RARE LAND

On a beautiful summer day, Alexandros and his brother bike along a pier in a remote seaside village in Greece. As he bikes precariously close to the edge, Alexandros feels a strange dizziness and tumbles into the sea.

He has felt this way before but it is becoming more frequent. His parents take him to one doctor after another to find out what is happening to their son. They feel frustrated and helpless. Then one day an American doctor practicing in Greece diagnoses his condition – Alexandros has a rare disease, Alpha Mannosidosis.

The family is devastated. Why him? Maria, his mother sits silently guarding the ancient statues in Delphi but her mind races, feeling upset and angry. His father Antonis, a manual labourer, struggles to maintain some sense of normalcy for the family.

The doctor finds an innovative new medication to help the child but the cost is prohibitive. It seems like an insurmountable obstacle. He pleads with the local hospital to get the rare medication for the first time in Greece.

As Alexandros continues to deteriorate, losing motor functions, the mother hides him away in their garden, unable to cope with her sick child. Will Alexandros ever receive the medication he needs? Is it worth spending the money to save this one child?

A rare disease is like a rare land....

Festival Screenings & Awards:

• Cannes Film Festival
  Selected for SFC - Short Film Corner | Rendez-Vous Industry
  Screened at the Marché du Film
  May 2023

• VisioniCorte International Short Film Festival, Italy
  October 2023

• Latitude Film Festival, London, UK

  • Award: Best Short Film
    November 2023

• Los Angeles Film Festival, Los Angeles, USA

  • Award: Best Film
  • Award: Best Actor (Child)
    June 2023

• European Cinematography Festival, Amsterdam, Netherlands

  • Award: Best Production
  • Award: Best Cinematography
  • Award: Best Actor
    September 2023

• Blue Bird Film Festival, India

  • Award: Best Short Film
    September 2023

• Christian Film Festival, Virginia, USA

  • Award: Best Drama
  • Award: Best Screenplay
  • Award: Best Actor (Child)
  • Award: Best Production

• Break Down Barriers Festival, Moscow, Russia

  • Centrepiece Film
    November 2024

Special Screenings:

• European Parliament, Brussels
  Screening event organized by MEP Stelios Kympouropoulos in support of the Greek Union of Rare Disease Patients for World Rare Disease Week.

• 20th Annual WorldSymposium
  International symposium gathering experts and professionals worldwide to exchange knowledge on rare diseases.
  February 2024

• 15th European Pediatric Neurology Congress (EPNS), Prague
  Screening as part of the EPNS sessions.
  June 22, 2023

• Patient Association Event, Greece
  Screening hosted by the Krikos Zois patient association.

• Casa del Cinema, Rome, Italy
  Special screening for Global Rare Disease.
  November 2023

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