Maria Anastassiou

Kleep-toowit, klip klip, too-ow-wit

Maria Anastassiou

The title refers to the phonetic vocalisation of Lapwing bird- song, one of the most frequent visitors to Rainham marshes in Purfleet, Essex. Situated on the edgeland between city and countryside in the transient landscape of the Thames Estuary, this is a place layered with the traces of ever-shifting global narratives of empire, industry and movement of people and goods. Anastassiou explores how this pocket of nature is contained and consumed by focusing on the figure of the bird watcher. The film follows a walk from day to night along the inner and outer peripheries of the reserve, shot on a hand-cranked 16mm camera.

Way My It Did I

Maria Anastassiou

In the Port of Tilbury—a place which historically was the point of entry for migrants to the UK—filmmaker Maria Anastassiou worked collaboratively with a group of people who had recently arrived in the town to paint a portrait of life in the transient space of the Thames Estuary.

Piano Practice

Maria Anastassiou

A short portrait of the filmmaker’s mother at home in Nicosia. Now retired, she devotes herself to learning new skills including drawing, playing piano, painting Greek Orthodox icons and taking university classes in history and ancient Greek mythology. Anastassiou’s camera focuses on her mother’s hand gestures as she draws, speaks, plays, and describes various modes of note-taking – and we think of the daughter’s hands holding the Bolex camera.

Michael Landy's Welcome to Essex

Lucy Gaster

Michael Landy, Russell Kane

Travelling from Colchester to Southend, Tilbury to Romford Market, artist Michael Landy talks ‘Essexism’ with comedian Russell Kane, artists Elsa James and Maria Anastassiou, Professor Pam Cox (Head of the Department of Sociology, University of Essex) and The Only Way is Essex legend, Amy Childs, who it turns out is related to Michael!