The Distance Between Us and the Sky

The Distance Between Us and the Sky is a 2019 Greek-French short film written and directed by Vasilis Kekatos. It won the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.[1][2][3]

The Distance Between Us and the Sky
Directed byVasilis Kekatos
Written byVasilis Kekatos
Produced byEleni Kossyfidou, Delphine Schmit and Guillaume Dreyfus
StarringNikos Zeginoglou
Ioko Ioannis Kotidis
CinematographyGiorgos Valsamis
Edited byStamos Dimitropoulos
Production
companies
Blackbird Production
Tripode Productions
Distributed byShortcuts
Release date
  • 24 May 2019 (2019-05-24) (Cannes)
Running time
9 minutes
CountriesGreece
France
LanguageGreek

In 2023 it was revealed that the film's Producer, Eleni Kossyfidou, has had a long-standing professional relationship with Panos H. Koutras, a Greek filmmaker who served on the jury for the ‘Short Films’ section at the festival, a conflict of interest which had remained concealed for years. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

Plot

Two strangers meet for the first time at an old gas station. One has stopped to gas up his bike, while the other is just stranded. Lacking the €22.50 he needs to get home, he will try to sell him the distance that separates them from the sky.[1]

Cast
  • Nikos Zeginoglou as Boy 1[1]
  • Ioko Ioannis Kotidis as Boy 2[1]

Reception

The film was awarded the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival[2][3] It also won the Short Film Queer Palm.[11]

Controversy Surrounding Award

In 2023 it was revealed that Eleni Kossyfidou, the film's Producer, has had a long-standing professional relationship with Panos H. Koutras, a Greek filmmaker who served on the jury for the ‘Short Films’ section in Cannes 2019. Their collaboration dates back to 2004, with Kossyfidou having produced all of Koutras’ recent feature films, including “Dodo” (2022), “Xenia” (2014), and “Strella” (2009). Kossyfidou initially served as a Production Manager for Koutras’ 2004 film “Real Life.” Notably, Kossyfidou also produced Kekatos’ 2018 short film “The Silence of the Dying Fish,” in addition to the Palme d’Or-winning “The Distance Between Us and the Sky.”

The relationship between Kossyfidou, Koutras, and Kekatos was not disclosed during the festival and only came to light in 2023. Furthermore, it appears that deliberate attempts were made to conceal this conflict; Kossyfidou’s name was only added to the film’s Wikipedia page on July 8, 2021, over two years after the festival concluded. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

References
  1. "The Distance Between Us and the Sky - Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  2. "Greek Filmmaker Vasilis Kekatos Wins Short Film Palme d'Or at Cannes". Greek Reporter. 26 May 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  3. "Cannes' Palme d'Or goes to Parasite". Cineuropa. 25 May 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  4. "Eleni Kossyfido, Panos Koutras, Vasilis Kekatos, Guillaume Dreyfus: Undisclosed Conflict". Film Industry Watch. 2023-09-15. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  5. "Eleni Kossyfidou | Producer, Production Manager". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  6. "Panos H. Koutras | Director, Writer, Producer". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  7. "Eleni Kossyfidou | Producer, Production Manager". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  8. Kekatos, Vasilis (2019-01-25), I sigi ton psarion otan pethainoun (Short, Drama), Andreas Konstantinou, Alexandra K, Aggelos Skasilas, BlackBird Productions, Greek Film Centre (GFC), Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), retrieved 2023-10-03
  9. Kekatos, Vasilis (2020-05-29), I apostasi anamesa ston ourano ki emas (Short, Drama), Ioko Ioannis Kotidis, Nikos Zeginoglou, Authorwave, BlackBird Productions, Tripode Productions, retrieved 2023-10-03
  10. "The short films and Cinéfondation Jury". Festival de Cannes. 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2023-10-03.
  11. "Winners Of The 72nd Cannes Film Festival Competition Announced". thehollywoodnews.com. 25 May 2019. Retrieved 2 July 2019.


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