Lesvia, a new documentary currently in the festival circuit, is a Sapphic confection. Cinematographer/director/producer Tzeli Hadjidimitriou who refers to herself as “a double lesbian… a woman who grew up on Lesbos and is also a lesbian.”
Hadjidimitriou has put her heart, soul and vision into this production for decades. In 2012 she published “A Girl’s Guide to Lesbos.” For the next decade she filmed, shot interviews, and collected archival photos of the local lesbian community for this film. She still spends half of each year living on the island.
Since the 1970’s, lesbians from around the world have been drawn to this beautiful birthplace of the poet Sappho, who was born in the village of Eressos there. Until that time, Eressos had been isolated, and the tourists were made welcome. They loved the seascape, swam in the beautiful water, camped, and frolicked on the beach. As more and more
lesbians came and stayed, they began to find commercial opportunities, buying houses, starting restaurants, and even opening a gay bar. The Sappho Hotel was so successful that a second woman-centered hotel opened. But tensions also began to escalate with the straight townspeople, and men could not tolerate being excluded from even a small section of the beach. At times, the conversations the filmmaker captured of these tensions reminded me so much of my local gay haven, Provincetown. People have always flocked to “P’town” in the summer for the beauty of its seascape, the magic of its light, and the freedom to be who you are and to express your sexuality blatantly with a sense of safety. But as more people with the means buy year-round homes there, the ensuing gentrification sometimes leads to divisiveness and hostility.
Hadjidimitriou’s film showcases some gorgeous cinematography, including underwater shots of marine life, as well as underwater shots of nude women. She also does a great job with interviews, which sometimes serve as a “how-to” manual for creating women’s community. If this film gets a wide distribution, which it should, it might inspire a new wave of lesbian tourism on the island. It’s hard to see all these lovely unclad women sunbathing and cavorting without wanting to order plane tickets!
Review: Janet ProlmanJanet Prolman was born in Boston, Massachusetts, where her mother nicknamed her “my little queer.” She has also lived in North Carolina and New York. A lover of short stories, theater, music, and performance, she knows the lyrics to almost every song or advertising jingle she’s ever heard. Now on Cape Cod, she enjoys kayaking and frequenting Provincetown.
Labels: 2024, documentary, Janet Prolman, lesbos, Lesvia, review
