Kyuka: Before Summer's End

Official Selection – ACID | Cannes Film Festival 2024
Awards at Thessaloniki Film Festival 2024: Finos Film Award | Audience Award – Film Forward | EKOME Emerging Director Award | Best Film – Youth Jury Award

In his feature debut, Kostis Charamountanis creates a film shaped by the sea and love, infused with humour and drawn from the sweetest of summer memories.

Synopsis: A father and his adult twin children set sail for the island of Poros for their summer holidays aboard the family sailboat. Unbeknownst to them, the siblings encounter their biological mother, who had abandoned them when they were babies. This unexpected meeting unfolds into a bittersweet coming-of-age story for everyone involved.

Director’s Note:
“Kyuka – Before Summer’s End is the second part of a trilogy that began with my 2018 short film Kioku – Before Summer Comes. Inspired by a blend of ideas and real-life experiences, the film draws in part from my childhood memories of family holidays aboard a small sailboat on the Greek island of Poros. The confined space of the boat often led to tension, but within that dynamic, humour and love gave rise to a bittersweet nostalgia for those summers. At its core, the film explores the complexities of family relationships, delving into the bonds between parents and children, as well as the love between siblings. It reflects on how parental love, though protective, can sometimes become stifling or even toxic. It also raises questions about the nature of coming of age and what moments in life can bring it about, regardless of one’s biological age.”

Written and directed by: Kostis Charamountanis
Cinematography: Konstantinos Koukoulios
Editing: Kostis Charamountanis, Lambis Charalambidis
Cast: Symeon Tsakiris, Elsa Lekakou, Konstantinos Georgopoulos, Elena Topalidou, Afroditi Kapokaki, Stathis Apostolou, Ioli Kalaitzi, Chrysi Vidalaki

English subtitles
Duration: 105'
Tickets: €8