Lydia Konsta
Filmmaker and Producer
Directing is discovery
“Looking around I wonder: How did this journey of filmmaking bring me here?”
An exciting, unpredictable and challenging journey, from my first short film at Sheffield, (England, UK) awarded as the best student movie 2002 and distributed by the British Film Council, till now and the third season of my TV series “Botana karpoi tis gis” (“Herbs, produce of Earth,” about the Greek herbs and remedies) running on Greek National TV, and being awarded for its environmental awareness.
When I finished my studies in film directing and producing at Northern Media School SHU, I was selected to the Berlinale Talent Campus 2003 for further training to engage in workshops by famous filmmakers.
Bio
Directing is discovery
Coming back to Thessaloniki I founded my own production company and started working while I was raising up my three children. Those were important years; I was developing my own art and technic of filming while I was rediscovering the world through the eyes of my children. Maybe this is what kept me so merciless close to the need of authenticity. At the same time, I gained experience and a sense of the market. I chased opportunities for creation, for experimenting and for teamwork in very different areas: realizing projects close to my heart, in fiction and documentaries, as well as advertisements, corporate videos, making ofs, game shows, music videos etc.
I’ve learned to create space for my film characters and also for my crew members in order to ‘enable’ them to unfold their own talents. As for me, I am like ‘Clotho’ (one of the Fates, the “Weaver”) ‘weaving’ each project with what I ‘ve got: the moments, the sights, the ideas, the script and the scenery, as well as the editing, the post, the music. This demands of course flexibility and trust from my co-workers and crew members. For that very reason my team was chosen very carefully over the years and all of them are excellent professionals.
The creation of my feature documentary dealing with the trauma of war, Light Thickens, was life-changing for me: I was searching for the truth and on my quest, I let the characters to guide me to the strongest and most authentic threads. This art film – unique in its kind among the films referring to Second World War – moved the audience, making challenging discussions possible, discussions that have been taboo till then).
In 2019 I visited Berlin once again invited to the Berlinale, this time in order to contribute in an international team of filmmakers. So, I became part of a strong network of talented professionals from all over the world with whom I still collaborate.
Well, that’s what brought me here after all: the ability to recognize the moments, this precious compass which guides me in every project I undertake and helps me discover its essential meaning. Then I can do my job: shed light to the invisible and make the whisper heard.
Lydia Konsta