HOLY BOOM

On his way home Adias' husband is run over and later dies, leaving her, an illegal immigrant from Albania, alone to look after their new-born child. Lacking the necessary documents, she is not permitted to identify her husband's corpse. Meanwhile Manou, from Nigeria, and his Greek girlfriend Lena are waiting for a consignment of LSD, delivery of which a ruthless dealer waits for impatiently. And then there's elderly Thalia, who leads a lonely existence and observes the neighbourhood's comings and goings with suspicion, whilst Ige tries in vain to be accepted by his fellow local youths.

With HOLY BOOM director Maria Lafi has produced an explosive feature film debut: as a result of the camera’s close proximity to the film's protagonists and the troubled neighbourhood of Athens the end product is a drama that radiates authenticity. Albanian actress Luli Bitri, who plays the young mother, is a member of this year's FFC International Festival Jury. NaF