The Megalomaniacs

Local title
Suurushullud
Director
Spiros Stathoulopoulos
Year
2025
Festival
29th Black Nights Film Festival
Programme
Genre

Desire, clay, and chaos – when art meets obsession, even a cockatoo joins the madness.

What happens when desire, intellect, and ego collide under the guise of art and science? Sparks fly – and not just the cerebral kind. Sophia (Angeliki Papoulia), a fervent archaeologist intoxicated by her own theory, is convinced that ancient amphorae can trap echoes of the past – sound waves sealed in clay, waiting to be played back like forbidden music. Enter Potter (Jan Bijvoet), a sardonic artisan whose hands speak the language of form, but not of faith. Their collaboration begins as scholarly curiosity and evolves into a seductive duel of wit, vanity, and power.

Director Spiros Stathoulopoulos, famed for his daring aesthetic and sensual provocations, trades gravitas for sharp, subversive satire. “The Megalomaniacs” ridicules academic hubris and sacred dogmas alike, vibrating with irreverent humour and just the right touch of erotic mischief.

Milani Perera

Director
Spiros Stathoulopoulos
Screenwriter
Spiros Stathoulopoulos
Cast
Angeliki Papoulia, Jan Bijvoet, Christos Passalis, Vassilis Magouliotis
Producer
Konstantinos Vassilaros
Co-producer
Stelios Kammitsis, Jose David Corredor
Cinematographer
Andrés Felipe Morales
Production Design
Spiros Laskaris
Editing
George Cragg, Martina Zamolo
Composer
Tadeo Alfonso Diaz, Manuel J Gordillo
Music
Manuel J Gordillo, Tadeo Alfonso Diaz
Sound
Dimitris Kanellopoulos, La Tina
Production
StudioBauhaus
Co production
Felony Film Productions, Candelaria Cine
World sales
Reason8
Runtime
Language
Subtitles
Director
Spiros Stathoulopoulos

Spiros Stathoulopoulos (1978) is a Greek-Colombian filmmaker renowned for his visually daring and experimental storytelling. He studied cinema in Bogotá and later earned a degree in Film Arts from California State University. His debut feature “PVC-1” (2007), shot in a single continuous take, premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and won the FIPRESCI Prize at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. His second feature, “Meteora” (2012), competed at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 2022, his film “Cavewoman” premiered at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, winning the J.F. Costopoulos Foundation Award.
Filmography:
PVC-1 (2007), Metéora (2012), Amazonas (2016, co-dir), Cavewoman (2022), The Megalomaniacs (2025)

Screenings

Screening090917 / Suurushullud
SubtitlesEnglish
Q&A duration
Screening duration