Athens International Film Festival
aiff

Guerrillas in the (tv) mist

"The reason why Paraskinio got this far is because of all the people who worked on it," admit filmmakers and series creators Lakis Papastathis and Takis Hatzopoulos. There’s very few examples of local television shows that boast collaborations with the most acclaimed directors in Greek cinema. The original idea belongs to Roviros Manthoulis, one time public television programming director, who inaugurated the show in 1979. The idea was to create a series that would go behind the scenes of the homegrown arts community, hence the name (paraskinio is Greek for backstage). Lakis Papastathis and Takis Hatzo- poulos however, who both had track records in big screen documentary, added another dimension. "The idea wasn’t to report what was happening but rather to reveal it" they insisted, summing up their philosophy on the format of the show, which wasn’t about making content look good but taking a moral stand on your subject-matter. Although "Paraskinio" started out after democracy was restored, a lot of the early shows were censored, which goes to show the innovative spirit of the crea- tors. There’s been more than 1000 episodes and 200 directors in the long history of the show so far, which gave rise a new visual language aiming to showcase both the uniqueness of the artist and the talent of the director.

Kostas Aivaliotis



    Publication date: 2015-09-19 00:00:00

    «Andreas Embirikos» - «Aris Alexandrou»

    «Andreas Embirikos» - «Aris Alexandrou»

    'Andreas Embirikos' :An idiosyncratic portrait of the seminal surrealist poet, exclusively built with footage from his personal archive without the intervention of any talking heads. 'Aris Alexandrou': An intimate portrait of the celebrated writer, who also happens to be one of the most dramatic figures in the history of the local left-wing movement.

    «Aris Konstantinidis - Employed By Life» - «Dimitris Pikionis»

    «Aris Konstantinidis - Employed By Life» - «Dimitris Pikionis»

    'Aris Konstantinidis - Employed By Life': An intimate exploration of the mind and work of the most acclaimed modernist architect in Greece. 'Dimitris Pikionis': A documentary dedicated to the life and times of innovative architect Dimitris Pikionis on the occasion of the comprehensive show organised by the Benaki Museum in late 2011.

    Katina Paxinou I & II

    Katina Paxinou I & II

    'Katina Paxinou I': A comprehensive portrait of the Oscar-winning Greek actress. 'Κatina Paxinou II': The second part mainly focuses on her international career from 1950 up until her death in 1973.

    «Cornelius Castoriadis» - «Aliki Vougiouklaki»

    «Cornelius Castoriadis» - «Aliki Vougiouklaki»

    'Cornelius Castoriadis': This episode attemps a first encounter with the Greek philosopher and author, whose powerful intellect has been likened to an exploding bomb. 'Aliki Vougiouklaki': The second, now legendary, episode of the documentary series was shot in 1976 and was censored by the government. This is the original version. A brief ceremony honoring series creators Lakis Papastathis and Takis Hatzopoulos will precede the screening.

    «The Ogre of Athens by Nikos Koundouros - «Nikos Karouzos»

    «The Ogre of Athens by Nikos Koundouros - «Nikos Karouzos»

    THE OGRE OF ATHENS BY NIKOS KOUNDOUROS (2012) Directed by Lakis Papastathis Director Nikos Koundouros looks back on his collaboration with Iakovos Kabanellis and Dinos Iliopoulos, as he recounts the adventurous film shoot that took almost two years to complete. NIKOS KAROUZOS (2006) Directed dy Despina Carvela His work, his philosophical explorations and his personal confessions make up this documentary-portrait of the late Greek poet and intellectual.