Revealing one more parallel event of the 7th Peloponnisos International Doc Film Festival, the presentation, and signing of graphic novel "The Battle of the Square" by the comic artist Soloup. This graphic novel with more than 600 pages of original work has been a 3-year project that connects history with the 9th art. Narrations based on texts by fighters and historians. Sketches which refer to artworks. An extensive, academic appendix with information, biographies, indexes, and bibliographical references. The event is inspired by the festival tribute "Claiming Freedom" and the 200th anniversary of the Greek Independence. Giannis Koukoulas (Art Historian), Meletis Moiras (Director), Antonis Nikolopoulos/Soloup (Comic Artist).
The graphic novel, 21- The Battle of the Square, covers the entire period of the Revolution up until the accession of the Bavarian king, Otto. It is one of the most extended comics works in Greece to date. A narration which escapes from stereotypes and highlights people and facts through both familiar and less well-known aspects of history. Despite the many references and the multiple layers of understanding involved, The Battle of the Square invites both young and old along on a thrilling adventure. The texts are based on a wide array of main characters: the klephts and armatole, the Phanariotes, the Kodjabashis, the fighters, the philhellenes etc. The engravings and paintings that depict the Revolution are effectively integrated into the pages of the comic book.
The project was supported by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.) and with the help of the University of the Aegean (Department of Cultural Technology and Communication) and the National Historical Museum. Collaborating with Natasa Kastriti, Reggina Katsimardou, Panagiota Panariti for the archival research, and with the academic research of Professor Evi Sampanikou.
You can find the book in stores by Ikaros publishing.
Making of...behind the sketches:
Meletis Moiras, director of "Babel - From Silence to Explosion" meets Antonis Nikolopoulos (Soloup) and his collaborators again.
The film "21 - The Battle of the Square | Making of ...behind the sketches" follows the creative proccess of the largest graphic novel, "21 - The Battle of the Square" published by Ikaros Publishing. Research, storyboards, sketches and ink.Talks with Soloup and the creative team of the National Historical Museum about history.
Written and directed by Meletis Moiras, with director of photography Kostas Kapernaros, editing and coloring by Michalis Kalligeris. With musicians Niko Papaioannou playing the chello and Petros Kasimatos playing the trumpet. Subtitles by Authorwave.
A few words about the artists:
Soloup is a political cartoonist (satirical and political newspaper “To Pondiki” and street magazine “Sxedia”) and a comic book creator. He studied Political Sciences at Panteion University and is a Ph.D in the department of Cultural Technology and Communication at the University of the Aegean. His post-doctoral research is on the depiction of the Greek Revolution from the year 1800 to the present day as viewed through the visual arts, prints, comics etc. The 1821 graphic novel is part of this research. He has publoshed more than 17 comic collections and books in his career. His comics have been translated in many languages and he has collaborated twice with the Benaki museum. His art has travelled all over Europe and America.
Meletis Miras started making movies almost 20 years after his graduation from the film academy because he believed that was the right time to do so. He is delighted in Documentaries but he keeps a close eye on fiction movies as well. He wants his future to be full of movies because cinema is the biggest motivation of all in his life
For more information you can check out their official website: https://1821graphicnovel.gr/en/