STRAY BODIES

Director Elina Psykou is available for interviews.

After its world premiere in the International Competition at the 26th Thessaloniki International Documentary Film Festival on March 12th, STRAY BODIES (Adespota Kormia) written and directed by Elina Psykou is celebrating its international premiere at CPH:DOX in the F:ACT AWARD section on March 19th.

At a time when Europeans travel more than ever, STRAY BODIES is a road movie about unvoluntary trips of women crossing EU borders to evade the restrictive laws of their home countries, where religion and politics have more say over their body than themselves. Depicting the recent phenomena of “medical tourism”, STRAY BODIES is a reflection on each person’s rights over their own body. The film raises the big existential questions in a world where scientific knowledge has pushed further humanity’s power over life and death.

SYNOPSIS
Robin is pregnant but doesn’t want to be a mother. Katerina and Gaia are single but want a child. Kiki suffers from an incurable disease and wants her life to end with dignity. The procedure they hope to get access to – abortion, IVF and euthanasia – is available and legal in neighbouring countries but not theirs. Therefore, they resort to so-called “medical tourism”. STRAY BODIES takes you on a road trip through Europe, where life and death lurk around every corner.
By meeting opponents, doctors, advocates in simultaneously surreal and humoristic settings, that often blend the limits between logic and absurdity, the film opens a reflection on bodily autonomy in a continent where Christian heritage and conservatism are obstacles to the freedom of choice.

Elina Psykou, born in Greece in 1977, studied filmmaking and sociology in Athens. Her first feature as a screenwriter-director, “The Eternal Return of Antonis Paraskevas”, premiered at the Berlinale Forum in 2013 and participated in more than 40 international film festivals. During that same year, trade publication Variety singled her out as one of the “10 European Directors to Watch” and in 2014, she won the first-time director award from the Hellenic Film Academy. Her second feature, “Son of Sofia” premiered in competition at the Tribeca FF in 2017 and won the Best International Narrative Feature Award. “Son of Sofia” also won 5 awards from the Hellenic Film Academy, including best feature film, best director and best screenplay. Both her films were part of the European Film Awards’ selection list in 2013 and 2017 accordingly. STRAY BODIES is her first documentary. At the same time, she is financing her third feature, “Patrimonial Fears and other Illusions” and developing her first drama-series, “The Coroner’s Assistant”, which participated at Berlinale Co-Pro Series 2024.

STRAY BODIES is produced by Jungle Films, Antigoni Rota (Greece), Contrast Film, Ivan Madeo (Switzerland), DocLab, Marco Visalberghi (Italy), Red Carpet, Veselka Kiryakova (Bulgaria). In co-production with Anemon, Frenel, Long Run Productions, ΕRΤ, RSI Radiotelevisione Svizzera / SRG SSR. With the support of Eurimages, Creative Europe, Greek Film Center, Federal Office of Culture (FOC), Zurich Film Fund, Alexis Victor Thalberg Foundation, Corymbo Foundation, Italian Ministry of Culture, Bulgarian National Film Center. The film was produced with the support of the Greek Cash Rebate Program by the National Center of Audiovisual Media and Communication (EKOME SA).

109 min. / Greece, Switzerland, Italy, Bulgaria / 2024 / Color

Production Company:
JUNGLE FILMS
Elina Psykou

©/CREDITS:

Stills: © JUNGLE FILMS