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 As the designer of hand-painted billboards that hang over the
entrance to Athens' Athinaion cinema advertising the newest
film, she can count on a regular audience without having to
embrace the internet.
Her latest work set the scene for the Greek opening on Wednesday
night of "Avengers: Endgame" from Disney's Marvel Studios, the
culmination of 22 Marvel films since 2007, which could break
global box-office records.
Sticking with hand-painted billboards continues a tradition
introduced in 1960 at the 970-seat cinema, when it was founded
by Axioti's grandfather and great-uncle. One of the city's
oldest cinemas, it is the only one that still crafts its
billboard posters by hand.
"The most basic difference (with digital posters) ... is the
human touch. It stands out, the gaze will stay on it ... it is
not static, it is like something alive," the 41 year old artist,
now a co-owner of the cinema, told Reuters.
Still, creating an advert for Disney's latest blockbuster sets a
particular challenge, with seven superheroes in various poses to
accommodate.
"I am forced to add more elements than I would (normally), which
makes it too busy for my taste, like it has a lot of noise,"
Axioti said from the studio in her home in an Athens suburb, as
she deftly added color to Tony Stark's hair, played on screen by
Robert Downey Jr.
Axioti works in turns with Vassilis Dimitriou, a former boxer
who has been painting for the Athinaion for over four decades.
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The cinema's location at a busy intersection in the Ampelokipoi
district of the city guarantees a big audience for her work and
allows passers-by an opportunity for escapism however brief, she
said.
Axioti, a fine arts graduate who also sings and plays music, spends
three to four days at a time to complete a poster and produces
between 20 and 25 each year.
The size of the billboards, which average 6.2 x 2.20 meters pose a
regular challenge, she says, because she is quite petite.
Her favorite billboard was for the 2017 drama "Darkest Hour" about a
period of Winston Churchill's time as British prime minister during
World War Two.
A big fan of the actor Gary Oldman who plays Churchill, she liked it
so much, she said, that she kept it at home for a day, just so she
could keep looking at it on her living room wall.
(Reporting by Renee Maltezou and Michele Kambas; Editing by Susan
Fenton)
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