STORIES OF A LIE
Details
2025 GR FR I 76’ I Documentary I Greek, French
Synopsis
STORIES OF A LIE is a playful personal investigation on the rationale behind hiding a cancer diagnosis from patients, questioning whether silence protects—or harms—the people we love.
What does concealing (or revealing) the truth do to a patient’s mental state? Is it better to know nothing, or only the bare minimum? Does it differ from patient to patient? Does it happen in Greece because Greek has no word for “infantilize,” or out of fear that merely uttering the “C-word” would open Pandora’s box—with unforeseeable consequences?
With curiosity, humour and heart, the director dives into a culture of silence, speaking to medical professionals in her close circle (including her theatrical father), while confronting myths, fears and family habits.
Festivals
IDFA 2025 (Best First Feature Nomination)
Credits
Directed by Olia Verriopoulou
Produced by Mina Dreki for Marni Films (Greece)
Co-produced by Gaëlle Jones for Perspective Films (France)
In coproduction with Tamarisk, Filaos Productions, Yellowgroove,
the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center - Creative Greece,
of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation - ERT SA
With the support of the Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée
Director’s Bio
OLIA VERRIOPOULOU
Born in Athens, Greece in 1992, Olia lives and works between and Athens & Paris, where she studied cinema (Paris VII-Diderot, École des Gobelins).In 2021, she directed her first short Sacralisons. In 2025, she’s finishing two projects, La Première Image, her first fiction short, and the feature documentary Stories of a lie.
For the past ten years she has participated in the programming and organization of film festivals and labs (Les Écrans Documentaires, Cinéma du réel, Champs-Élysées film festival, Institut Français, Greek Film Archive, Oxbelly Screenwriters Lab…).
