Little England (film)
Little England (Greek: Μικρά Αγγλία, romanized: Mikra Anglia) is a 2013 Greek period drama–romance film directed by Pantelis Voulgaris. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Ioanna Karystiani, Voulgaris' wife, and stars Pinelopi Tsilika, Sofia Kokkali, Aneza Papadopoulou and Andreas Konstantinou. The plot revolves around two sisters, Orsa and Moscha from the island of Andros, dubbed Little England because of its affluence, who are both in love with Spyros; it starts in the interwar period and ends in the 1950s.
| Little England | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Μικρά Αγγλία | |
| Directed by | Pantelis Voulgaris |
| Produced by | Giannis Iakovidis |
| Screenplay by | Ioanna Karystiani |
| Based on | Mikra Anglia by Ioanna Karystiani |
| Starring | Pinelopi Tsilika Sofia Kokkali Aneza Papadopoulou Andreas Konstantinou Maximos Moumouris Vasilis Vasilakis Christos Kalavrouzos |
| Music by | Katerina Polemi |
| Cinematography | Simos Sarketzis |
| Edited by | Takis Giannopoulos |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Feelgood Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 160 minutes |
| Country | Greece |
| Language | Greek |
| Box office | $3,078,029 |
The film achieved commercial success in Greece, as it was the second-highest-grossing film of 2013 and the first amongst the Greek films. Little England also met critical success domestically and abroad. It was nominated for thirteen Hellenic Film Academy Awards and won six, including the award for Best Film. Internationally, it dominated at the 2014 Shanghai International Film Festival, winning three Golden Goblet Awards for Best Feature Film, Best Director and Best Actress, and it is also nominated for a Satellite Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Little England was submitted by Greece for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Plot
The action takes place on the island of Andros, where Orsa, 20 years old, and her younger sister, Moscha, live. Orsa is deeply in love with Spyros Matabes, a lieutenant, but she has never revealed her secret to anybody. On the other hand, Moscha dreams of leaving Andros and escaping women's fate of marrying sailors, who are usually away from their families. Their mother, Mina, who is married to a captain, considers love to be a trouble and, overriding their emotions, wants her daughters to make wealthy marriages. As a result, Orsa marries captain Nikos Vatokouzis, and Moscha to Spyros Matabes, a captain now with whom her sister is in love. The two women live in the family's duplex home and the forbidden love will harm their lives.
Cast
- Pinelopi Tsilika as Orsa Saltaferou
- Sofia Kokkali as Moscha Saltaferou
- Aneza Papadopoulou as Mina Saltaferou
- Andreas Konstantinou as Spyros Maltabes
- Maximos Moumouris as Nikos Vatokouzis
- Vasilis Vasilakis as Savvas Saltaferos
- Christos Kalavrouzos as uncle Aimilios
Release
The film was released in Greece on 5 December 2013. It was also screened twice as closing film at the 36th Cairo International Film Festival on 17 and 18 November 2014.[1]
Reception
Box office
Little England was a major hit in Greece, where it grossed $3,078,029, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2013 in the country behind only The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The film grossed $537,314 in its opening weekend and topped the box office, while it stayed in top four in the following six weekends.
Critical response
Boyd van Hoeij of The Hollywood Reporter describes the film as "A woman's picture in the best sense of the word" and a "handsomely mounted and impeccably acted film."[2]
Accolades
Little England dominated at the 2014 Hellenic Film Academy Awards, where it received thirteen nominations and finally won six awards, including that for Best Film.[3] The film met great success at the 2014 Shanghai International Film Festival, where it was also announced as the Best Feature Film and won two more Golden Goblet Awards.[4] The film was selected as the Greek entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 87th Academy Awards.[5]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hellenic Film Academy Awards[6][7] | 14 April 2014 | Best Film | Little England | Won |
| Best Screenplay | Ioanna Karystiani | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress | Pinelopi Tsilika | Nominated | ||
| Sofia Kokkali | Nominated | |||
| Best Supporting Actor | Christos Kalavrouzos | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Simos Sarketzis | Won | ||
| Best Editing | Takis Giannopoulos | Nominated | ||
| Best Music | Katerina Polemi | Nominated | ||
| Best Scenography | Antonis Daglidis | Won | ||
| Best Costume Design | Gioula Zoiopoulou | Won | ||
| Best Sound | Stefanos Efthymiou, Kostas Varybobiotis and Takis Giannopoulos | Won | ||
| Best Make-up | Evi Zafiropoulou | Won | ||
| Best Special Effects and Cinematic Innovation | Antonis Kotzias and Antonis Nikolaou | Nominated | ||
| Satellite Awards[8] | 15 February 2015 | Best Foreign Language Film | Little England | Nominated |
| Shanghai International Film Festival[9] | 22 June 2014 | Best Feature Film | Little England | Won |
| Best Director | Pantelis Voulgaris | Won | ||
| Best Actress | Pinelopi Tsilika | Won |
See also
- List of submissions to the 87th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Greek submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
- "36th Cairo International Film Festival Programme" (PDF). Cairo International Film Festival. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- van Hoeij, Boyd (3 July 2014). "'Little England' ('Mikra Anglia'): Shanghai Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- Bouras, Dimitris (16 April 2014). «Μικρά Αγγλία» μεγάλη νικήτρια ["Little England" the great winner]. Kathimerini (in Greek). Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- Cremin, Stephen (22 June 2014). "Little England wins big in Shanghai". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- Grivas, Alexis (9 September 2014). "Greece enters Oscar race with Little England". Screendaily. Emap International Limited. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- Βραβεία 2014 [Awards 2014]. Hellenic Film Academy (in Greek). Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- Antiochos, Giagos. Η «Μικρά Αγγλία» πρωταγωνίστρια στις υποψηφιότητες των βραβείων της Ελληνικής Ακαδημίας Κινηματογράφου ["Little England" dominates in nominations for the Hellenic Film Academy Awards]. Athinorama (in Greek). Retrieved 29 November 2014.
- "Current nominees". International Press Academy. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
- "17th SIFF in Numbers". Shanghai International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
External links
- Official website (in Greek)
- Little England at IMDb
- Little England at Box Office Mojo