''Strella'' ( el, Στρέλλα; international title: ''A Woman's Way'') is a 2009 Greek drama film written and directed by

Panos H. Koutras Panos H. Koutras ( el, Πάνος Χ. Κούτρας; born in Athens) is a Greek film director, film producer and screenwriter, who made his debut with the feature film ''The Attack of the Giant Moussaka'' (1999), an independent science-fiction ...

. The plot centres around the relationship between a 45-year-old ex-convict and a 25-year-old transgender woman.

Plot

Yiorgos (

Yiannis Kokiasmenos Yannis, Yiannis, or Giannis (Γιάννης) is a common Greek given name, a variant of '' John'' (Hebrew) meaning "God is gracious." In formal Greek (e.g. all government documents and birth certificates) the name exists only as Ioannis (Ιωάν ...

) is released from prison after 14 years of incarceration for a murder he committed in his small Greek village. He spends his first night out in a cheap hotel in Athens. There he meets Strella ( Mina Orfanou), a young transgender prostitute. They spend the night together and soon they fall in love. But the past is catching up with Yiorgos. With Strella on his side he will have to find a new way out.

Production

The film was shot on location in Athens and Peloponnese. The role of Strella was performed by the amateur actress Mina Orfanou, who is a trans woman.

Awards

The film was premiered in the 59th

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

- Section Panorama - in February 2009 and has participated since in more than 20 international film festivals all over the world. It was one of the 48 films nominated for the

European Film Awards The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the mo ...

in 2009. ''Strella'' won four awards of the eleven it was nominated for, including best actress and art direction, at the first Hellenic Film Academy awards ceremony in 2010.

Cast

* Mina Orfanou ..... Strella *

..... Yiorgos *

Minos Theoharis In Greek mythology, Minos (; grc-gre, Μίνως, ) was a King of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. Every nine years, he made King Aegeus pick seven young boys and seven young girls to be sent to Daedalus's creation, the labyrinth, to be ...

..... Alex *

Betty Vakalidou Betty or Bettie is a name, a common diminutive for the names Bethany and Elizabeth. In Latin America, it is also a common diminutive for the given name Beatriz, the Spanish and Portuguese form of the Latin name Beatrix and the English name Beatr ...

..... Mary * Akis Ioannou ..... Wilma * Argiris Kavidas ..... Nikos *

Kostas Siradakis Kostas or Costas ( el, Κώστας) is a Greek given name and surname. As a given name it is the hypocorism for Konstantinos (Constantine). Given name * Costas Andreou, Greek musician * Kostas Antetokounmpo (born 1997), a Greek basketball player ...

..... Antonis *

Yiorgos Mazis Giorgos, Yiorgos or Yorgos ( el, Γιώργος) is a common abbreviation of the given name Georgios. Notable people with the name include: Persons Giorgos * Giorgos Agorogiannis, Greek footballer * Giorgos Alkaios, pop musician and singer * Gio ...

..... Kolokousis

References

External links

*
Memento Films - French distributorFilms Distribution - world sales

Official blog in GreekAlloCineEcranLarge
{{Panos H. Koutras 2009 drama films 2009 LGBT-related films 2009 films Greek drama films 2000s Greek-language films Greek LGBT-related films Films about trans women Films shot in Athens