Retrospective

PANTELIS VOULGARIS: A CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE

It is with great pleasure that the Greek Film Festival presents Australian audiences with a retrospective of the work of acclaimed auteur, Pantelis Voulgaris. Voulgaris has been creating films for over 40 years and belongs to the generation of directors of New Greek Cinema. A school of cinema which is intensely committed to the freedom of expression, it is defined by its accurate portrayal of the reality of the modern Greek experience. These are also characteristics of the works of eminent Greek directors such as Angelopoulos and Damianos.

Voulgaris served his apprenticeship in the old cinema and has retained the attributes of the craftsman and storyteller, whilst displaying his most daring creativity. His works depict everyday Greece, the lives of ordinary people, ordinary simple gestures and daily moments, against the backdrop of extraordinary social, political and historical circumstances, without sentimental distortions. His films capture the stark nakedness of real characters surviving and living in poverty, political turmoil, ignorance and medieval social relationships. His style is one which abstracts from the uniquely Greek experience and extends to the broader human experience.

Voulgaris’ films observe the sensitivities and tenderness of individuals, their multiplicities and complexities, the nuances of human behaviour and actions. Yet he juxtaposes these sensitivities against the harshness of political and social realities. Resonating throughout his work is a balance and a blending of the personal and the collective.

We invite you to immerse yourself in the unassuming, gentle and intimate world of Pantelis Voulgaris. This is a rare opportunity to experience a selection of the works of one of Greece’s most acclaimed directors of contemporary film.

Biography

Pantelis Voulgaris was born in Athens in 1940. He studied at the Stavrakou Film School and began work as an assistant director, with over thirty productions to his credit. Voulgaris commenced his career as a director in 1965, with his first short film The Thief. Since then, his films have won international acclaim and numerous awards, establishing him as one of the foremost Greek film directors of his generation. He has also directed several documentaries for television. Through his work, Voulgaris’ continuing ambition has been to confront and illuminate Greece’s tortured times. He spent six months in exile, in 1973, during the period of the Greek junta. In 1995, he was honoured by the Museum of Modern Art in New York with a mid-career retrospective.

Filmography

Please click on the more links where available to be taken to the respective film page containing additional information, the majority of the retrospective films in the GFF 05 are to be screened in Melbourne and Sydney.

1965 THE THIEF (short)

Participated in the Thessaloniki Film Festival

1966 JIMMY THE TIGER (Short)

Thessaloniki Film Festival:

Grand Prix
Greek Film Critics Grand Prix
State Grand Prix (Ministry of Industry)
Special Award for actor Spyros Kalogirou
Special TOURS Festival Awards (France)

Participated in the London, Montreal and Syracuse Film Festival

1969 THE DANCE OF THE GOATS (documentary)

Grand Prix Contemporary Film Festival (Athens)
Special Screening at the Museum of Man (France)

1972 THE ENGAGEMENT OF ANNA (feature)

Thessaloniki Film Festival:

Artistic Grand Prix
Best Director Award
Best Supporting Actress Award
Best Supporting Actor Award

Berlin Film Festival:

FIPRESCI, Otto-Dibelius and OCIC Awards
Participated in the London, Belgrade, Los Angeles
and New York Film Festivals

1973 THE GREAT LOVE SONGS (feature)

Participated in the Thessaloniki Film Festival

1976 HAPPY DAY (feature)

Thessaloniki Film Festival:

Artistic Grand Prix
Best Director Award
Best Music Award
Five Special Actors Awards
Best Sound Award
Film Critics Award

Participated in the Locarno, New Delhi, Belgrade, Rotterdam and Los Angeles
Film Festivals
Special Screening – French Film Library
Special Screening – London Film Library

1980 ELEFTHERIOS VENIZELOS (feature)

1985 STONE YEARS (feature)

Venice Film Festival:

Official Greek participation -
Special Nomination for actress Themis Bazaka - Venice Film Festival
Special OCIC

Valencia Film Festival:

Best Actress Award –
Best Music Awards -Valencia Film Festival

Thessaloniki Film Festival:

Best Film Award
Best Director Award Best Actress Award

 

1988 THE STRIKER WITH THE NO. 9 (feature)

Presented in official competition – 1989 Berlin Film Festival
Silver Knight Award - Moscow Film Festival

 

1991 QUIET DAYS IN AUGUST (feature)

Presented in official competition – 1991 Berlin Film Festival
Mention by the Berlin Film Festival's International Protestant Film Jury
Presented in the Jerusalem Film Festival
Selected to represent Greece at the European Film Awards
Presented in official competition - Chicago Film Festival Presented
in the official programme of the London Film Festival
Presented in official competition - Valencia Film Festival

1995 ACROPOLE (feature)

Best Director Award – 1996 Cairo International Film Festival
Best Music Award -Valencia Film Festival

1998 IT'S A LONG ROAD (feature)

39th Thessaloniki International Film Festival - 1998:

Best Actor Award
Best Make up Award

 

2004 BRIDES

45th Thessaloniki International Film Festival – 2004:

First Prize for fiction film,
Best Leading Actress award,
Best Supporting Actress award,
Best Cinematography award,
Best Set Design award,
Best Music award, Best Sound award,
Best Editing award,
Best Costumes award,
Best Makeup award