“faster than light is a trans-media activism project created in collaboration with members of the LGBTQ+ community of Athens, Greece. Their artistic work manifests as a triptych to offer multiple creative contexts for international community engagement, solidarity building & mutual exchange in response to the violent assassination of one of their collaborators, Zackie Oh!, in September of 2018 - during the course of production. #justiceforzakzackie”
— kentaro kumanomido and thomas anthony owen

art film
faster than light is a feature length film representing a network of LGBTQ+ people from Athens, Greece as they traverse multidimensional pathways for existence, healing, justice & grief within a surreal fabric of relations.

performance
in collaboration with presenting partners and in juxtaposition to the film, faster than light invites Athens-based drag artists to perform alongside the presentation of the film to spotlight queer power & h(er)stories through live performance.

video installation
faster than light also includes the installation of a multimedia altar space for audiences to contemplate the legacy of Zackie Oh! as a queen of creative self-expression, vulnerable activism, and radical self-acceptance.

(plus)
a performative talk back with monologues curated by the directors in collaboration with local LGBTQI+ activists/performers and social justice organizers to express & explore notions around performance, collectivity, self care, art & activism.

About the Artists:
kentaro kumanomido and thomas anthony owen are filmmakers based between Europe and the United States of America. They have presented works at festivals & galleries in San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Berlin, Athens, Stockholm, and beyond. Together, they form the core of tea & cake, an art-as-research production company focused on creating femme-forward contexts for radical queer togetherness, embodied media practices, & de-colonial artistic movement strategies.

Credits:
Co-directed: Kentaro Kumanomido & Thomas Anthony Owen
Film participants: ActiVista / George Kounanis, Chraja, Tracy Fischer, Giorgos Kalogeropoulos, Efi Karagiannopoulou, Zak Kostopoulos, Maria Michailidou, Thomas Anthony Owen, Khalid Prem, Evi Tsaklanou, Avraam Vrohidis
Vouge Performance: Chraja
Lead Sound Design: Stratos Bichakis
Music
Where Did I Go?: BLANKIE / Alicia Grant
Αρχιπουστης : Chraja
Cinematography: Nikolas Pottakis, Kentaro Kumanomido, Thomas Anthony Owen (lead camera), Zinzi Buchanan (support camera)
Makeup support: Anastasia Athanasiou
Translation support: Anis Alexandros El Namparaoui
Special thanks to: Mor Demer and Vicki Kapo
Produced by: Onassis Stegi

About the EMARE Residency:
During their 2 months residency at Onassis Stegi as a part of the EMAP / EMARE program, the artists researched non-digital networks within the urban ecology of Athens, choosing to work closely with the LGBTQIA+ community of Athens. After the EMAP research residency, Kumanomido, Owen & their Athens-based cast continued to collaborate and further develop Faster Than Light into a short film and hybrid performance project.

See tech rider here