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A group of young "Pontioi" (Greek Russians from the coast of the Black Sea) descend on megalopolis Athens where alienation and poverty leads to petty crime and boredom. Young Sasha, the prince of shantytowns, believes all his misery is transient, a passage to better days of his dreams. The world he and his gang try to conquer "from the edge of the city" soon hits back mercilessly, and their lives crumble, taking along their dreams and ties of camaraderie. Swift camera movements and fast-cut edits heighten the tension in this action drama about growing up on the seamy side of town. Constantine Giannaris won the "Best Director" Award of the 39th International Thessaloniki Film Festival (1998) for his very convincing work with professional and non-professional actors in Apo Tin Akri Tis Polis and the State Film Awards Second Prize for fiction.