Bull’s Heart | Eva Stefani

Filmmaker Eva Stefani follows the preparations behind "Transverse Orientation" and its tour across theatrical stages, observing from a close distance Dimitris Papaioannou and his collaborators in their effort to give shape and breathe life into the work. For two years, her camera captured scenes from the rehearsals at the Onassis Stegi during the pandemic, as well as performances in Paris, London, Vilnius, and other international destinations, leading to the last show in San Francisco.

The film explores the dynamics created from a work of art, revealing moments of anxiety, uncertainty, and profound trust that define the world of rehearsals—the hope that arises in times of crisis, and the transformation of loss into creation. With insatiable curiosity and a wondrous gaze, Dimitris Papaioannou brings the representation of the human body on stage, striving to capture every movement, every emotion. In turn, Eva Stefani captures Dimitris himself with her cinematic gaze, recording his creative process. "Bull’s Heart" is not just a documentary about a performance or an artist, but a study on the very nature of creation. Besides, as Dimitris Papaioannou says in one of the film’s scenes: “The joy of art is that it gives you the sense that there is something beyond the life you are living.”

The film was lauded with the WIFT GR (Women in Film and Television) Award and the Special Award by the Youth Jury Award of Thessaloniki University Students at the 27th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival. In the fall of 2025, it will be screened at the major international festivals Doclisboa and Doc NYC, and will have its Athenian premiere at the Onassis Stegi shortly before its release in Greek cinemas.