JAINA LIU
Director / Writer / Producer
SCORCHED EARTH
2023, film, 16 mins.
DIR. Markela Kontaratou
It's summer in Greece and Stela escapes to her summer house hoping to finish her thesis. There, her loud neighbour and his girlfriend keep distracting her. One night Stela witnesses a terrible crime.
produced by Jaina Liu and Kyriaki Kontaratou
written by Markela Kontaratou
co-production of London Film School and RagingMuse Production
When a woman is killed in Greece, all we hear is silence.
Markela first shared her story with me in the summer of 2021, when she told me she wanted to tell a story about women in Greek society, and how femicide is always met with little attention and cold reactions.
Coming from an East Asian culture where traditionally women are also treated with less attention in conservative cultures, I immediately want to help her tell this important story.
We shot this film in 16mm film stock in a little seaside resort town about 40 minutes outside of Athens where Markela's family used to live. Just before we started shooting, there was another femicide in the news before the summer of 2022, which again attracted little attention.
We thus decided to film louder.