Directors statement for “A Still Sunrise”

From the first time I read the first draft of the script, the story really stuck in my head. I loved the idea of dealing with social issues, like domestic violence, using cinematic horror metaphors that can visually illustrate the narration. I really wanted to approach the story from a silent, “long shot” point of view that would create the atmosphere I was looking for.
With A Still Sunrise I wanted to create a story, which at first sight, looks like a horror/zombie film, but in reality is an art film with strong social messages. The final cut of the film is exactly what I was looking for in my original vision. I wanted to deliver the message only through visuals and performance, without unnecessary dialogue and cuts. I used visual poetics through the cinematography and the performance to illustrate the feeling and aesthetics of the film. The sound design and scoring played a really significant role, as they bondedtogether the final structure of the film by underling the significant elements I wanted.

The domestic violence topic is really significant for me to approach and that is why I created this film. I believe that even in our modern western societies, we are facing these issues that have tremendous effects on people. It is still a taboo subject and unfortunately, most of the time the victims don’t get a chance to escape from this kind of reality. A really important reason for this is the sexist and patriarchal ways that modern neoliberal societies are based. That is why I believe that the “zombies” work as a metaphor to the current “common sense” reality we are facing is a strong element within the film. 

A Still Sunrise is an experimentation for me and the crew, who did a magnificent job in this project. It was “unknown waters” for me, since I came from a different background. My approach in filmmaking is totally modernist and European, so to manipulate a drama/zombie film it was truly a challenge. 

Iakovos Panagopoulos
Researcher/Filmmaker