Synopsis

Short synopsis

 
In the mountains of  Crete, locals decide to bring an isolated village to life.
 With determined efforts, solidarity and self - organization,
 they transform an abandoned village into a model place to live,
respecting traditional architecture and the environment.
The locals and their stories will lead us into the revival of the village of Ethia.


A short note from the director

With their simplicity and immediacy, the locals lead us into the story through a
single narrative.
With the help of archive material from the last 30 years and images of today's
life with the mountains, we witness an intensely emotional story. People and their
stories are always at the center of this film.
Images of the village and its life through the years form an active background,
revealing:ruins turned into houses, café’s that are now open, trees, solitude,abandonment and children playing in the square.

Long Synopsis

Ethia’s story is intertwined with the harshness of the surrounding peaks, the
Asterousia mountains.
Maria Loulaki, introduces us to the good old days of the village and the
subsequent, urbanisation and abandonment.
A civil engineer, Yannis Androulakis, had the inspiring idea of rehabilitating
the village. His plan was initially met with considerable disbelief, but
despite their initial concerns and considerable reluctance, the locals came on
board. The Association for the Restoration of Ethia was founded.
Private archive footage from the 1990’s combined with local stories revealing
the intense work and emotions of the initial restorations.
Basic infrastructure such as the water and sewage systems and paving the
dirt road were paid for and undertaken by the people themselves. Some of the
money for construction came from surprisingly innovative sources, including
funerals!
Trees were planted and house rebuilt, respecting the natural environment and
traditional architecture.

Today, the village is alive again: groups of locals enjoy the mountains and
celebrate traditional feasts for the first time in 30 years.