Dr. Iakovos Panagopoulos, Assistant Professor in the Department of Audio and Visual Arts at the Ionian University, and Coordinator of the Node for Film Praxis at InArts Lab, participates as a member of the Editorial Board of the new international online practice-based research platform in narrative cinema titled StoryLab Conversations.

StoryLab Conversations is an independent practice-based research initiative that aims to develop conversations between creators through the cinematic act itself, utilizing complete filmic works as the primary means of knowledge exchange around narrative forms, techniques, and themes in cinema.

Within this framework, the platform invites researcher-creators, professionals, and independent filmmakers to share their films as central material for dialogue, which will be created in response to an initial film (Anchor Film). The anchor film for the first call is the film Electra (2014) by director Petros Sevastikoglou, a contemporary, improvisational reinterpretation of the ancient Greek myth, shot over a period of two years and structured as a poetic puzzle of identity and memory.

The submission process is based on the logic of a curated and anonymously peer-reviewed dialogue: the Editorial Board selects an Anchor Film and defines a thematic framework, inviting the filmmaking community to respond with Response Films—new or completed productions up to two hours in duration (and up to five years old), accompanied by a brief research statement of 300 words highlighting the connection with the Anchor Film. Proposals and accompanying texts are anonymously evaluated by reviewers appointed by the Board, and based on the review results, selected works are integrated into the platform alongside the original Anchor Film. The creator of the Anchor Film is also invited to participate in a filmed conversation with a Board member, while the platform will support public dialogue through comments. After an initial proposal, preliminary confirmation of inclusion is provided, so creators have clear encouragement before production or submission of the work; no financial support or exclusivity is provided, but creators sign a non-exclusive screening rights agreement.

The Editorial Board of the platform consists of:

• Erik Knudsen, Emeritus Professor, University of Lancashire, UK
• Dr. Iakovos Panagopoulos, Department of Audio & Visual Arts, Ionian University
• Dr Agata Lulkowska, Staffordshire University, UK
• Dr Nico Meissner, Griffith Film School, Australia
• Dr Sandra Carolina Patiño Ospina, Centro de Memoria Audiovisual para la Paz del Tolima, Colombia
• Sarah Kuntoh, National Film and Television School, Ghana

The online launch event of the platform will take place online via Zoom on October 22, 2025, at 17:00 (Greece time): https://ionio-gr.zoom.us/j/95907194812 (Meeting ID: 959 0719 4812 / Passcode: 050137).

For more information: https://www.storylabconversations.org