Greek Cinema - Hellenic University Club of Southern California

In the year 1967, of the twenty-eight short
movies and documentaries that they were
produced, eleven were selected by the Thessalonica
Festival's committee for competition.
As in the previous year, only two (one
short movie, and one short documentary)
won a prize. The first one was Horis
Apokrisi, (Without a Reply); producer, director,
scriptwriter was Ermis (Ermolaos)
Velopoulos who won the first Prize for the
“Best Short Movie.” Its theme was the reaction
and agony of people facing death. Their
emotions and feelings gives the idea that they
are influenced from their past. The first Prize
for the “Best Short Documentary” went to the
producer, director Apostolos Krionas for his
documentary Anemi (The Winds). It is a realistic
presentation of the traditions in the
islands of North Aegean Sea focusing on the
young men leaving their homes to find work
in the merchant ships of the world.
The great Christoforos Nezer, a stage and
cinema actor won a special “Honorary
Award” for his leading performance in the
short movie Oso Kratae Mia Floga (As
Long a Flame Lasts) produced, written and
directed by Nestor P. Matsas. Its plot is the
life of Chrisoforos Nezer on stage with his
performance in classical work and in cinema.
It is also a presentation of ancient theaters
and psychological anatomy of an actor. Two
more short movies were produced, written
and directed by Nestor P. Matsas but were
not participating in the domestic festival of
1967. These are Kravgi Tis Petras (The
Stone's Cry). He depicted with a unique and
artistic way the life and work of the great
sculptor of his time Yannoulis Halepas.
Matsas won three awards for his movie
Kravgi Tis Petras (The Stone's Cry). One in
the Rome film festival and one in Vermeil of
Academy of Arts and Letters of Paris both in
1968. The next year 1969 participate in the
Thessalonica film festival and won an “Honorary”
award. Nestor P. Matsas other movie
was Ena Komati Ouranos (A Piece of the
20
Sky). Its plot is a very sentimental subject
about the life of a young blind girl who could
see only through the eyes of her soul. The
year 1968 it participates in the Festivals of
Cannes and Teheran.
In 1967 the director Vasilis Maros came
up with his version of the movie Anastenaria
(Fire Walkers) that a few years earlier in
1960 Roussos Koundouros had made the first
one based on the same subject. And if that
was not enough, a newcomer the director
Sotiris Sotiriadis made his version of Anastenaria,
following later by the director, writer
Nestor P. Matsas with his version of Anastenaria.
It seems to us that all of them tried
to keep that ethnological tradition and custom
alive.
One should note that in Athens 1967, the
Institute of Science Art and Letters of Paris
honored with awards the stage and cinema
actor Christoforos Nezer; the stage and cinema
actress Miranda Myrat; the director,
scriptwriter Nestor P. Matsas; and piano soloist
Maria Herogiorgou-Sigar.
According to Kostas A. Linardatos, thirty-five
short movies and documentaries participated
in Thessalonica film Festival in
1968. Unfortunately he does not list all thirty
five of them but only nine that were selected
by the Festival's committee for competition.
10 Out of the nine short movies and
short documentaries again this year only two
won an award. The winner for “Best Short
Documentary” was 25, 000 Hronia S' Aftin
Tin Ye (25,000 Years in This Land). Produced,
written and directed by Nestor P.
Matsas. Director of photography and cameraman
was Giorgos Antonakis. Narrator was
the actor Demetris Myrat, and the music was
written by Christos Mourabas. The importance
of this work by Nestor Matsas is the
description of the life and customs of ancient
Greek nomads called “Sarakatsanos” who
roam mostly in Epirus, Macedonia, and
Thrace. Ethnographers believe that they have