How I Met Editor Aggela Despotidou Who Made Post-Production Fun (No, Really)
Editing is a bit like open-heart surgery. If you do it right, the patient—sorry, the film—lives. If you mess it up, well, let’s just say there’s not enough slow-motion cinematography in the world to save it. This is where Aggela comes in.
Now, when I first set out to find an editor for “Our Little Act of Rebellion”, I did what any sensible person would do: I went with someone I already knew and trust. Lydia Mannering—a the fantastic editor behind the BIFA-Qualified KINO Original “The Silent Choice”, outstanding at what she does, in every way. There was just one tiny problem. Some of the film is in Greek, and Lydia, being very much not Greek (like me), knew this could slow things down a bit in post. Editing a film in a language you don’t understand is like assembling IKEA furniture without the instructions or—worse still—with the instructions, but in Swedish.
So Lydia, being the pragmatic genius that she is, suggested that she connects me with her friend who is a Greek-speaking editor. Enter Aggela Despotidou. Or rather, re-enter Aggela, because I’d actually come across her name before. She edited The After, a short film produced by and starring David Oyelowo, that was nominated for an Academy Award and is also on Netflix. Which meant she is incredibly talented.
So it appears that fate intervened. I got in touch, and before I knew it, Aggela and I were sitting down to discuss the project and cutting began! And this is where things got interesting. Because within minutes of talking to her, I realised that she wasn’t just some award-winning, Netflix-level editor—she was also brilliant fun.
Editing sessions turned into creative battlegrounds. We weren’t just cutting footage; we were competing. Who could come up with the best cut? Who had the sharpest transitions? Who could deliver the most gut-punching emotional moment with nothing but a well-timed frame? Who is cooler? Or funnier? We started keeping score. I wish I could tell you who won, but the reality is, we both forgot to keep track, and let’s be honest, I would have lost anyway.
But the best part? Every session was fun. And this is not how post-production is supposed to go. Normally, it’s long nights, existential crises, and enough coffee to send a man (or a woman) into orbit. Instead, we spent our time laughing. Not because the film was bad (thankfully), but because Aggela brought an energy to the edit that made every second enjoyable.
And it wasn’t just about fun. She took this film and made it her own. She tightened the pacing, finessed the story, and polished the cuts until everything clicked into place. She saw things I didn’t spot, and that helped develop me further professionally.
Editors don’t get enough credit. They’re the invisible hands that make everything work, the people who take a mess of footage and turn it into something meaningful. More so for unscripted. But Aggela? She’s one of the best I’ve ever worked with.
So yes, we had our little editing competition. And yes, I still have no idea who won. But in the end, it doesn’t matter.
Because the real winner? The story. The film. The audience.
(But if Aggela tries to claim victory, just remind her that the director’s cut is a thing.)
Ranw Aso-Rashid
Founder/CEO
AR Studios
