Ο George Avgeropoulos the son of a labourer and a seamstress, started from scratch, worked in 100 newspapers and channels, he beat cancer, won 40 awards for his documentaries and is considered one of the best in the world. Until very recently he could not afford to pay his rent because he put all his money into his work.
After AGORA - From Democracy to Markets (agora.smallplanet.gr), which caused a sensation and was awarded internationally, George Avgeropoulos returns with his second film about the Greek crisis, the AGORA II - Bound.
FIVE YEARS, THREE CRISES, ONE COUNTRY - THE STORY OF A EUROPEAN DYSTOPIA.
The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic was the third consecutive crisis to hit the European continent, following the eurozone crisis and the refugee crisis.
A virus has managed to bring to light both the deficit of European values and the weaknesses of neoliberalism, the doctrine that has dominated internationally for the last forty years based on blind faith in the free market, privatisation and the minimal state.
AGORÁ II - Bound tells the story of three consecutive crises that Europe has experienced over a period of five years, focusing on Greece. Long before the coronavirus crisis, as early as 2010, Greece is in a permanent state of emergency. Being the latest «guinea pig» for the implementation of neoliberal prescriptions imposed by the Troika during the eurozone crisis, it lost 25% of its GDP (which is equivalent to a period of war), experienced the dismantling of the welfare state, the disintegration of the public health system and the rise of inequalities and fascism.
Starting in 2015, acclaimed filmmaker Giorgos Avgeropoulos documents the euro crisis, having secured exclusive access, with image and sound, to the behind-the-scenes negotiations between the then Greek government of the Left and the country's creditors.. With this material, which is being shown to the public for the first time, the viewer is able to connect the missing pieces of the puzzle of those days, decoding actions that were decisive for the shaping of the political scene in Europe.
However, Avgeropoulos does not stop there. He also documents the evolution of the refugee crisis over time, as well as the consequent rise of nationalism and fascism in an increasingly polarized Greek society. The film closes with the coronavirus crisis and how it has called into question neoliberal austerity policies and - once again - «European solidarity».
AGORÁ II - Bound is a deeply human, character-driven work: Beyond exclusive access to the national and international political scene, Avgeropoulos follows the lives of people from various walks of life, including a Syrian refugee couple, a mother whose child was murdered by a member of Golden Dawn, an economic immigrant, an LGBT activist and a young doctor.
The result is a unique, multi-layered documentary: a story that evolves and unfolds with its characters over time, as they face difficult decisions in order to achieve at least some of their goals.
AGORÁ II - Bound is the cinematic mosaic of a European dystopia and raises crucial questions about the future of Greece and Europe.
The documentary costs just €5.5 and is accessible for 72 hours.
It is a repetition, a reminder.
And while repetition is the food of learning, remembrance is a wake-up call, a wake-up call and a constant battle.
Of course it's worth the money!
You can find it here:
https://vimeo.com/ondemand/desmotes
