Gorgo
Ven Gialouris
Australia. 2024. 19 min

In Gorgo—a short film inspired by Ovid’s Medusa myth—an arranged Greek bride undertakes a cross-continental journey for a marriage arranged by her best friend Athina. Arriving in Australia, she soon discovers a monstrous secret that threatens to tear apart the best friends’ promise of sisterhood.

VEN GIALOURIS

Veniamin Gialouris is an award-winning director and screenwriter whose films have screened at major international festivals, including the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Flickerfest International Short Film Festival, and St Kilda Film Festival Melbourne. He is the recipient of the Australian Directors’ Guild Award for Best Direction in a Student Film and the AACTA Award for Best Short Film.

A graduate of the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS) with a Master of Arts in Directing, he also holds a postgraduate certificate in Creative Writing and Literature from Western Sydney University. His work is distinguished by formal precision, rigorous storytelling, and a synthesis of cinematic theory and practice, reflecting a deep engagement with film as both an art form and a discipline. Ven is based in both Sydney and Athens and is currently in development with this debut feature film.

DIRECTOR´S NOTE

Gorgo is, without any doubt, the most personal work that I’ve ever made. Growing up as an ethnically Greek, third generation migrant, I was always told by close family eventually I’d become curious about where I came from. They weren’t talking about Greek history and myth but our very personal family sagas. It wasn’t until recently that they proved to be right. And through the process of learning about where I came from, I not only discovered the profound sacrifices that previous generations had made for me, but the horrible secrets that I’d largely been shielded from. The loveless, arranged marriage of my grandparents was one of those untold stories.

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CONTACT

kym-louise.barton@aftrs.edu.au