Greek Cinema - Hellenic University Club of Southern California

against the ruthless invaders who slaughter
them. Kakoyannis tried publicize the injustice
heaped on his native island. However,
the movie was generally ignored by the media.
The strong punch lines, if they were
more carefully selected the movie would
have more impact and stronger influence.
The next feature documentary, Etsi
Prodothike E Kipros” (This Is the Way Cyprus
Was Betrayed), released on May 12,
1975, was based also on the subject of the
1974 Cyprus rape, as its title indicates. Director
and scriptwriter, was Giorgos Filis. Director
of photography cameraman was Kostas
Natsos; editor was Evangelos Yousias, while
the music was written by the composer Vasilis
Tenidis. Like Michalis Kakoyannis, in Attila
74, director Giorgos Filis gives a clear
picture of the political machinery and how
the island Cyprus was victimized by the invaders
while the world watched helplessly.
The message by directors Giorgos Filis and
Michalis Kakoyannis are that the outrage that
began in 1974 and continues to this day will
never is forgotten.
One feature documentary that it did not
participated in any domestic festival was Ta
Tragoudia Tis Fotias (The Songs of Fire)
produced by Filopoimin Finos and Nikos
Koundoros. Like in all of his work, Nikos
Koundouros shows originality. Here he is
using as his main subject the world-wide musical
changes and people’s reactions in concerts.
The atmosphere changes totally and
very effectively of his main subject with the
presentation of the funeral of Cypriot Doros
Loizos who was assassinated. Narrator was
Christos Reklitis, himself a victim of the dictatorship.
Director Nikos Koundouros also
treated the rape of Cyprus, just as Michalis
Kakoyannis and Giorgos Filis did. Koundouros
used mostly songs and music. The songs
were executed by the well-known actress and
singer Melina Merkouri, the singer Giorgos
Dalaras, Antonis Kaloyannis, Maria Faradouri,
Nikos Xilouris, Maria Koh, Babis
30
(Haralambos) Garganourakis, Lakis Halkias,
Lizetta Nikolaou, Aliberti, and Smokovitis.
All of these performers are well established
singers in Greece. The music was written by
the well-known composers Mikis Theodorakis
and Stavros Xarhakos. That was the first
work of director Nikos Koundouros after
seven years of self-exile.
Out of the forty-three short documentaries
and short movies that participated in
the Thessaloniki film festival in 1975, the
committee selected only seventeen for competition
and four under the program of “Cinema
Dedicated to Cyprus.” One feature documentary
and three short movies were in this
group. One was the feature documentary
Chroniko Tis Kipriakis Simforas (Chronicle
of the Cyprus Tragedy) produced and directed
by Pavlos Pavlou, and the three short
documentaries Kipros 1974- Meta Matia
Ton Pedion (Cyprus 1974-Through Children's
Eyes) produced and directed by Yannis
Karaolis. The next one was Itan Ena Nisi (It
Was One Island) produced and directed by
Andreas Kostantinidis. The last one was Ta
Pedia Tou Perea (The Children of Piraeus)
produced and directed by Kiros Rossidis. All
the above productions were based on the subject
of the Cyprus tragedy.
Then it was the short movie Simptosis
Mias Diadromis (Coincidence of a Running
Through) directed by Takis Davlopoulos and
received the first prize award. It presents an
allegory of a moving trolley bus going
through a long historical ride. The trolley is
driven by the country’s leader while the passengers
debate their political subservience to
foreign protectors. The director handles his
politically sensitive subject with skill. The
second prize went to the short documentary
Telefteos Stathmos Kreuntzberg (The Last
Station Kreuntzberg), produced and directed
by Giorgos Karipidis. The director Kostas
Natsos received the third award for his short
movie O Tavros Ke to Agalma (The Bull
and the Statue), while the director Panos