02/11/2022 - Efthymia Zymvragaki's first feature-length documentary tells a story about violence against women in a twofold way: through her own experiences and through an encounter with a perpetrator

The first feature-length documentary by Crete-born, Barcelona-based filmmaker Efthymia Zymvragaki, Light Falls Vertical [+see also:
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This subtle picture speaks about violence against women, which the director experienced herself. “When I left my island, it wasn't a departure; it was an escape,” she says. Later, she encountered a dangerous, harmful man who decided to bare his soul. Memories, fact and fiction intertwine in their intimate collaboration that is painfully personal but also intrinsically cinematic.

“One day, a man who signed as Ernesto contacted me saying he wanted to make a film about his life,” the director recalls. “His message said that in the problem of domestic violence, there were always two parties – the victim and the perpetrator. He was the perpetrator.

“I was intuitively drawn to this idea, and Ernesto and I agreed that I would make a film about his story, drawing inspiration from the autobiographical novel that he had authored. That agreement turned out to be only the pretext that allowed us to approach each other and gradually reveal the deeper motivations that attracted us to each other’s stories,” Zymvragaki explains.

Light Falls Vertical was produced by Barcelona-based Gris Medio, in co-production with Spain's KaBoGa and Novena Nube, Germany's ThurnFilm, Italy's Eur Film and the Netherlands' Witfilm.

Check out our exclusive trailer below: