Young farmers from Greece.

John Stratoudakis follows Alexandros, Tasos, Elias and Thodoris almost from the beggining of the severe financial crisis, captured their daily life and strunggle. They are young farmers and breeders from the village of Drakia on mount Pelion.

Young men with dreams, hopes and wishes like all on their age. They want to travel, to fall in love, to create families etc. But this is not an easy thing in Greece these days. Financial cricis struck the social structure as a hole, and most of all, the lower class. The elections of January 2015 bring a new hope. The new prime minister Alexis Tsipras promised a better future. The majority of the lower class believe in him. But the good days did not last for long. In January 2016, farmers and breeders from all over Greece began riots against planned tax rises and pension reforms. Farming associations have been blockading main roads with tractors more than a month. The future seems to be dark but hope is still out there…

John Stratoudakis was born in 1977. He lives and works in Greece as freelance photographer, filmmaker and photography educator.

A Google Earth screenshot shows the villages of these young farmers, on the top of mount Pelion, Greece.

Alexandros in the truck witch belongs to Kiriakos father.

Kyriakos on his house backyard

Elias talks to hes girlfriend.

Tasos on his favorite motorbike. A few weeks later had a terrible accident. He broke his both hands.

A month after his accident, Tasos shows his stitches.

Thodoris is voting in the previous elections, hoping for a better future

Pelopidas, the small brother of Kyriakos plays with his playstation watching a half-broken screen. But it doesn’t seems to bother him.

Helen, the small sister of Alexandros, holding her beloved cat.

Tasos is sleeping after a hard day, as the TV stays on right next to him.

The boys in their truck, on their way back home.