Drama
Roots
Press Release
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BELONG? GREEK DRAMA EXPLORES THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN GEOGRAPHY AND MEMORY – AND THE TRUE DEFINITION OF HOME.
Produced by Academy Award® winning Slick Films (UK), in association with BrittleBrattle Productions (UK), Kontsentrat Films (Greece) and Atala Films (Greece), ‘Roots’ is an existential drama exploring one man’s quest to reclaim his past. Shot entirely on location in Northern Greece, the film stars award-winning Karafil Shena, Fabricio Muco, Christina Maxouri, and Nikos Koukas.
Set on the border between Greece and Albania, the film follows Karafil (Karafil Shena) as he searches for a tree he planted when he first emigrated as a child. Unable to accept that he no longer belongs in either of the two countries, Karafil has convinced himself that he possesses a metaphysical connection to the tree, and that finding it will allow him to reconnect with his childhood self.
Shot in a hybrid digital and film (16mm) format, the film experiments visually and sonically, crafting a liminal dream world that represents Karafil’s past. As the film develops, we realise that the childhood world Karafil longs to return to, no longer exists.
The film delves into the psychological impact of immigration, showing the residual trauma even in cases where an immigrant might have had a successful socioeconomic integration.
Roots had its world premiere at the Academy Award® and EFA qualifying Drama International Short Film Festival and has also been selected for the Academy Award® and EFA qualifying Tirana International Film Festival in September 2025.
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