The Archipelago #19: Dimitris Papanikolaou – The Greek Weird Wave in Cinema and its Biopolitical Realism

In the years of the Greek crisis from 2010 onwards, a new style emerged in Greek cinema. Named by curators and journalists “Weird Wave,” it gradually took over international audiences despite its vast diversity in themes and styles. In 2018, “The Favourite,” the latest feature film of one of Weird Wave’s pioneers, Yorgos Lanthimos, was nominated for 10 Academy Awards.

Following years of work in the field of Modern Greek Studies, Dimitris Papanikolaou, an Associate Professor and Fellow of St Cross College at the University of Oxford has published the book “Greek Weird Wave, A Cinema of Biopolitics.” In this episode, he talks about this peculiar cinematic style, the understanding of power it proposes and the concept of biopolitical realism.

What is The Archipelago?

A 60-minute talk show featuring theorists, artists and writers contemplating on the cultural moment. The Archipelago follows ideas that erupt from the abyss of human activity, diverse and divergent at first, before congealing into a new pensive framework. A podcast series as an archive of differing viewpoints, blending together into an imaginary production of the future.
Hosted by Yannis-Orestis Papadimitriou