New Greek cinema showcased in Paris

by Fabien Lemercier

01/12/2009 - The event is rare enough to deserve mention: two Greek features are released on French screens in the space of only two weeks. After Panos H. Koutras’ A Woman’s Way [trailer] (launched by Memento Films Distribution on 14 screens on November 18), Yorgos Lanthimos’ Dogtooth [trailer, film focus], which won the Un Certain Regard Award at the latest Cannes Film Festival and recently took honours at Stockholm, will be released tomorrow by MK2 Diffusion on 12 screens.

This double release highlights the emergence of a generation of Greek directors who are unafraid to tackle difficult subjects head-on and whose work has been well received by French critics.

These releases also coincide with the 6th Panorama of Contemporary Greek Cinema which will be held in Paris, at the Cinéma des Cinéastes, from December 2-8.

Sponsored by Costa Gavras and supported by the Greek Film Centre and the ARP (Civil Society of Writers-Directors-Producers, presided by Radu Mihaileanu), the event will open tomorrow evening with the avant-premiere of Dogtooth (with Lanthimos in attendance).

The festival programme includes 12 features and six shorts. Among them is Filippos Tsitos’ Plato’s Academy [trailer, film focus], which scooped the Leopard for Best Actor at the latest Locarno Film Festival. Its screening on Sunday, December 6 will be attended by the director.

Iannis Smaragdis will also be there in person on Thursday, December 3 to present his film, El Greco, co-produced by Greece, Spain and Hungary.

The Panorama line-up also includes the following features: Panos Karkanevatos’ Well Kept Secrets - Athanassia (winner of the FIPRESCI Prize last year at Thessaloniki); Nikos Panayotopoulos’ Athens-Istanbul; Christos Georgiou’s Small Crime [trailer]; Calliope Legaki’s Filo and Marina; Vardis Marinakis’ Black Field [trailer, film focus]; Thanos Anastopoulos’ Correction (unveiled in the Forum section at the Berlinale 2008); Marco Gastine’s Themis; Pétros Sevastikoglou’s Three Moments; and Angeliki Antoniou’s Eduart [trailer].

(Translated from French)