Pepi Nikolopoulou
Back to 2023: our exclusive interview with the directors after winning the Golden Dionysus at the Drama Short Film Festival. Directors Chrysianna Papadaki and Stergios Ninopoulos on their award, the making of the film, and rural Greece as a space of freedom
At the Venice Film Festival 2025, within the Giornate degli Autori section, the feature film “Bear Hole” by Chrysianna Papadaki and Stergios Ninopoulos received the Europa Cinemas Venice Label Award for Best European Film — marking the first time Greek directors have won this prestigious distinction.
Set in the mountain village of Elati, Trikala, at the foothills of the Pindus Mountains, the film follows the bond between two young queer women, navigating themes of desire, identity, friendship, self-determination, and social isolation – all against the backdrop of lush forests, rural myths, and a raw, authentic landscape.
With this award bringing the film into the international spotlight, we spoke with the two directors about the origins of “Bear Hole”, the experience of shooting in rural Greece, the challenges of an independent production, and their plans for a feature-length sequel.
The directors of the feature film “Bear Hole”, Chrysianna Papadaki and Stergios Ninopoulos, were awarded at the Lido with the Europa Cinemas Venice Label Award for Best European Film in the Giornate degli Autori section of the Venice Film Festival. This marks the first time Greek directors have ever received this prestigious recognition.
The jury consisted of Manuel Asín (Cine Estudio del Círculo de Bellas Artes, Madrid, Spain), Simon Blaas (Cinema Middelburg, Middelburg, Netherlands), Ivan Frenguelli (PostModernissimo, Perugia, Italy), and Signe-Annie Lindstedt (Zita Folkets Bio, Stockholm, Sweden).
Regarding the film, the jury stated:
“Bear Hole is a truly fresh and energetic debut from Stergios Ninopoulos and Chrysianna V. Papadaki, supported by a young and exceptionally talented team. The film follows the relationship between two young queer women in the mountains of the Balkans. At once a clash and fusion of the old and the new, the film is structured like a thriller but carries a supernatural undertone. The music, editing, and cinematography are genuinely original, while the performances of the two leads are outstanding. We hope that this Label will encourage distributors and audiences across Europe to embrace the film.”
Looking back: our 2023 interview with the directors, after “Bear Hole” won the Golden Dionysus in Drama – two years before its triumph in Venice.
But the journey of “Bear Hole” started much earlier. Back in 2023, the short film version of the project won the Golden Dionysus Award at the 46th Drama International Short Film Festival. Immediately after the award ceremony in Drama, we spoke with the two directors about the origins of the film, the role of nature, queer love beyond the city, and their dream of expanding the story into a feature-length trilogy – a vision that has now brought them all the way to Venice.
Fulfilling an old promise, the two friends decide to venture into the legendary cave of “Bear Hole” (Arkoudotrypa) to confront their deepest fears. Over the next 38 minutes of this short film, we follow the next 24 hours of the protagonist’s life – a journey through shifting emotions, fleeting thoughts, and instinctive actions. This is the short film “Bear Hole”, directed by Stergios Ninopoulos and Chrysianna Papadaki.
“We shot the film with almost no budget,” the two young filmmakers revealed at the closing ceremony, “relying on crowdfunding campaigns, the support of our friends, and the incredible help of Stergios’ grandmothers, who hosted the crew at their home in the village.”
This is a film made entirely out of love and passion. “We wanted to make a film for the youth in the countryside,” they explain, “to capture tenderness – a small refuge of love in the world we live in.”
“We wanted to highlight the connection between young people, their roots, and nature,” says Stergios Ninopoulos, speaking at the film’s screening at the Drama Short Film Festival. “We don’t want to limit experiences geographically. Love between two women can exist far from urban landscapes.” He adds, laughing, “I never expected the audience to burst out laughing at Mrs. Maria, my neighbor – it fills me with joy.”
“Bear Hole” is a film that negotiates both conflict and harmony between tradition and modernity, blending local folklore with the personal experiences of the filmmakers. It also marks just the first chapter of a planned trilogy.
“We came up with the idea during lockdown – a way to escape depression,” says co-director Chrysianna Papadaki. “At its core, the film is about nature, youth, and love. We’ve seen many queer films set in cities, but very few in rural Greece, where the experience is completely different. This isn’t just an urban story. We also touch on love within friendship and the complex relationships we have with our roots. Our goal now is to create a feature-length sequel.”
The film was shot entirely in Elati, Trikala. “We had to hike quite a lot to reach the location, and the locals helped us immensely,” Papadaki recalls. “Just finding the cave was an odyssey in itself – but it’s breathtaking, like a labyrinth. I’m grateful to Stergios for introducing us to this magical place.”
