Short Documentary
2024
Harvest
As it has been for centuries, harvesting alewives is an integral part of spring in Damariscotta Mills. Harvesting takes place twice a day — at 5am and again at 4pm from roughly the middle of May through the first week of June. The “dippers” and trough, are the same gear that was designed and built in the late 1950s. Alewives in Maine rivers are a critical food source for many valuable fish species and their recent population resurgence as a result of restoration efforts has had immeasurable impacts on the health of the ecosystem.
Directors Statement
In the 1950s my Papou and Yiayia (grandpa and grandma) immigrated from Greece to the US. Growing up, I traveled to their horio (village) every other summer — experiencing life without AC or fans, romping around the mountainside, learning to milk goats and watching old men endlessly play backgammon in the shade of the plaza’s centuries old platanus tree. The horio and its people were critical to informing my own love for place, while also showing me the vitality it can bring to others, especially my Papou and Yiayia.
On New Year’s Day in 2021, after years of struggling with Alzheimer’s, my Yiayia passed away. For more than 60 years my grandparents traveled back to their village every summer together and now, Papou returns alone.
In the summer of 2022, I visited the horio to capture my Papou’s new experience. This trip was the convergence of my desire and responsibility to tell a personal story strongly rooted in place, love and passing on tradition. This film pays homage to my Yiayia, the village of Kriopigi and, ultimately, my Papou’s changed sense of belonging. Amid quiet moments, the constant chorus of cicadas and the unhurried pace of Papou’s storytelling, the film portrays the difficulties of finding meaning in loss.
Credits
Director Matteo Moretti