MAIN DRAMATIC COMPETITION “MAKING WAY”

SMARAGDA: I GOT THICK SKIN AND I CAN’T JUMP

2024 / 99 min / color

Smaragda (the wonderfully tragicomic Niovi Charlambous), a former star and host of a TV show for kids, is now an older woman. She moves into her late mother’s house to take care of her dog, and goes through the grieving process in her own uniquely optimistic and childishly naive style. She has no intention of spending her days sitting on the couch alone. Smaragda’s adventures and the variety of social roles that she takes on — a kids’ entertainer at a holiday resort; an amusing friend; a typical “single woman”; a grief-stricken daughter — unfold in a steady rhythm under the burning Cyprus sun. Smaragda also dreams of going back into show business, against all odds and disregarding the rules of the game, and makes a series of attempts to get hired as a TV actress. In his feature debut, Emilios Avraam takes an intimate, empathetic look at his central character, drawing the audience’s attention to the oppressive norms around visibility for women of a certain age.

A Q&A session with the filmmakers will take place during the film screening on May 1 at 6:00 PM at the Academy of Fine Arts.
Please note: the Q&A will be in English.