Greek Film Festival in Sydney to pay tribute to Nikos Koundouros
Source: NEOS KOSMOS
The 29th Greek Film Festival of Sydney together with film society group Melbourne Cinémathèque will be offering vintage screenings next month celebrating iconic Greek director, writer and filmmaker Nikos Koundouros.
Paying tribute to one of the greatest Greek filmmakers of the 20th century the festival will be screening four of his films.
The Ogre of Athens (O Drakos, 1956) which will be followed by Q&A with Professor Vrasidas Karalis, The Magic City (Magiki Polis, 1954), Young Aphrodites (Mikres Aphrodites, 1963), and 1922 (1978, with a special event).
Nikos Koundouros (1926-2017) was a versatile filmmaker who work consisted of neorealism, film noir, experimental cinema and mythology.
Born in Athens to an upper-class Cretan family, Koundouros first studied painting and sculpturing during World War II.
He also joined the Greek Resistance against Axis occupation as a soldier of the Communist-dominated National Liberation Front’s army. During the ensuing Civil War, Koundouros’ membership of the Front resulted in his exile to the Makronisos island concentration camp, where he says he “discovered the power of the human voice” and decided to pursue filmmaking.
After he returned from exile, Koundouros established himself in opposition to mainstream Greek aesthetics and narratives with his Rossellini-influenced The Magic City and expressionistic The Ogre of Athens.
While he did have some overseas acclaim, including his Young Aphrodites winning the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, widespread recognition mostly eluded him during his career.
This was partly due to his controversial reputation at home, along with his constant battles against censorship; most notably involving his depiction of atrocities committed during the Greco-Turkish War in the film 1922.
The tribute weekend dubbed “Of Men & Monsters: The Cinema of Nikos Koundouros” will take place on October 19 and October 20 at the Palace Cinema Norton St in Leichardt NSW.
Tickets and more info can be found at the 29th Greek Film Festival website.
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