| Cinema of Greece | |
|---|---|
 Collage with figures of the Greek cinema | |
| No. ofscreens | 370 (2010)[1] |
| • Per capita | 3.7 per 100,000 (2010)[1] |
| Produced feature films (2010)[2] | |
| Fictional | 16 |
| Animated | - |
| Documentary | 2 |
| Number of admissions (2011)[4] | |
| Total | 11,900,000 |
| • Per capita | 0.9 (2012)[3] |
| Gross box office (2011)[4] | |
| Total | $130 million |
Thecinema of Greece has a long and rich history. Though hampered at times by war or political instability, the Greek film industry dominates the domestic market and has experienced international success. Characteristics of Greek cinema include a dynamic plot, strong character development and erotic themes. Two Greek films,Missing (1982) andEternity and a Day (1998), have won thePalme d'Or at theCannes Film Festival. Five Greek films have received nominations for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Though Greek cinema took root in the early 1900s, the first mature films weren't produced until the 1920s, after the end of theGreco-Turkish War.[5] Films during this period, such asAstero (1929) by Dimitris Gaziadis andMaria Pentagiotissa (1929) by Ahilleas Madras, consisted of emotional melodramas with an abundance of folkloristic elements.[6]Orestis Laskos'sDaphnis and Chloe (1931), one of the first Greek films to be shown abroad, contained the first voyeuristic nude scene in a European film.[7] During theAxis occupation, the Greek film industry struggled as it was forced to relocate overseas.
Following theGreek Civil War, Greek cinema experienced a revival. Inspired byItalian neorealism, directors such as Grigoris Grigoriou and Stelios Tatasopoulos created works during this period shot on location using non-professional actors.[6] During the 1950s and 1960s, Greek cinema experienced a golden age, starting withMichael Cacoyannis'sStella (1955), which was screened atCannes. The 1960 filmNever on Sunday was nominated for five Academy Awards, and its lead actress,Melina Mercouri, won theBest Actress Award at Cannes. Cacoyannis'sZorba the Greek (1964) won three Academy Awards. Other films released in this era, such asThe Counterfeit Coin andThe Ogre of Athens are nowadays considered some of the greatest works of Greek cinema.
Censorship policies of the1967 junta and rising foreign competition led to a decline in Greek cinema.[5] After the restoration of democracy in the mid-1970s, the Greek film industry again flourished, led by directorTheo Angelopoulos, whose films captured international recognition, making him probably the most acclaimed Greek director to date. Other acclaimed directors of this era includeNikos Nikolaidis, as well asPantelis Voulgaris andAlexis Damianos, the director of the landmark filmEvdokia. However, this drift toward art-house cinema in the 1980s led to a decline in audiences.[5] In the 1990s, younger Greek filmmakers began experimenting with iconographic motifs.[5] In spite of, or because of, funding issues created by thefinancial crisis in the late 2000s, unique Greek films such asYorgos Lanthimos'sDogtooth (2009),Panos H. Koutras'Strella (2009) andAthina Rachel Tsangari'sAttenberg (2010) received international acclaim, constituting what has been called the "Greek Weird Wave".[8]
In the spring of 1897, the Greeks ofAthens watched the first cinematic ventures (short movies in "journal"). In 1906 Greek cinema was born when theManakis brothers started recording inMacedonia, and the French filmmaker "Leons" produced the first "Newscast" from the midi-Olympic games of Athens (the unofficial Olympic games of 1906).
The first cine-theater of Athens opened about a year later and other special 'projection rooms' begun their activity. In 1910-11 the first short comic movies were produced by directorSpiros Dimitrakopoulos (Spyridion), who also starred in most of his movies. In 1911Kostas Bachatoris presentedGolfo (Γκόλφω), a well known traditional love story, considered the first Greekfeature film. In 1912 was founded the first film company (Athina Film) and in 1916 theAsty Film.
During theFirst World War, production was limited to documentaries and newscasts only. Directors like George Prokopiou andDimitris Gaziadis are distinguished for filming scenes from the battlefield and later, during the Greco-Turkish War, of the efforts of the Hellenic Army and finally theGreat Fire of Smyrna (1922).
