain.
Tell us about your project “Primordial”.
Primordial is a poetry/experimental film set in a wasteland, featuring an enigmatic woman—who could be an idea, history, or simply a human being of our times—who comes face to face with an end. The film is based on my book Primordial (Archegoni), which consists of poetic fragments and is inspired, among other, by Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the obscure Sykorax. I am interested in women as bearers of inner power and spiritual birth. The film Primordial, which we co-directed with George Zorbas, has participated in thirty international festivals in Greece, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Malta, Serbia, Bulgaria, India, Belgium, the Netherlands, Thailand, Malta, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States of America, and other, and has won ten honorable mentions and international awards.
Which Director inspires you the most?
Werner Herzog, because he works across different film genres, has made some much-loved films, such as Where the Green Ants Dream, Woyzeck, Stroszek, The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, and amazing documentaries, and has never compromised. Alejandro Jodorowsky, with his dazzling, poetic cinema, is truly admirable; lately, I’ve also been discovering many experimental films that I greatly enjoy watching and marveling at how they were created under the conditions of their time. And I’ve also discovered a female director I didn’t know about, and I’m going to start studying, Sarah Maldoror, the mother of African cinema.
What do you dislike about the world and what would you change?
The lack of imagination and complete subservience to money. Generations of one-dimensional people are contributing to the perpetuation of the same suffocating environment that knows only how to profit from destruction. I wish we could believe in the good that lies within people.
How do you imagine cinema in 100 years?
Divided, just like our world. On the one hand, the majority of films lack imagination, packed with technology and following the same old formula; and on the other, films that explore, that center on the human being as a living entity, and that speak not to consumers, but to human beings with a soul.
What is your impression of WILD FILMMAKER?
A fresh perspective on the world of cinema and an international creative community that celebrates diversity and authenticity.
Interview for WILD FILMMAKER: https://wildfilmmaker.com/primordial-exclusive-interview-with-nana-papadaki/
