TACK

The Olympian who pioneered Greece’s #MeToo movement inspires a younger athlete to come forward with her own abuse. In a milestone trial, Sofia stands with Amalia, who is seeking justice for her own abuse at the hands of her coach when she was a child.

How much strength does it take to “tack” against gender violence? Two women. A common trauma. A shared legal battle. Vania Turner’s “TACK” intimately follows Sofia, a revered Olympic sailing champion, and Amalia, a talented young sailor, as they move to the forefront of a seismic shift in Greek society. In a milestone trial, Sofia stands by Amalia in every possible way. Always on each other’s side, they achieve a measure of justice, but at the same time, they realize that their struggle to change the social norms within Greek society has only just begun.

As the director notes, “Focusing on them allowed me to begin a deep exploration of complex trauma, revealing the profound impact it has on victims and their loved ones. It also allowed me to move beyond the life of the protagonists to tell the story of a broken criminal justice system, and to show how the insularity of small towns ends up isolating and stigmatizing victims -including children.” By setting sail on this adverse journey, Amalia becomes a symbol for the rest of the female victims, who find the strength and voice through her court battle to reveal their personal traumas and seek justice.

SYNOPSIS

When Olympic medalist Sofia Bekatorou reveals her rape by a powerful figure within the Hellenic Sailing Federation, it sparks Greece’s #MeToo movement and turns her into a national symbol for abuse victims. Inspired by Sofia, sailing champion Amalia, decides to seek justice for herself –she was systematically abused by her coach between the ages of 11 and 13. As Sofia champions legal reforms to empower abuse victims, Amalia takes her abuser to court in what becomes Greece’s first #MeToo trial. With deep compassion, the film follows the two women for two years as they navigate this seismic shift in Greece. Animated sketches bring the courtroom drama to life where Amalia faces intense victim blaming, humiliation, and attempts to discredit her. Sofia, whose own case has expired, stands by her side, as she copes with her own trauma and confronts her relationship with her father. The two women achieve a measure of justice but realize that their fight to modernize Greek social norms has only just begun. So, they must tack like sailors maneuvering through the winds of adversity to keep moving forward.

DIRECTOR’S NOTE

“TACK” is a very personal record of two women’s lives and their struggle for justice. Sophia and Amalia’s lives intersect when Amalia decides to send a message to Sophia, a few days after her public testimony of her rape by a powerful sailing agent. From that moment on, a legal battle against Amalia’s former coach begins. The film follows and observes the two women through two years of complicated and painful court proceedings.

Their lives in the film run in parallel:

I began filming Sofia as she became a national symbol and met Amalia shortly after she made the difficult decision to take her abuser to court. Throughout these two years, and especially during the trial, my camera became a sort of repository for their thoughts and we grew extremely close.

Focusing on them allowed me to begin a deep exploration of complex trauma, revealing the profound impact it has on victims and their loved ones. It also allowed me to move beyond the life of the protagonists to tell the story of a broken criminal justice system, and to show how the insularity of small towns ends up isolating and stigmatizing victims -including children.”

– Vanya Turner

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