Bananaland

Self-shot footage from the houses of farmers in the south of Ecuador, merged with fragments from the narration in 1950’s US documentaries for children about the origins of «bananas» and other propaganda sources are the starting point for this ambiguous film that attempts to rearticulate a painful story. Footage shot in the diorama museum of Guayaquil is also used, depicting the farmers from a Western, colonialist perspective that presents them as heroic sufferers.
Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Loukia Alavanou
Color: Color
Production Country: Greece
Production Year: 2017
Duration: 17ʹ

Loukia Alavanou

Loukia Alavanou is a visual artist. After a long engagement with artist’s film in general, participating in exhibitions and receiving numerous international awards, in 2018 she turned to the field of VR film production, having founded the first VR production company in Greece. In 2022 Alavanou will represent Greece at the 59th Venice Biennale. She is a 2021 and 2022 fellow artist of the ONX Studio project, a collaboration on XR technologies. between the New Museum in New York and Onassis USA. Works by Loukia Alavanou have been exhibited at venues including: Palais de Bozar/ Brussels, DESTE Foundation for Contemporary Art/ Athens, SMFA/ Boston, Palais de Tokyo/ Paris, Moscow Biennale, State Museum of Contemporary Art/ Thessaloniki, KANAL Centre Pompidou/ Brussels, Museum of Cycladic Art/ Athens. Her work also forms part of important international collections such as the Gucci Collection, the Dakis Joannou Collection, The Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, ZKM, PCAI/ Polyeco Contemporary Art Initiative, Onassis Culture, and the Fiorucci Art Trust. Alavanou’s films have been screened in artist’s film competition sections and curated festival programs including Viennale, Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin, Kasseler Docfest, Oberhausen Film Festival, and KINO DER KUNST.

Filmography

2004 Cactus
2005 Wishing Well
2007 Chop Chop Tale
2008 There is Nothing Between Us
2009 Put Your Loving Hand Out
2010 Kiss Forever
2011 Eruption of The Father
2012 Ducktator
2013 Merciful, Wonderful
2014 The Hunter
2016 The Green Room
2017 Bananaland
2018 New Horizons Pilot