DOGTOOTH
PRODUCTION NOTES
IN CINEMAS NATIONWIDE
FROM APRIL 23RD
CERT: 18 RUNNING TIME: 96 mins
For further information please contact:
Caroline Henshaw/Sophie Roche at Rabbit Publicity
/
Tel: 020 7299 3685 / 3686
For photography please go to: www.vervepics.com/dogtooth
DOGTOOTH
Production Notes
PRESS RELEASE
“Challenging, funny and rich…highly recommended” 5* Time Out
“Weird, unsettling and creepily brilliant…This film announces the director Yorgos Lanthimos as a distinctive and provocative talent.” The Times
Verve pictures are pleased to announce that Yorgos Lanthimos’s inspired and provocative film ‘Dogtooth’, winner of Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival 2009, will open in cinemas nationwide from April 23rd.
‘Dogtooth’ is a darkly comic insight into a surreal world of parental control gone mad. Three teenagers are grounded in an alternate world by their overprotective parents, when a female outsider bursts into their bizarre family bubble, with shocking and strangely amusing results.
MOTHER (Michelle Valley) and FATHER (Christos Stergioglou) are so desperate to preserve their children’s innocence that they create a self styled utopia within their secluded compound walls. Completely shut off from the outside world, the now grown up children have their own vocabulary and believe cats to be man eating predators, aeroplanes flying overhead to be toys and small yellow flowers to be zombies. When their father decides to invite his colleague CHRISTINA (Anna Kalaitzidou) in to service the sexual urges of the SON (Christos Passalis) the domestic balance is irrevocably disturbed. It isn’t long before the OLDER DAUGHTER (Aggeliki Papoulia), YOUNGER DAUGHTER (Mary Tsoni) and SON start experimenting with sexuality and violence and the walls of their superficially constructed world of childhood innocence and fantasy come tumbling down.
As shocking and brutal as it is humorous, elegant and entertaining, Dogtooth is a significant piece of bold and inventive cinema.
SHORT SYNOPSIS
Dogtooth is a darkly comic insight into a surreal world of parental control gone mad. Three teenagers are grounded in an alternate world by their overprotective parents, when a female outsider bursts into their bizarre family bubble, with shocking and strangely amusing results.
TRAILER
http://tiny.cc/wdb5O
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Yorgos Lanthimos studied film and television direction at Stavrakos Film School
in Athens. Since 1995 he has directed feature films, theatre plays, videodance and
a large number of TV commercials. He was also a member of the creative team which
designed the opening and closing ceremonies of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
Filmography
2005 Kinetta (feature film)
2001 Uranisco Disco (short film)
Participation of KINETTA in film festivals
2005 Toronto International Film Festival, Section “Discovery”
2005 Thessaloniki International Film Festival, International Competition
2006 Harvard Film Archive, Boston, “New Films From Europe”
2006 Berlinale, International Forum of New Cinema
2006 Film Comment “Selects,” Lincoln Center, New York
2006 Los Angeles International Film Festival
2006 Libertas Film Festival, Dubrovnik, Croatia
2006 Calcutta International Film Festival, India
2006 “Entrevues” Festival International Du Film De Belfort, France
2007 Boston International Film Festival
2007 “i Mille Occhi” Trieste Film Festival, Italy
Theatre
2008 Theatro tou Notou (Amore), Natura Morta In Un Fosso by Fausto Paravidino
2004 Theatro Porta, Blauambart by Dea Loher
2002 Theatro tou Notou (Amore-Dokimes), D.D.D by Dimitris Dimitriadis
AWARDS
Cannes Film Festival 2009: Winner – Un Certain Regard
Stockholm Film Festival 2009: Winner – The Bronze Horse – Yorgos Lanthimos
Catalonian International Film Festival 2009: Winner - Carnet Jove Jury Award and the Citizen Kane Award for Best Directorial Revelation – Yorgos Lanthimos
Sarajevo Film Festival 2009: Winner - Special Jury Prize - Yorgos Lanthimos; Winners Best Actress category - Aggeliki Papoulia and Mary Tsoni.
Montréal Festival of New Cinema 2009: Winner – Best Director – Yorgos Lanthimos.
ABOUT THE CAST
Christos Stergioglou (Father) was born in Didimoticho in 1952. He graduated from the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki in 1975 and he studied at the HB Studio of New York. He collaborated with the most important Greek theatre directors in Greek and international theatre plays, as well as in Greek ancient drama. He has played lead roles in feature films, short films and TV series. He has won the Award for Best Leading Actor at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in 2002 for the films ‘Hard goodbyes: my
father’ by P.Panayotopoulou and ‘Think it over’ by K.Evangelakou. In addition, he has won the Greek State Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film ‘False Alarm’ by K.Evangelakou in 2006.
Michelle Valley (Mother) is a Swiss-born actress. She studied Dramatic Art in Zurich. She has lived for ten years in Paris where she attended classes of Antoine Vitez at the Conservatoire de Paris and she worked with experimental theatre companies. Since 1985 she has been living permanently in Greece. She has starred in feature and short films, in tv films and theatre plays. Among others, she has worked with the directors N.Nikolaides, T.Marketaki, Y.Chouvardas and M.Marmarinos. Simultaneously, she has
been working with the multimedia artist Dimosthenis Agrafiotis on several poetry projects, experimental performances and translations in English, French, German and Italian. She is oriented towards multimedia expression, which is related with sound, words and languages.
Aggeliki Papoulia (Older Daughter) was born in Athens. She graduated from Empros Theatre School of Drama in 2000.She has participated in theatre performances by M. Marmarinos, L.Vogiatzis, K.Rigos and Y. Houvardas. She is a founding member of the theatre company blitz (2004), working as co-director, actor and writer for the projects of the team. She has starred in the feature films “Matchbox” by Y.Economidis and “Athanasia” by P.Karkanevatos.
Mary Tsoni (Youngest Daughter) is a graduate of the Athens State School of Dance and the Musical Theatre Dance Attic of London in 2005. She has collaborated in theatre performances by M.Marmarinos and K.Tsioukas. She has played the leading role in the films “The evil” and “The evil in the time of heroes” by Y.Nousias. She is a member of the music band “Mary and the boy”.
Christos Passalis (Son) was born in Thessaloniki in 1978. He graduated from the State Theatre School of Northern Greece in 2000. He has collaborated in the theatre performances by Y.Paraskevopoulos, N.Milivojevic, M. Marmarinos, Y.Lanthimos. He is a founding member of the theatre company blitz (2004), working as a co-director, actor
and writer for the projects of the team. He has played the leading role in the films “Black Field” by V.Marinakis and “Homeland” by S. Tzoumerkas.
Anna Kalaitzidou (Christina) graduated from the State Theatre of Northern Greece in 2001. She has participated in theatre plays of the Porta Theatre, the State Theatre of Northern Greece and Amore Theatre. In addition, she has participated in theatre performances by Th.Moschopoulos, T. Mpantis and Y.Lanthimos.
CAST & CREDITS
Father
CHRISTOS STERGIOGLOU
Mother
MICHELLE VALLEY
Older Daughter
AGGELIKI PAPOULIA
Son
CHRISTOS PASSALIS
Younger Daughter
MARY TSONI
Christina
ANNA KALAITZIDOU
A BOO PRODUCTIONS PRODUCTION
A CO-PRODUCTION OF THE GREEK FILM CENTRE
YORGOS LANTHIMOS HORSEFLY PRODUCTIONS
directed by
YORGOS LANTHIMOS
written by
YORGOS LANTHIMOS & EFTHIMIS FILIPPOU
producer
YORGOS TSOURGIANNIS
executive producer
IRAKLIS MAVROIDIS
associate producer
ATHINA TSANGARI
director of photography
THIMIOS BAKATAKIS
art direction & costumes
ELLI PAPAGEORGAKOPOULOU
editing
YORGOS MAVROPSARIDIS
sound recordist
LEANDROS NTOUNIS
production manager
STAVROS HRISOGIANNIS
make-up artist
ATHANASIA PETROPOULOU