The boy with light blue eyesthe genre-bending Greek feature debut from writer-director Thanassis Neofotestos, may be set at an unspecified time. But the author and his creative team provide visual references to the recent past. Eagle-eyed audiences will also notice a tribute to a particular group of extinct reptiles that seems to have inspired the director, who will have its world premiere as part of the 2026 SXSW London Screen Festival on Thursday, June 4.
The boy with light blue eyesa cinematic allegory of exclusion and the desire for love and freedom, which can also be considered a bizarre coming-of-age story, stars Giorgos Karidis as Petros, a boy whose strict grandmother and village mayor force him to hide behind a mask because he has blue eyes. After all, this eye color is a source of fear and superstition for the locals in the remote mountain village where they live.
Co-written by Neofotestos and Grigoris Skarakis, the film features cinematography by Djordje Arambasic, with editing by Panagiotis Angelopoulos. Gersh handles U.S. sales.
Before the premiere, Neofotestos shared with THR How he first became hooked on movies. “My biggest role model, and inspiration, is what I call ‘good old school cinema’, e.g. Jurassic Park He explained: “Directed by Steven Spielberg. This was the first film I saw in the cinema, and I was fascinated by dinosaurs because of it. I felt that dinosaurs actually existed in real life when I was less than 10 years old. This was my main inspiration to become a film director.”
The man behind The boy with light blue eyes He was also impressed by the craft behind Spielberg’s dino blockbuster. “He used animation, he used materials that they handcrafted,” the Greek creator gushed. “It wasn’t about visual effects or AI now. It felt so real. The story felt so unique, so out of this universe. That’s why I wanted to be a storyteller.”
Craftsmanship aspects were also a major focus for Neofotestos and his team The boy with light blue eyes. “I really like creating universes,” he said. THR. “So, my goal here was to create something unique and handcrafted. We didn’t use any artificial intelligence. We used minimal visual effects. Everything was made during the shoot.” [process]”.
His work is also “largely inspired by some Greek directors”, including big names. “For example, the first film L [Theo] Angelopoulos, Reconstruction“It was made close to my hometown and gives a great representation of the communities,” he said. “And Yorgos Lanthimos, a case of the Greek director going huge – the magical realism he uses is something I was inspired by.”
Do you remember how I mentioned those extinct reptiles? Look for them when you watch The boy with light blue eyes! “There are some dinosaurs in Petros’ room, because I was inspired by them,” Neofotestos shared Jurassic Park“.
