Handbrake by Antigoni Karnesioti – 2023
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The short film “Handbrake” by Antigoni Karnesioti, co-written by her and Patricia Toska, explores where disability begins and where it ends, through the eyes of two young Athenian women from diverse backgrounds, using different means of transport.
How does a disabled person navigate a city that isn’t built for them? What really happens when someone says, “I’ll just park here for five minutes—no one’s coming anyway”? What obstacles might a cyclist encounter on the streets of Athens?
“Handbrake” is a short film, with a story inspired by the lived experiences of its screenwriters. The sense of independence and autonomy they feel in their homes collapses once they face an almost inaccessible city—and the people who make it so. According to the disability rights movement, disability is caused not by an individual’s impairment—whether physical, sensory, or cognitive—but by the built environment and the lack of social awareness
“Handbrake” has been screened at festivals in Greece and abroad between 2023 and 2025, including the Chania Film Festival (2023), the “Reflection of disability in art” International Festival (2023), CineFem (2023), and the Positively Different Short Film Festival (2024)—small and independent film festivals that focus on the representation of social inequalities and disability rights in cinema.
The “Handbrake” team has taken part in discussions, panels, articles, and interviews, actively contributing to spreading its core message: accessibility concerns us all.
Featuring: Patricia Toska, Elena Katakou, Alexandra Aidini, Aris Antonopoulos, Matina Kopsolaimi, Giannis Petridis
Screenplay: Antigoni Karnesioti & Patricia Toska
Director: Antigoni Karnesioti
Αssistant Director: Olina Nikolaidou
Director of Photography: Katerina Georgoudi
Camera Operator: Amalia Kovaiou
1st Assistant Camera & Gaffer: Koralia Dogani
Set Designer: Evelina Bournousouzi
Sound Engineer: Antonis Koutelias
Assistant Sound Engineer: Georgia Triantafyllopoulou
Script Supervisor: Anna Karra
Head Makeup Artist: Elena “Sunny” Pitsari
Assistant Makeup Artist: Gogo Vardounioti
Hair Stylist: Afroditi Kagia
Production Manager: Antigoni Karnesioti
Production Assistants: Dimitris Asproloupos & Myrto Kokkinou
Set Photographers: Elena Markopoulou & Meian Photography (Marcelle Fivaz)
Editing: Katerina Rekka
Original Music: Marios Gligoris
Conform—Color Grading: Sakis Bouzanis—2|35
Sound Mix, Sound Design & Recording: Giannis Andritsopoulos—Mellow Studio
Post-Production Coordination: Alaska Films
Logo & Poster Design: Delfe Designs
Executive Producers: John D. Carnessiotis, Trade SRO, Leonidas Diakonos
Associate Producers: Evan Maragoudakis, Stelios Tsatsarounos, Hermina Athens, Bloom Space for Culture & Arts by Inter Alia
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Accessibility as a way for all of us to be present.
At Onassis Stegi, accessibility is not a special provision. It is how we understand culture itself: as an open, polyphonic field where every individual body and every individual voice has a right to presence and creation. By consistently supporting both the artistic expression of people with disabilities and the inclusive experience of audiences, we continue to broaden who gets on stage, who tells their stories, and who participates in shaping the cultural landscape.
