Beyond the popcorn cinema that has flooded the cinema halls, thankfully, there still exists another cinema, originated in Europe from the Lumière brothers, Georges Méliès and Louis Feuillade and continues to this day, by contemporary European directors and with film makers from other continents, who usually are independent and, despite financial and other difficulties, continue to make films that focus on people and their personal and social problems.
From 1988, the Panorama of European Cinema supported this kind of cinema and still does today, twenty six years later, despite the financial and social turbulences that trouble our society (they surely made the Panorama’s operation difficult, but did not suspend it), and despite the indifference of institutions that supposedly support and care about culture- a large and important element of which is cinema.
Aspects of this kind of cinema - the cinema which basically belongs to its creator - cover, as always, this year's 26th Panorama program. The focus, as always, is on the competition section, which offers a selection of contemporary European films, most of which are already awarded or nominated at various festivals and were created by talented filmmakers from Italy, Serbia, Croatia, France, Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Slovenia and elsewhere. Movies with varied topics that illustrate the similarities and differences between the Northern and Southern European Films- a subject topic that will be discussed at the IANOS bookstore (Thursday, November 21 at 12:30 pm) by the Panorama in collaboration with the Greek Association of Film Critics.
This year’s grand retrospective is dedicated to the Italian gialli, with eleven thriller movies that combine terror with sex and madness (including the classic The Mask of Satan), Ricardo Freda and Pupi Avati. This year, the Greek cinema will be represented by movies selected from the 60s, including Michalis Kakogiannis’ Electra, Georgios Tzavellas’ Antigone, Takis Kanellopoulos’ Sky, Nikos Koundouros’ Young Aphrodites, Alexis Damianos’ Until the Ship Sails, Adonis Kyros’ The Block, Alekos Alexandrakis’ Dream Neighborhood, Kostas Manousakis’ The Fear, Vasilis Georgiadis’ Blood on the Land, Jules Dassin’s Phaedra, and Nikos Patatakis’ The Shepherds.
Cinema had and still has a profound relationship with the other arts, especially literature. Occasionally, many writers (from Faulkner and Marguerite Duras to Petros Markaris and Thanasis Valtinos) have written original movie scripts. This is why we requested from eight young Greek writers to choose their most beloved European movies, that perhaps enlightened their own work and influences.
This year’s special tribute will be dedicated to Alejandro Jontorofski from Chile, the last surviving surrealist film maker, with the screening of all of his films (Santa Sangre, El Topo, Holy Mountain, etc.) including his most recent work La Danza de la Realidad, which was presented at the Canes Film Festival. There will also be a tribute in contemporary independent American cinema, in which seven beloved movies will be viewed, including Larry Clark’s most recent work Marfa Girl.
Finally, as always, contemporary films will be represented in avant premiere including the invisible woman (Great Britain), which is directed by and stars Ralph Fiennes, which revolves around the secret love affair of the famous British author Charles Dickens for a much younger woman, Carlos Reygadas' (Mexico) Post Tenebras Lux (Best Director Award in Cannes Film Festival), Danis Tanovic’s (Bosnia) An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker, etc.
Ninos Fenek Mikelides