The first commercially successful Greek film wasVillar in the Women's Baths of Faliro (Ο Βιλλάρ στα γυναικεία λουτρά του Φαλήρου), written, directed by and starring comedian Villar (Nikolaos Sfakianakis) and Nitsa Philosofou. In 1924, Michael Michael (1895–1944), a Greek comedian, presented someshort film comedies.
In 1922, Gaziadis foundedDag Films and tried to produce the firstspeaking movies. This company presented its first movie,Love and Waves (Έρως και κύματα), in 1927, and experienced moderate success in the late 1920s and early 1930s. The company mainly produced historical movies, usually adaptations of novels. In 1930, Dag made an attempt for a speaking movie,The Apaches of Athens (Οι Απάχηδες των Αθηνών), which was based on a Greekoperetta byNikos Hatziapostolou.
Gaziadis also filmed the 1927 Delphic Festival, an idea ofAngelos Sikelianos and Eva Palmer-Sikelianos, as part of his general effort towards the revival of the "Delphic Idea". The event consisted ofOlympic contests, an exhibition offolk art, and a performance ofPrometheus Bound.
The 1931 filmDaphnis and Chloe (Δάφνις και Χλόη), directed byOrestis Laskos (1908–1992), contained the first voyeuristic nude scene in the history of European cinema; it was also the first Greek movie which was played abroad. In 1932Olympia Films presented the speaking movieThe Shepherdess's Lover (Ο αγαπητικός της βοσκοπούλας), which was based on a play by Dimitris Koromilas. Also influential during this period was director Achilleas Madras, whose work includedMaria Pentagiotissa (1929) andSorcerer of Athens (1931).[6]
During the late 1930s, a number of Greek filmmakers fled Greece due to the hostility ofMetaxas Regime and the material lack of ability for producing speaking movies. The Greek film industry reemerged inTurkey, and later inEgypt.[5]
In spite of German occupation during World War II,Philopemen Finos, a film producer who was active in theGreek Resistance, foundedFinos Films (1942), which would later become one of the most commercially successful Greek studios. One of Finos's earliest productions,Voice of the Heart (Η φωνή της καρδιάς) (1943, directed by Dimitris Ioannopoulos), drew large audiences, to the consternation of the Germans. Another important film during this period,Applause (Χειροκροτήματα) (1944, directed byGeorge Tzavellas), which presented a thinly-disguised biography of one of Greece's most important popular songwriters of the era,Attik, was produced by Finos's rival, Novak Films.[9]
In 1944,Katina Paxinou was honoured with theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as "Pilar" in theSam Wood film,For Whom the Bell Tolls.
The 1950s and 1960s are considered by many to be the "Golden Age" of Greek cinema.[6] Directors and actors of this era were recognized as important historical figures in Greece and some gained international acclaim:Michael Cacoyannis,Alekos Sakellarios,Melina Mercouri,Nikos Tsiforos,Iakovos Kambanelis,Katina Paxinou,Nikos Koundouros,Ellie Lambeti, andIrene Papas. More than sixty films per year were made, with the majority having film noir elements. Notable films wereThe Counterfeit Coin (Η κάλπικη λίρα, 1955 directed byGeorge Tzavellas),Bitter Bread (Πικρό Ψωμί, 1951, directed by Grigoris Grigoriou), andThe Ogre of Athens (Δράκος, 1956, directed byNikos Koundouros).[citation needed]
Finos Film and directorAlekos Sakellarios collaborated on several films in the late 1950s, namelyThe Hurdy-Gurdy (Φτώχεια και Φιλότιμο, 1955) and its sequel,Laterna, ftoheia kai garyfallo (Λατέρνα, 1958), as well asAunt from Chicago (Η Θεία από το Σικάγο, 1957) andMaiden's Cheek (Το ξύλο βγήκε από τον Παράδεισο, 1959).[citation needed]
