Venice Winner 'A Day in the Life of Jo' Comes Home to Thessaloniki

Jacqueline Lentzou's "A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra," which won the best director award in the Horizons strand of the Venice Film Festival, competes for top honors this week in the main international competition of the Thessaloniki Film Festival, running Nov. 5–15.

The Greek filmmaker's sophomore feature follows Jo, an unruly, melancholic 15-year-old played by newcomer Evia Andriopoulou, through the ups and downs of a single ordinary day. That day turns with the arrival of Phaedra (Anastasia Gouliamou), a bookish classmate whose warbling rendition of an old love ballad reduces Jo to tears — and sends her life toward both tragedy and transformation.

Since Venice, the film has played the New York Film Festival, the BFI London Film Festival and the Busan Film Festival. 1-2 Special will release it in North America.

What lies behind the story?

Speaking to Variety in Thessaloniki, Lentzou traced the film's origin to a real tragedy: the 2008 killing of 15-year-old Alexandros Grigoropoulos by Athens police, which sparked nationwide protests and riots and is still commemorated annually with massive demonstrations. "This tragic incident served as the spark for the film," the director said — though she frames it as a stepping stone toward a meditation on life and what comes after.

The film progresses in a loose, episodic fashion. "All days, at least my days, feel fragmented and non-linear," Lentzou said. Its building blocks are deliberately mundane:

• Squabbles with Jo's mother (Eleni Vergeti), her sole guardian since her parents' divorce
• A visit from Jo's father
• Enigmatic encounters that echo signs and symbols from a dream, suggesting porous borders between sleeping and waking, or between life and whatever follows

At its heart, Lentzou said, is "the film's existential game of who and what we truly are." All of it leads to an explosive, audacious and formally bold conclusion.

How was the film's young star found?

The film rests on debutante Andriopoulou, whom Lentzou discovered "after an exhausting and admittedly disappointing two-month casting session" that ended in an open call.

"My hopes were not very high, yet at some point Evita enters, shyly and very, very gently, and it felt like meeting a part of me," Lentzou said. "I sensed a wound, a small breakage despite the youth of her age, and this is what led me to choosing her: a girl with whom I could communicate deeply."

The director called Andriopoulou's performance "full of pure, honest emotion" and predicted that her recent acting prize at the Euro Balkan Film Festival in Rome would be "the start of a series of accolades." That promise remains to be tested; one prize does not guarantee a run.

Lentzou also credited cinematographer Grimm Vandekerckhove, whose camera captures the play of emotion across Andriopoulou's expressive face and charges ordinary objects with meaning. "The key in the visual approach, the big question hovering over our heads, was how to depict the invisible (already a contrast in terms), how to make the subtle presence of another awareness felt through our camera work," she said. "I cannot stress enough how much of the film's insane success is owed to Grimm's contribution and faith in the project."

What happens next?

"A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra" is produced by Avion Films and Atalante Productions, in co-production with Kelek Film, 4A4 Productions, ERT and Haris & Co. Lucky Number handles world sales. A Thessaloniki win on home soil, followed by the North American release through 1-2 Special, would determine whether the Venice momentum converts into a broader audience.