A film student at Newcastle University has been showing his documentaries at prestigious festivals all over the world.

Evripidis Karydis, who is studying for a PhD in Film Practice at Newcastle University, has had his films shown at festivals in Oaxaca, Mexico; Bucharest, Romania; Moscow, Russia; and Lille, France.

Screenings are also lined up in Malmo, Sweden, and Chania, Crete, as well as in Glasgow and Eastbourne.

Evripidis is originally from Greece and his Greek background inspires his work. His documentary 98, for instance, is about an elderly woman living on her own, who frequently reminisces about her early life in a Greek village.

The Crossing concerns a Greek mother who finds fulfilment and independence through her passion for open-water swimming. The Collector is about a retired bank clerk, whose obsession for amassing quirky objects sees him transform his home into a museum, in which he becomes an eccentric tour guide.

Freedom through Football follows a group of male activists who set up a fan club for FC St. Pauli in the Greek city of Thessaloniki.

Evripidis Karydis is the first person to do a PhD in Film Practice in Newcastle University’s Film@CultureLab.

Evripidis said, “I am so thrilled that my work is being acknowledged by the filmmaking community all around the world. It gives me the strength to continue creating.”

“Documentary filmmakers are storytellers, always looking for the compelling story to tell. With my films, I am sharing the stories of these people with the rest of the world.”

Evripidis’s PhD supervisor and the founder of Film@CultureLab, Dr Ian McDonald, said, “As his supervisor, I have seen him grow in confidence and ability as a documentary filmmaker and am delighted that his work is now being recognised on the festival circuit.”

“What marks Evripidis out as a filmmaker is that he works hard, recognising that you can only improve as a filmmaker by making films, and secondly his social commitment to using his filmmaking skills to both celebrate the lives of everyday people and to advance the cause of justice.”

“I am sure he has a great career as a documentary filmmaker ahead of him.”

(Featured image courtesy of Graham of the Wheels, from Flickr Creative Commons)