Film director and animator Fokion Xenos, drawing inspiration from the 4th Evia Film Project’s thematic core, has created a series of summer images for the visual identity of this year’s edition, making a nod to the time-honored trademark old school tourist posters.
In the artist’s own words: “The summer experience cannot be contained in one single image. On the contrary, it’s a compilation of small but intense moments that are mentally knit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Having spent my childhood summers in the island of Evia, in the village of Nea Styra, I know firsthand that the images of a “Summer Day” supersede and complete one another. So I tried to portray this feeling in visual art terms: through a series of stripped-down illustrated figures, and warm natural palettes. The light, the textures, the motifs, and the colors of a summer day are rendered in a playful manner, while each figure permeates and complements the next one. From the beach towels and the summer fruit to the starry night sky of an open-air cinema, each scene aspires to convey the inherent lightness, nostalgia and simplicity of Greek summer. All the above are weaved together through an aesthetic that alludes to the old-school tourist posters: with a vintage mood, a handmade touch and elements that clink together to narrate a story. Greek summer is made of plainness, carefreeness and small daily rituals. And that precise feeling was what I wished to hold on to while designing the Evia Film Project poster.”
Let’s take a look at the EFP4 spot created by Fokion Xenos:
Fokion Xenos is a film director and an animation designer based in Athens. As an animation artist he focuses on playful and bold stories that place emphasis on the power of imagery and emotional sincerity. Using humor and color as his basic tools, he intertwines practical and digital techniques to create unique visual narratives. His film Heatwave produced by the National Film & Television School has garnered awards in international film festivals such as Edinburgh Int. Film Festival, Cinekid, Athens International Film Festival and AnimaSyros. He has also taken part in more than 60 film festivals worldwide, among which Annecy, Anima Mundi, Encounters and LIAF, having also been nominated for the Student BAFTA Award in Los Angeles. Over the last years he has been living and working in Athens as an independent animation filmmaker, having co-directed the children’s animation series Gegone (2022) for the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT). He holds a teaching position at the University of West Attica’s Animation Master Degree Program, and is working as a film and animation series producer. He also serves as secretary of the Hellenic Animation Association (ASIFA Hellas).
