Neritán Zinxiria’s “Noi” and Jafar Panahi’s Cannes Golden Palm winner “An Ordinary Accident” screened together at Newman Cinema

The award-winning short film Noi by Neritán Zinxiria will be screened at the Newman Cinema alongside Jafar Panahi’s An Ordinary Accident, winner of the Cannes Golden Palm, starting Thursday, October 23.

Noi has already enjoyed an impressive journey. Neritán Zinxiria was named the grand winner at the 48th Drama International Short Film Festival, earning the Golden Dionysus and automatically qualifying for the Oscars selection process. The film served as the closing title of the Greek Short Stories program at the Athens International Film Festival – Premiere Nights, and had its world premiere at London’s Raindance Film Festival, one of the most prominent independent film festivals worldwide.

NOI (2025, 15’, fiction)
Cast: Giorgos Vadevoulis, Dimitris Xanthopoulos, Meni Konstantinidou, Apostolis Varsanis, Theodora Tetsiou
Written & Directed by: Neritán Zinxiria
Producer: Kyriaki Virou
Co-producers: Efijeni Kokedhima, Neritán Zinxiria
Cinematography: Christina Moumouri GSC
Costume Design: Matina Mavragani
Production Design: Sofia Vasso
Editing: Christos Giannakopoulos
Sound Design: Leandros Ntounis
Original Music: Apostolis Koutsogiannis
VFX: Pantelis Anastasidis
Colorist: Angelos Matzios
Executive Producers: Michalis Papadopoulos, Konstantinos Papadopoulos
Production: AbFab Productions, Reconstructing Memories

Synopsis

Set in a Vlach village in Metsovo, this haunting, beautifully shot film follows a boy and his horse. Revenge whispers: At what temperature does blood boil upon the snow?
When an older brother is killed by his beloved horse, the younger must decide–through nightmares and visions–whether to kill the animal or forgive it.

Against the backdrop of a silent, frozen landscape, Zinxiria’s film unfolds as a dark parable about violence, memory, and the taming of instincts. A poetic dream-film where tradition does not forgive, and brotherly love is tested between vengeance and mercy.

Neritán Zinxiria first won the Golden Dionysus in 2012 with Chamomile and later received the Documentary Award at DISFF for Φῶς ἐκ Φωτός (Light from Light), once again delving into the essence of the Balkan soul through his lens.

Neritán Zinxiria on Noi, speaking at the Drama Festival: “The initial title was Taming, but once the film took shape, that title felt too limiting. I wanted something connected to the local dialect and the language of the people. The film was shot in Metsovo and deals with the Vlach community. Noi means we, our people – but since the word is nasal, it also sounds like the neighing of a horse.”

“Nature and animals are the dominant elements of the world. I wanted to focus on a world where horses define the human factor. Human sensitivity depends on animals.”

“The entire film, made with people from the local community except for the two parents, was born from a dream I had. It all began from the place itself – Metsovo, where around two hundred wild horses live. Each of my films starts from a few totemic elements, and this one was inspired by oral tradition and stories that run through time in an archetypal way.”