Stavros Tornes: Α poor lonesome cowboy

Stavros Tornes' oeuvre was only embraced by a small number of people during his lifetime, but it is slowly yet surely vindicated, not just thanks to the old faithfuls but a growing number of new converts. His films still stand out as a unique case in the history of cinema, magical wanderings of an ethereal mind or perhaps a vagabond filmmaker.

Born in a barren and hostile land, Tornes (1932-1988) will find himself in exile at age 17 on the island of Makronissos. He is soon appointed official storyteller, narrating semi-fantastical tales. After years of youthful pursuits, Tornes migrates to Italy. He leads a bohemian life in Rome, doing odd jobs and pursuing adventures.

His looks nab him roles in films by Francesco Rosi, Mario Monicelli, Agnes Varda and the Taviani Brothers. In between film shoots, he travels the world, explores different cultures and lays the foundations for his own special brand of cinema: personal, unconventional, in perfect harmony with his body and soul.

It was only a matter of time before he returned to his homeland. Living on the fringe of a society that never really welcomed him in the first place, Tornes managed to assemble a core team of believers that helped him make art in a state of deprivation. If the DIY aesthetic is now considered part of the film establishment, back then it was like discovering your own desert island.

In time, Tornes became the designated witch doctor of a tribe that didn't always pay enough attention, but eventually discovered the magic of his fascinating oeuvre and the inconvenient truth of his own personal manifesto. "Cinema is where you and I recognize each other, where me and others embrace... Cinema is the land of the cursed and the intoxicated... Cinema is the point of convergence-divergence between the real and the unthinkable, the imaginary and the impossible."

Konstantinos Samaras

Theraic Dawn

The selective affinities between Stavros Tornes and Kostas Sfikas lead to a decision that was more radical then than it seems now: to co-direct a documentary about Santorini that circumvents ...

Farewell Anatolia

Staros Tornes' first non-fiction short combines a beautifully poetic text with a series of tracking shots in the streets of Rome, set to music by Charlotte Van Gelder. Somewhere ...

Eksopragmatiko

Stavros Tornes' last film in Italy bears a title that fits the director like a glove, especially when it comes to his ability to start out from a non-fiction perspective and descend into ...

Coatti

Stavros and Charlotte - i.e. the director and his partner in life and art, Charlotte van Gelder - are wandering the streets of a burdensome reality like immigrants, tracing the world around them ...

Balamos

A man wanders around the country fairs of Thessaly with the pretext of buying a horse. His travels will lead him much further than he ever imagined, crossing paths with old prophets, forgotten ...

Karkalou

An elderly gentleman is sitting in the back of a taxi, driven by a much younger man. There's a coffin in the trunk. The meter's running and the two men are driving, but no one knows where ...

Danilo Treles: The Famous Andalusian Musician

An English singer travels around the Greek countryside. He meets a strange creature, part man part fox, and together they start looking for Danilo Treles, a legendary musician from Andalusia. ...

Heron for Germany

Publisher Lucas only prints poetry books, selling embalmed birds on the side to make ends meet. He is surrounded by his romantic assistant, Marios, and simple yet determined Nina, while their ...

Stavros Tornes: The Poor Hunter of the South

"The Poor Hunter of the South" is the title of the film Stavros Tornes never got to make, rightfully featured alongside his name on this documentary by Stavros Kaplanidis (" ...