Stella Grammenos-Dimadis Blog

My director's notes on 25.12 25.12 "Directing is so interesting.  You know, it just sort of encompasses everything that you see, that you know, that you've felt, that you have observed. " Barbara Streisand As our population is ageing there are a number of issues that are becoming prevalent in our society, Dementia is one of them, but alongside this, is the individual who remains healthy and able, but finds themselves in a predicament of loneliness. Our ageing population may not be tech savvy, therefore cannot stay in touch with family and friends via social media, Skype, may not live in close proximity to public transport, have family that is removed, friends, who may be sick or passed. The variations are many for our ageing population and in creating this short, I wanted to create a film that delved into the innermost thoughts and concepts of someone that is ageing and literally has no one to share their life with. What does this look like, especially with a d

“The soul is placed in the body like a rough diamond, and must be polished, or the luster of it will never appear.” Daniel Defoe Creativity in Western Society I worry when I look around me at the lack of creativity in our Western society. Now in order that I can articulate this correctly, it goes something like this. Our western society encourages individualism and pre determination, it has to, because it is what the whole basis of democracy and capitalism is based on. The economy encourages individuals to think outside of the box so that they will flourish as independent economic leaders. It stops here though, because an individual cannot think outside of the box when their soul is not nourished. The soul is the essence of the individual and in order for it become individualised and healthy, it needs to be creative. Our Western culture seeks religion to satisfy the growth of the soul and therein lies the problem. Religion does not feed the soul, nor can the

25.12   "To discover our reality we must explore our illusion" Stella Dimadis 25.12 is based on the short story, 'Christmas' written by Thanasis Papastergiou. It has been adapted into a screenplay by me with production on the short film  having  started in 2014, and completed in 2015. The short film revolves around an older man who faces loneliness on Christmas Day and the actions and repercussions that he goes through, in trying to experience the festivities of Christmas. When most people share Christmas day with their families, organising gifts and feasting on wonderful food, what becomes of those people who don't have anyone to experience Christmas, Easter or associated milestones throughout the year? I explore the foundations of the emotional rollercoaster of such an experience through the use of colour, the landscape, music and the art of film to exemplify this mental state. It was easy for me to see the film before production as I