First Milk (2021)
Directed by Panagiotis Papafragkos
Duration: 33 mins
The work "First Milk" by Panagiotis Papafragkos brings to life a contemporary artistic interpretation inspired by Thriassio's Plain agricultural heritage.
Focusing on the rearing of newborn sheep at Mount Pateras (=father) in Attica, Greece, “First Milk” weaves a sensory narrative on the human-animal connection, exploring the concepts of motherhood, breastfeeding, and orphanhood. Seasons pass, animals are born and die, the film captures the cycle of life: birth, death, rebirth.
"The sheep were like people,
crying, reveling, laughing.
The ones called orphans followed us everywhere,
seeking their mothers.
And when Easter came and some were slaughtered,
we cried too.
Then there were new births,
and slowly the herd grew again."
The film won the first award for best short documentary film at the Halkida Greek Documentary Festival – DocFest. Co-produced with 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture.