In “Homa,” the director accompanies renowned Cretan musician Giorgis Xylouris on a poetic pilgrimage from Crete to the Moroccan Sahara Desert, via Spain. As Xylouris searches for the oldest lutes and encounters the Gnawa musicians—”the mutes”—his journey intertwines with the director’s own exploration of identity, creating an intimate first-person documentary where the musician’s childhood memories on the island resonate with memories of family migration.
Through careful visual and audio composition, “Homa” becomes a meditation on collective memory, the sense of cultural belonging, and the deep spiritual bonds between music, land, and people, revealing the invisible connections that bind us: from shared traumas to moments of quiet earthly ecstasy.
DIRECTOR’S BIOGRAPHY
Efthymia Zymvragaki is a producer, director, screenwriter, and cinematographer. She seeks to explore spaces of intimacy between and within people. Efthymia earned her Master’s Degree in Artistic Productions and Research from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona and trained as a photographer at the Institut d’Estudis Fotogràfics de Catalunya. She holds a degree in Psychology from the University of Crete (Greece).
She specializes in creative documentaries, participating in workshops, labs, and industry events.
She is an alumna of: IDFAcademy 2020, Circle – Women’s Doc Accelerator 2020, Acció producció – Dones Visuals 2021, LIM Development Angels, Dok.incubator 2022, and the EURODOC 2024 international program.
She is a member of DAE (Documentary Association of Europe), EWA (European Women’s Association), Dones Visuals, and DOCMA (Documentary Film Association). He has participated in numerous documentary forums and markets: IDFA Forum, Cannes Marché du film Docs in Progress, WEMW Coproduction Forum and Pitching, East Doc Platform, DOK Leipzig Coproduction Forum, DOK.Fest Munich Marketplace, MEDIMED, REC 1er Test, LAU HAIZETARA Documentary Pitching San Sebastian, CIIF MARKET, L’Alternativa Mentoring Projects, and Cinema Pendent.
CRÍTICAS DE PRENSA
“De vez en cuando te encuentras con una obra de arte que cumple todos los requisitos. Light Falls Vertical es uno de esos raros ejemplos, que ofrece una visión profunda de las almas tanto de un agresor como de una víctima de violencia doméstica”.
Business Doc Europe
“Un documental ensayístico sobre la violencia doméstica profundamente personal y a la vez universal.”
International Cinephile Society
“Un relato íntimo de una mente atormentada, sin que nunca sea intrusivo”
Business Doc Europe
Title: Homa
International Title: Homa
Genre: Documentary
Running Time: 80 min
Recording Format: 4K
Projection Format: Digital, UHD, 4:3
Production: Gris Medio, Witfilm, Sisilo
Country of Production: Spain, Netherlands, Greece
Original Language: Mainly Greek
