Greek Cinema - Hellenic University Club of Southern California

Noteworthy in 1982 is the feature documentary
E Azititi (The Unclaimed) directed
by Kostis Zoes. It is a journey to the sanitarium
island of Leros and a study in the life of
the mentally ill, the methods of their therapy,
the tragic picture and the agony of their life.
Another feature documentary is Document
(The Document), directed by Tasos
Lertas. It examines historical events during
the period 1936-1944 from a leftist perspective.
This type of subject has burned over the
Greek screen and audiences reject films of
this kind as indicated by the very low ticket
sales.
The feature documentary Me Tin FlogaTis
Irinis (With the Flame of Peace) was directed
by Giorgos Anastasiadis and it chronicles
the transfer of the Olympic Flame from
Ancient Olympia to the United Nations in
New York in 1982.
In 1983 Perseas is a feature documentary
directed by Yannis Tritsibidas. It is based on
a reconstruction of the ancient myth using
modern traditional elements in the staging.
Istoria Tis Ellinikis Haraktikis (History
of Greek Engraving) is a feature documentary
directed by Gay Angeli. It is a historical
presentation of the engraving art examining
works in monasteries since the 18th century.
Ekklisies Ke Agiografies Tis Manis
(Churches and Icons of Mani), is a short documentary
directed by Eleftherios Haronitis. It
examines historic church artwork in Mani,
which is centuries old, but is now in a state of
neglect.
In 1984 the director Demetris Arvanitis
presented his short documentary O Sourealismos
Stin Elliniki Zografiki (Surrealism in
Greek Art/Painting) and is based in the life
and work of four Greek surrealistic painters.
In Thessalonikiís Film Festival it received
Best Short Movie Award and Special Award
for short movies by PEKK (Pan-Hellenic
Cinema Critics Union).
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Tou Kolimviti (To the Swimmer) is a
short documentary using animation directed
by Stratos Stasinos, and Nikos Mirmiridis. It
is based on a folk song under the same title.
In 1985 O Viasmos Tis Aphroditis (The
Rape of Aphrodite) was released, it is a feature
documentary directed by Andreas Ph.
Pantzis. It chronicles the occupation of Cyprus
by the British until the invasion by the
Turks. A man who had left Cyprus for a
while returned to his village in 1974 after the
Turkish invasion and starts searching through
the refugee camps for his relatives, among
them his son and his wife. He feels like an
immigrant in his own country. At the end of
this journey, unable to endure this tense and
depressed state of affairs, he enters the occupied
part of Cyprus where he finds the graves
of his son and his wife.
In 1986 several feature documentaries
were based on the life of church saints. One
noteworthy documentary that year also was
Dominikos Theotokopoulos (Kyriakos Theotokopoulos),
better known as (El Greco)
(1541-1614). It was directed by Eleftherios
Haronitis and is a biography of El Greco who
was born in Crete. In 1560 El Greco moved
to Venice and worked there for ten years next
to the great painter Titian. Then for a short
time he worked in Rome for Cardinal Alessandro
Farness, later Pope Paul III. In 1576-
77 he settled in Toledo, Spain. There he created
masterpieces of religious art and other
works which set him at the top tier of world
artists of all time.
Several good short movies were made in
1987. One of those was Ta Arheamas Theatra
(Our Ancient Theaters), a short documentary
directed by Kostas Nastos. It is an
analysis of the development of ancient theaters
and a travelogue through some of the extant
theaters.
The second one was Monaxia (Loneliness),
a short movie, directed by Athanasios
Papathanasiou. It describes the 24 hours in