Verve Films director in the spotlight

Verve Films director Sotiris Dounoukos has just been announced as a finalist in the $25,000 Kit Denton writing fellowship.

Sotiris has just returned to Australia after 12 months in Europe, where he attended the Binger Film Lab in Amsterdam, completing the script for his first feature film, the screen adaptation of the Helen Garner best-seller Joe Cinque’s Consolation.

The Kit Denton Fellowship is a $25,000 fellowship presented by the Australian Writers’ Foundation in conjunction with Zapruder’s Other Films.

It is presented annually to a writer who has shown courage in their work and demonstrated a willingness to challenge the status quo with their writing.

Verve Films executive producer Carolyn Starkey has welcomed Sotiris back to Australia and his return to Verve Films for TVC direction.

“At Verve performance is our forte, and Sotiris fit’s that mould. He is a compelling storyteller with European art house sensibilities. His immense ability with talent is evident in his TVCs and films,” Starkey says.

“As a filmmaker, Sotiris is interested in exploring the inner life of his characters through memorable moments that linger through the detail and power of the performances, and a bold visual style that digs into what is unsaid between the characters," she adds.

"He has undertaken specialist training in performance with dramaturg Nico Lathouris, and his films have connected with audiences across the world, having been awarded and screened extensively internationally.”

Sotiris graduated from the Victorian Film and TV School (VCA) in 2004 winning the Outstanding Post Graduate Student award and the Best Student Production at the Melbourne International Film Festival with his film Mona Lisa.

Sotiris’ most recent film Punch was shot guerrilla-style on the streets of Paris and evokes the inherent romanticism of the City of Lights.