In the ancient myth of
Persephone and Demeter
Persephone is abducted by Hades from her mothers’ side and taken to the underworld to be his Queen.
Grieving her daughters’ loss, Demeter, Goddess of fertility threatens to starve humankind, forcing Zeus – king of all Gods - to order his brother Hades to return his bride. But before returning, Persephone eats the pomegranate seeds that Hades feeds her, ensuring she will always go back to him.
Today, on her first return to Demeter’s side, Persephone recalls what happened in the underworld.
• creating an environment requires an exceptional soundtrack
*demo soundtrack by Briar Prastiti - not for distribution
Demeter is accusing Hades of tricking Persephone.
'That jailor caged you inside his domain
Oh how frightened you must have been
That he vexed you so my sweet
His double cross that you did not heed'
Persephone is appealing to her mother to hear the truth to things.
'I left you a child, a Kore you see
And now I’ve grown and returned a Queen.
His Queen. Their Queen. You must understand,
They are the reason I have returned to this land'
Vicky Yiannoutsos
Executive Producer
The screen career of Greek-Kiwi Vicky Yiannoutsos has spanned over 40 years. Her Greek heritage is a theme through much of her work; 1987 documentary 'Visible Passage' was one of Aotearoa's first insider's perspective stories of a migrant community where she first expressed the myth of Persephone and Demeter as a metaphor for migration. It screened internationally on SBS Australia, ERT in Greece and Cyprus and South Africa. In the early 90s she played Greek mum Despina in short films A Bitter Song and Revelations. Her 1997 short 'Melody's Song' won the Panorama Section award at the Larissa Film Festival in Greece. The myth inspired 'Persephone’s Plight – The Four Seasons of Migration: Birth, Separation,Yearning, Return'; a multi-media moving image exhibition for a gallery setting, which premiered in 2010 (NZ) and later exhibited at the Internationals Arts Festival at the Ionion Centre for Arts and Culture (ICAC) on Kefalonia, Greece(Greece)in 2012. Yiannoutsos studied Theatre and Film at Victoria University, and has taught both actors and directors, including Performing Arts students at Unitec.
“A migrant carries within them two worlds and they live within the friction and unease of many contradictions. They try to reconcile them. They look for lumber. When they find their lumber, they build a bridge. I build mine by telling stories through the creative arts.”
Vicky Yiannoutsos on the influence of her Greek heritage
Briar Prastiti
composer
Briar is a freelance composer, producer and vocalist. She completed a Masters in Composition at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington and her passion is songwriting, producing electronic and contemporary music, as well as writing music for film. Briar has been an active performer, most notably for her vocal performances, although she has a background in classical piano from a young age. She later began exploring music from different cultures which led her through a vast array of genres, such as Balkan folk and gypsy, Javanese and Balinese gamelan orchestra, flamenco, Latin, jazz, and in particular Greek traditional music, which she closely identifies as a Greek New Zealander. Her music often touches on folkloric themes and is driven by rhythm and harmony. She is an experienced vocal coach and session vocalist, having done numerous vocal recordings for film, television, and other music projects.
Finn Beattie
Product Owner
Finns experience is global, working directly in a lead with domestic & international clients & agencies including some of the worlds largest corporate & media clients (BP, Earnst & Young, NBC Universal, Telemundo, Billboard Music Awards…).
Finn leads the iSPARX™ team & is responsible for the success of their outcomes to date.
“I perform the role of Product Owner and Project Manager (among others) at iSPARX.GROUP, and am responsible for the translation of business requirements into technical requirements, and managing the delivery of mobile app products that meet those requirements - typically within the arts and culture sector.”