The 1955 filmStella, directed byMichael Cacoyannis and written byIakovos Kambanelis, was screened at Cannes, and launched Greek cinema into its "golden age."[6]Melina Mercouri, who starred in the film, met American expatriate directorJules Dassin at Cannes while attending the screening, and the two would eventually marry. Dassin directed the 1960 Greek film,Never on Sunday, which starred Mercouri. The film was nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Mercouri, and won theAcademy Award for Best Song for composerManos Hatzidakis' title track.[6] The couple also collaborated on the 1967 musical stage adaptation,Illya Darling, for which Mercouri received aTony Award nomination. She went on to star in such films asTopkapi andPhaedra, both directed by Dassin, and the 1969 American comedy,Gaily, Gaily.[citation needed]
Cacoyannis' 1964 film,Zorba the Greek, which starredAnthony Quinn, was a major commercial success, and was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film. The movie was based on the novel,Zorba the Greek, by authorNikos Kazantzakis. Other important films during this period includeAntigone (1961) andElectra (1962), both of which starredIrene Papas,The Red Lanterns (1963) by directorVasilis Georgiadis, andBattlefield Constantinople (1970), which starred the "Greek Brigitte Bardot,"Aliki Vougiouklaki.[6]
TheThessaloniki International Film Festival was first held in 1960, and would subsequently evolve into the primary showcase for emerging filmmakers from Greece and the Balkans region. The festival showcases both international and Greek films, and awards the "Golden Alexander" for the best feature film.[citation needed]
In 1969, theCosta-Gavras filmZ was nominated for the Academy Award for both Best Foreign Language Film and Best Picture.[citation needed]
The production of Greek films increased after the fall of the dictatorship in the mid-1970s, though the industry struggled with foreign competition and the rise of television.[6] Michael Cacoyannis' 1977 film,Iphigenia, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. During the 1970s and 1980sTheo Angelopoulos directed a series of critically acclaimed movies, among themThe Travelling Players (1975),The Hunters (1977), andVoyage to Cythera (1984). His filmEternity and a Day won thePalme d'Or and thePrize of the Ecumenical Jury at the1998 Cannes Film Festival. Costa-Gavras's filmMissing won the Palme d'Or at1982 Cannes Film Festival. DirectorCostas Ferris's 1983 film,Rembetiko, won theSilver Bear at theBerlin International Film Festival.
When the left-leaningPanhellenic Socialist Movement was elected to power in 1981, actress Melina Mercouri, a member of the party, was appointedMinister for Culture. In this role, she obtained government support for the Greek film industry, and set up networks to promote Greek cinema abroad.[6] The increase in government funding led to a predominance of slow-moving, cerebralart-house films, which lacked mass appeal.[5]
Beginning in the 1990s, younger directors turned to more contemporary-paced films and social satires, which brought moderate commercial success.[10] In 1999, TV series writersMichalis Reppas andThanasis Papathanasiou, collaborating with contemporary famous actors made the sex taboo comedySafe Sex, which was the most successful movie of the decade.
In 2003,A Touch of Spice (Politiki kouzina), a big-budget film by directorTasos Boulmetis, was the most successful film of the year at the Greekbox office, making over 12 million euros. 2004 was also a good year for Greek films, withPantelis Voulgaris'sBrides (Nyfes) gathering more than a million spectators and over 7 million at the box office. In 2007 the most successful film wasEl Greco, directed byYannis Smaragdis.
