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A sports-travel documentary series capturing life in small villages across Greece with their own stadiums and local football teams. The series delves into the unique history of each team and its deep ties to the village's culture and traditions. It follows footballers into their homes, fields, paddocks, and cafés, capturing their everyday lives authentically and unfiltered, leading up to the much-anticipated match day.
With seven cameras, the series records every aspect of the matches—on the pitch, in the stands, on the benches, and in the locker rooms—using strategically placed microphones. For the first time in a Greek game, a player wears a microphone during the match, offering an unprecedented perspective.
This season, Village United embarks on a journey across Greece. Starting in Asprokklisia, Trikala, against Ajax (not the Dutch team, the local one), the journey continues through Achillio in Magnesia, Spili in Rethymno, Katalonia in Pieria, Kontopouli in Lemnos, Polissitos in Xanthi, Mataragka in Aetolia-Acarnania, Chiliodendro in Kastoria, Kallirachi in Thasos, Zaimi in Karditsa and Griva in Kilkis, making 16 trips in total. The show goes wherever football and love for the village thrive.
Today:
"Keravnos of Chiliodendro, Kastoria"
Episode 8
Known for its famous plaki beans, its giant and elephant beans, Chiliodendro in Kastoria, a village of 400 residents, is also famous for its formidable football team, Keravnos. The team is a symbol of the village, having won the local B league championship in both 2013 and 2023.
Bean soup and football in rain or shine, since the team's headquarters boasts the best drainage system in Greece. For three days, poodles fell in Chiliodendro, and on the fourth day, it turned to snow across Western Macedonia. The entire match was postponed due to the weather, leaving only Keravnos on the field.
The team’s president is Maria Themeli, who took over from her husband and sent him to take care of the house. Maria is also the one who often has heated exchanges with the referees. Every matchday, when it’s time to settle expenses, she hands over 120 euros in two bags full of... bronze coins—one-minute, two-minute, and even a few five-minute coins.
The team's coach is the legendary Dimitris Zarogiannis, a prominent figure in Kastoria football, who also serves as the president of the Chiliodendro community. He manages the stadium, the team, and the village—truly the ultimate Mr. Village United.
Idea, Production Direction, Music Supervision: Thanasis Nikolaou
Direction, Director of Photography: Kostas Amiridis
Production Organization: Alexandra Karambournioyti
Chief Editing: Thanos Lefkos-Panagiotou
Journalistic Research: Stavros Georgakopoulos
Narration: Stefanos Tsiotsopoulos
Editing: Pavlos Papadopoulos, Christos Prantzalos, Konstantinos Stathis
Assistant Editor: Dimitris Papadnastasiou
Cinematography: Giannis Saroglou, Zois Antonis, Giannis Emmanouilidis, Dimitris Papadnastasiou, Konstantinos Kottas
Sound Engineering: Simos Lazaridis, Tasos Karadedos
Graphics: Thanasis Georgiou
Available on ERTFLIX.
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