Focus on Athina Rachel Tsangari

Celebrate the unique voice and multi-faceted career of Athina Rachel Tsangari, whose films helped define the Greek Weird Wave

Ironically, it’s not unusual for national filmmaking to have a ‘weird’ moment. Arguably, Australia had ours in the mid-90s, around the time of the ‘glitter cycle’ films (Strictly Ballroom, Muriel’s Wedding and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert are prominent examples).

In Greece, the Greek Weird Wave emerged out of a period of economic hardship and social destabilisation for the country, following the 2008 global financial crisis. The films of that time were absurdist, idiosyncratic and cast a spell over audiences.

Movements like these are not consciously defined by the filmmakers – they’re often grouped together and labelled by critics. Athina Rachel Tsangari was a central figure when this new wave was identified, although her career began much earlier in the US. She wrote and directed films that defined the movement (Attenberg, Chevalier) and produced numerous Greek Weird Wave films too, notably two directed by Yorgos Lanthimos: Dogtooth and Alps.

Join us in the cinema as we celebrate the work of Athina Rachel Tsangari. Her career spans continents, mediums and redefines the auteur as a filmmaker equally as comfortable in the director’s chair as they are producing, writing and appearing on screen.