Greek Weird Wave

The growing number of independent, and inexplicably strange, new Greek films being made has led trend-spotters to herald the arrival of a new Greek wave, or as some have called it, the "Greek Weird Wave". Whether or not the catchy label fits, if there is a wave, weird or otherwise, Lanthimos and Tsangari are undoubtedy at its crest. Dogtooth won a prize at Cannes and earned an Oscar nomination; Attenberg's Ariane Labed won best actress at the Venice Film Festival last year.

Attenberg, Dogtooth and the weird wave of Greek cinema Steve Rose 2017

In spite of, or because of, funding issues created by the financial crisis in the late 2000s, unique Greek films such as Yorgos Lanthimos's Dogtooth (2009), Panos H. Koutras' Strella (2009) and Athina Rachel Tsangari's Attenberg (2010) received international acclaim, constituting what has been called the "Greek Weird Wave".

Cinema of Greece - Wikipedia Contributors to Wikimedia projects 2024

Greek Weird Wave films are existential with a hefty dose of absurdism, surrealism and tragedy, where alienated protagonists struggle in a meaningless milieu.

Greek Weird Wave's Absurdism and Tragedy Dimitris Passas 2023