LUDYAS - Fiction, 30' 2025
The calm surface of the Ludyas river is shattered by an unexpected intruder. Young Minás, gripped by local legend, becomes obsessed with tracking down the mysterious creature that brings fear and unrest to the small tavern.
Director’s Note
LUDYAS is a deeply personal film rooted in my childhood, inspired by the riverside tavern my family once ran in Northern Greece. Set in the autumn of 1991, it blends memory and myth to tell the story of a young boy’s first encounter with nature’s violence.
The film balances realism with poetic subjectivity. While the adult world remains grounded and raw, the child’s perspective brings atmosphere, imagination, and ambiguity. I shot the film on location at the original tavern, casting real locals to preserve authenticity.
At its core, LUDYAS is a return to a place and a moment, an attempt to better understand my father, and in doing so, myself. It’s a story about the fragile threshold between innocence and reality, and the uneasy coexistence of people and nature.
Cast & Crew
Cast: Pavlos Karalis, Panagiotis Kryemadi, Eleni Molfeta, Konstantinos Liaros
Director: Akis Polizos
Writer: Avrilios Karakostas
Cinematography: Giannis Georgiou
Editing: Lambis Charalampidis
Production Design: Konstantinos Skourletis
Costumes: Anna Zotou, Evelyna Darzenta
Visual FX: Frameworks, Giorgos Papaioannou
Color Grading: Aggelos Mantzios, METAPOST
Original Music: Alexandros Sidiropoulos
Sound Design & Mix: Mikes Billis, Giannis Valasis
Producers: Thania Drakopoulou, Myrto & Mando Stathi, Akis Polizos
Production Manager: Giorgos Papadimitriou, Stavroula Dimitriadou
Production Company: BYRD Films