Prism - Gerasimos Domenikos

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The Prism GR2011 is a collective documentation of Greece the winter of 2010, a multimedia experiment exploring new formats of non-fiction narratives and multimedia journalism.

The Prism is the creation of Nikos Katsaounis and Nina-Maria Paschalidou, both documentary filmmakers, producers, and friends.

In the winter of 2010, with Greece in the midst of a financial and social meltdown, Nina and Nikos returned home after having lived abroad for many years.

Their desire was to tell the story of the tormented country they witnessed through a new type of narrative. Through a process of creative collaboration and documentation, they put together a group of 14 photojournalists and videographers, mentoring and enabling them to make the transition to a multimedia storyteller.

Here you will find the outcome of the experiment: 27 multimedia stories, as echoed through the voices of people from various walks of life that have been affected by the crisis. In this critical time, we have the capacity to share stories from different perspectives like never before. The Prism GR2011 fuses these stories together with the hope that they allow us to reflect upon who we are.

The films will be gradually uploaded every week. Later this year, a feature-length documentary film will be woven together from all the short multimedia stories in a first attempt at open-source documentary filmmaking.

Please sign up to our mailing list to get updates of when the multimedia stories are uploaded. Become a fan on our facebook page and tell your friends if you like what you see.

What do you see through the The Prism?

Firewalkers

Traditions in Greece have a way of surviving despite the country's modernization in the last decades. Up north, in the region between Thessaloniki and Serres, a very particular custom lives to this day: the Anastenaria. A fire-walking ritual performed outdoors in honor of the saints Constantine and Eleni in springtime, but also indoors, for the festival of saint Athanassios in January.
The custom in the village of Aghia Eleni was brought over by Greek refugees from the village Kosti in south-east Bulgaria, following the population's persecutions in the wake of the Balkan Wars of 1911-1912. The local people's hospitality and love of this mystical tradition make this ritual an attraction that draws visitors from all over Greece.
The holy icons' miraculous properties empower the initiates to dance through the fire having their faith keep them safe from harm.