Witness- Sugar Town - the day after
Witness

Sugar Town – The Day After

How a small community in Greece and its environment fall victim to the forces of ‘disaster capitalism’.

Editor’s note: This film is no longer available online. 

Filmmaker: Kimon Tsakiris

On August 24, 2007, the largest wildfire in the history of Greece swept through the region of Zacharo, also known as Sugar Town.

It burnt everything in its path, leaving a devastated landscape and 65 people dead.

Pantzis Chronopoulos, Zacharo’s mayor, was trapped by the wildfire but, while he survived, his deputy and 20 villagers died.

Shortly after the fire, the government granted the mayor permission to develop the area, for ‘the good of the people’.

The film tells the story of how a small community and its environment can fall victim to the forces of ‘disaster capitalism’.