Greece, 2008, 67 min
Directed by Dimitris Sfiris
Synopsis
They travel only by bicycle. They are talented musicians and acrobats. Though they could have made a brilliant career in show business, they preferred to travel from continent to continent, from country to country and from town to town giving open-air performances. On their way they draw others interested in living out the same experience. For the last six years they have traveled 40,000 kilometers, through 27 countries in four continents, on bikes as tall or taller than they are, and weigh sometimes twice as much. Over 125 people have traveled with them. Their bicycles are made by themselves from parts of discarded bicycles which they find on their way. They are the “CYCLOWN CIRCUS”. The film documents their passage through the city of Hania in Crete, following their performances in parks, squares and schools, discussing with them about their experiences, viewpoint and philosophy.
The director about his film
At first I was very impressed on hearing them play music in some bar. Later, when I saw one of their shows, the spectacle was so amazing that I felt that I couldn’t leave it as it was, but had to immortalize it. Getting familiar with them I found that they had also very interesting things to say, and thus I began gathering ideas for the creation of a film about them.
For me, an amateur cinematographer, it was a difficult undertaking, with many obstacles encountered along the way. I continued, however, because I had been seized by the idea of sharing with others the experience of living for a short time near them and learning about their philosophy: that no one needs much to be happy. Neither expensive clothing, nor automobiles, nor costly life. And if ecology must not consist only of theories about the protection of the environment, but must become also part of our way of life, then they are true ecologists.
