Blessings and vows (Evlogies ke tamata)
Documentary, 15΄, 2018
Synopsis: An octogenarian villager, Mrs. Metaxia Anaplioti, kept her vow for 49 years, lighting a candle daily at the 11th century Byzantine church of Hagioi Theodoroi in Vamvaka, Mani, in Southern Greece. This act of piety contributes to her personal sense of identity as much as to the collective identity of the village by asserting the connection to the particular place, keeping alive customs of the village’s forebearers.
Katerina Zacharia
She is a Professor of Classics at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, public speaker, history consultant, dramaturge, filmmaker, on-air host/reporter, and producer of theatrical performances, professional workshops, and films. Examples of her filmmaking and film consulting work include her participation in the DVD features for “Electra” (2004), directed by Rob Bowman and starring Jennifer Garner, her documentary interview for “Gods and Goddesses” (2006) for the History Channel, and numerous interviews she conducted with Greek and Cypriot filmmakers. She is a long-term collaborator of the Stanford Repertory Theatre. She serves as the Director of Education and programmer for the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival, and also as an Artistic Consultant and producer of theatrical performances, seminars and workshops for the prestigious Michael Cacoyannis Foundation in Athens. “Blessings and vows” is her debut film as a director.