.jpg)
In 2009,Dogtooth, directed byYorgos Lanthimos, won the Prix Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival, and in 2011 was nominated forBest Foreign Language Film at the83rd Academy Awards.[11] The 2010 filmAttenberg, directed byAthina Rachel Tsangari, won the Coppa Volpi Award for Best Actress (Ariane Labed) at the Venice Film Festival.[12] Also, at the same festival that year,Homeland, directed bySyllas Tzoumerkas screened at the International Critics' Week,Plato's Academy byFilippos Tsitos screened at a special event inVenice Days, andCasus Belli, a short film by director Yorgos Zois, screened at theOrizzonti section, prompting Nick Vivarelli ofVariety to write about "the country's biggest showing in decades".[13] In 2011Alps won the Osella Award for Best Screenplay (Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimiοs Filippou) at the 68th Venice Film Festival.[14]Dogtooth,Attenberg andAlps are part of what some film critics, including Steve Rose ofThe Guardian, have termed the "Greek Weird Wave," which involves movies with haunting cinematography, alienated protagonists and absurdist dialogue.[15] Other films mentioned as part of this "wave" includePanos H. Koutras'sStrella (2009) and Yannis Economides'sKnifer (2010).[16] In 2011, the 46thKarlovy Vary International Film Festival presented a tribute to Young Greek Cinema with seven feature films:Attenberg,Dogtooth,Homeland,Strella,Tale 52 (directed by Alexis Alexiou) andWasted Youth (directed by Argyris Papadimitropoulos and Jan Vogel).[17][18]
The "wave" of Greek cinema continued its course through the decade, producing several titles that were festival and critical sensations and were distributed in many countries. Many tributes to this generation of Greek filmmakers were held by festivals worldwide, most notably by the New Horizons Film Festival in Wrocław, Poland, and the Jeonju International Film Festival in Korea.[19] Recent studies called the Greek Weird Wave, a cinema "that reflects on how systems of power manage groups of people (from a family to a population) and the bodies of individuals", and "a cinema equally sensitive to forms of response, to noise, unease, and subversion".[20]
In 2011, just twenty feature-films were produced.[21]Wasted Youth, directed by Argyris Papadimitropoulos and Jan Vogel was the opening film of the 40thRotterdam International Film Festival,[22]Alps, directed byYorgos Lanthimos won the Best Screenplay Award at the Venice International Film Festival andUnfair World, directed byFilippos Tsitos won the Best Actor Award forAntonis Kafetzopoulos at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.[23]
In 2012,L by Babis Makridis premiered in competition at the Rotterdam International Film Festival,[24] andBoy Eating the Bird's Food, directed by Ektoras Lygizos, premiered in competition at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, winning a Special Mention for actor Yannis Papadopoulos.[25]
In 2013,Miss Violence, directed byAlexandros Avranas wonSilver Lion for best director at the70th Venice International Film Festival.Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian, compared the film to the previously mentioned, saying that "It (self-evidently) does not have the humour of those movies byYorgos Lanthimos andAthina Rachel Tsangari and by that token, less of their richness and inventiveness. But its force can't be doubted."[26]
In 2014,Stratos, directed byYannis Economidis premiered in competition at the Berlin International Film Festival,[27]Xenia, directed byPanos H. Koutras, premiered at the Un Certain Régard section of the Cannes Film Festival,[28] andA Blast, directed bySyllas Tzoumerkas, premiered in competition at the Locarno International Film Festival.[29]
In 2015,Wednesday 04:45 by Alexis Alexiou premiered in competition at the Tribeca Film Festival,Chevalier, directed byAthina Rachel Tsangari premiered in competition at the Locarno International Film Festival and won the Best Film Award at the BFI - London International Film Festival,[30] andInterruption by Yorgos Zois premiered at the Orizzonti competition section of the Venice International Film Festival.[31]
In 2016,Suntan by Argyris Papadimitropoulos premiered at the Rotterdam and SXSW International Film Festivals and won the Best Film Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.[32][33]
In 2017,Son of Sofia, directed by Elina Psykou won the Best International Narrative Feature Award at the Tribeca Film Festival.[34]
In 2018,Pity, directed by Babis Makridis, premiered in competition at the Sundance and the Rotterdam International Film Festivals.[35][36]
in 2021, Jacqueline Lentzou'sMoon, 66 Questions premiered at the Encounters competition section of the71st Berlin International Film Festival.
Pre-WWII
After-WWII (Golden Age)
Modern
| Africa |
| ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia |
| ||||||||||||
| Europe |
| ||||||||||||
| Americas |
| ||||||||||||
| Oceania | |||||||||||||
| Intercontinental & transnational | |||||||||||||
