A Song for Argyris

66-year-old Argyris Sfountouris’ life could have been very different if it weren’t for the tragic events of 10th June 1944. It was on this day that German Occupying Forces carried out a brutal massacre in his hometown of Distomo, a small farming community in Central Greece, killing 218 men, women and children. Three-year-old Argyris lost his parents along with 30 other members of his family. After several years spent at orphanages in Greece, Argyris was taken to the Pestalozzi Children’s Village in Trogen, Switzerland by a Red Cross delegation. He excelled in maths and astrophysics and obtained a PhD from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. Later he became a teacher, a translator and had an active career as a Development Worker with the Swiss Disaster Relief Corps. Argyris, a remarkably charming and driven man, has spent his life dealing with the horror he faced as a little boy, actively campaigning to prevent further injustices against mankind. This is a song about personal grief and the difficult search for reconciliation. (DOK.fest München)