The Greek feature film ‘Suntan’ by Argyris Papadimitropoulos has taken out the top prize at the 70th Edinburgh Film Festival, winning best international feature film. ‘Suntan’ premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival where it was also nominated for the Big Screen Award.
’Suntan’ is the third feature film for Papadimitropoulos after ‘Bank Bang’ and ‘Wasted Youth’ and shot entirely on the island of Antiparos and tells the story of a middle-aged doctor who becomes obsessed with a young tourist when she allows him to tag along with her group of hard partying friends.
According to the international jury - producer and actor Sadie Frost, actor Angus Macfadyen and Screen International editor Matt Mueller - 'Suntan' was the film that "resonated" with them.
“It’s a compelling and unflinching portrait of one man’s journey from infatuation to desperation, marked out by a truly great performance from its lead actor Efthymis Papadimitriou,” Mueller said.
Papadimitropoulos said that he "Couldn't be happier" with the jury's decision and talked about his days as a student in the UK in the late 90s, when "The films awarded by the Edinburgh International Film Festival dominated our talks."
