JEAN

A DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM BY JULIA SPEROPOULOS

Logline

A touching short film with a positive outlook of a survivor who lives naturally in the city.

Synopsis

Jean is a 55-year-old Rastafarian man from France. On his 18th birthday, bitter from childhood memories, he left his adopted home. Guided by his Rastafari faith, with just a backpack on his shoulder, he decided to explore the world. His travels brought him to Puerto Rico, Spain and Italy. Then, his story changed 30 years ago, when he arrived in a small Greek city called Pylos Messinia. He decided to stay and has made himself a most unconventional home for himself since then. Living in a trailer home given to him by tourists, without running water or electricity, he struggles every day, facing obstacles to get by, things we consider simple chores. Even travelling is a difficulty, since he has to commute back and forth between his home and the town using his bicycle, regardless of the weather. Even though he has chosen to live in a natural way, he is still an active member of a society: As a farmhand he harvests olives and attends to citrus trees. He works with craftsmen and as a hired hand he helps locals with household chores. For the past 30 years Jean has chosen to live away from the civilization that everyone considers to be modern technology, mass media and processed food.

Jean dreams of visiting Ethiopia, the birthplace of his religion, to further connect to his roots in «Zion», mother Africa.

TECHNICAL SPECS

Running Time: 19.09’

Type: Documentary short

Production Year: 2017

Premiere Status: Asian, African, American and Australian Premiere are still available.

Language: Greek

Subtitles: English

Country: Greece

Shooting Format: HD, 16/9, 25fps, Stereo

Screening Format: DCP, MP4

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

This film examines the rejection of a well-structured yet declining society of materialism, and the return to one’s roots where one can explore the spirit that was once lost. In a civilization full of distractions, one is indulged in their daily routine without putting much thought into what it means to be truly happy.

When western civilization misinterprets the meaning of happiness for its people, Jean chooses to be happy living away from it. As he states in the film, “It’s not just where you live. It’s how you can improve your life, by using your own qualities only, by not expecting anything from anybody else. Only from nature and from God’s help.”

- Julia Speropoulos, director/producer/animator

«What matters is what you can do with your own qualities only. By not expecting anything from anyone else.»

MEET THE CREW

Alexandra Masmanidi, EDITOR

RESUME

Alexandra Masmanidi studied Audiovisual Arts at the Technological Educational Institute of Athens. She was the editor of JEAN documentary film, which is Winner of Best First Film of a Director at the 4th International Documentary Film Festival Ierapetra, as well as Special Mention Winner in the Documentary Section at the 7th Athens International Digital Film Festival 2018. As a set photographer, she’s also participated in the film NIPETHES, directed by John Simvolis, and VOURVOUROU, directed by Karina Logotheti. As a camera operator, she has participated in the Swartz Foundation A WORLD NOT OURS exhibition, directed by Thodoris Prodromidis.

FESTIVALS/AWARDS

Winner of Best First Film of a Director at the 4th International Documentary Festival of Ierapetra, Greece.
Honorary Mention at the 7th Athens International Digital Film Festival, Greece
3rd place in the Audience Award category at the 4th Peloponnisos Doc Festival, Kalamata, Greece.
Official Selection at the Human Rights Film Festival Barcelona/NYC/Paris, 2017, Barcelona Spain.
Official Selection at ROMA CINEMA DOC, February 2017, Rome, Italy.
Official Selection at MINDIE Miami Independent Film Festival, April 2017, Miami, Florida, USA.
First Selection International Short Film Festival Kalmthout, Belgium, 2017