The Beauty of Stigma
Helias Doulis / Greece / 2021 / 2 min
A retired porn star becomes the narrator for the end of erotic innocence. Two boys who have long anticipated the love their bodies have felt for one another, are now trapped among a stall of walls. Their desire floats above the garbage of the city and finds refuge in death.
In English with subtitles in English.
STRIKE A POSE: Short Films (95 min) / 2:30 pm Nov 5 / Grand Illusion Cinema
Director Biography – Helias Doulis
Upon finishing his Writing and Film studies in 2015 in the United Kingdom, Helias Doulis returned to Greece where he shot his first semi-autobiographical feature film ‘The Nest’. This first endeavor initially came without any particular aspirations to ever dip in the field of photography, but Helias felt he found his personal artistic form.
His series ‘Parabyss: A Nurtured Nature’ became his first expressive approach across Europe and the US. His fashion editorial was a collaboration with the iconic American fashion house of Ralph Lauren in 2018, where he photographed their RRL campaign. He diverted from using the western traditional approach and introduced a queer element in an urban landscape for the modern cowboy.
His obsession with adult cinema brought him to Paris, London and finally to Athens, shooting films with the men he adored younger. Helias just completed his short film, ‘The Beauty of Stigma’ while collecting material for his zine entitled ‘Pale Blue Nostalgia’, expected to be released in 2021.
Helias works as a freelance photographer and filmmaker in London.
