Academy Award nominated Greek director Georgios “Yorgos” Lanthimos has just released a trailer for his new short film, “Vlichi” (Bleat).
The film, starring Oscar winner Emma Stone and French actor Damien Bonnard, was shot on the Cycladic island of Tinos in February 2020, just prior to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. It is the second installment in “The Artist on the Composer” series of short film projects, run by the Greek National Opera and NEON, a non-profit organization that brings contemporary art to a wider audience. The program aims to connect pioneering filmmakers with live orchestral music.
 
“Bleat” will have its world premiere on May 6, 7 and 8, 2022, screened with the live accompaniment of a music ensemble at the Stavros Niarchos Hall of the SNFCC.
The renowned Greek director, famous for his work on the award winning film “The Favourite” (2018), accepted the invitation to participate in the program from the Greek National Opera’s artistic director Giorgos Koumendakis and NEON Director Elina Kountouri.
Released yesterday, the evocative 1 minute-long trailer for “Bleat,” shot in black and white, is cryptic about the film’s plot, but features the wild and untamed landscape of windswept Tinos to ominous effect. Toshio Hosokawa’s minimalist music, a woman in a flowing dress, an empty grave, and the presence of a goat – animals, as symbols, often feature in Lanthimos’ films – is reminiscent of a Greek tragedy. In any case, the trailer has certainly piqued everyone’s curiosity.
 
The work’s music script will consist of pieces by J.S. Bach, Knut Nystedt and Toshio Hosokawa, performed live at the Stavros Niarchos Hall by the “Maria Callas” quartet and the chorus of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT).
For more information about the premiere of “Bleat,” and for tickets, go here.