A Round Table was held on Tuesday, December 7th at John Cassavetes cinema hall, at the Port, under the theme “Greek Cinema Beyond Its Borders” and within the framework of the 51st Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The valuable experiences the Greek directors gained through their participation in international festivals, the difficulties they faced, as well as the perspectives that have opened up for Greek cinema abroad, were some of the issues that were brought up. Directors Constantine Giannaris, Alexis Alexiou, Vardis Marinakis, Ari Balafoukas and Syllas Tzoumerkas took part in this Round Table. The Thessaloniki International Film Festival Director, Mr. Dimitris Eipides, the Greek Film Center President, Giorgos Papalios and the Greek Film Academy President, Tasos Mpoulmetis attended the event, which was coordinated by the film critic, Giorgos Krassakopoulos.
Mr. Eipides welcomed the participants and pointed out that: “I am really optimistic that the Greek cinema is changing and I believe we will make the most out of the infinite possibilities we have at our disposal, so as to promote our homeland and our culture to the rest of the world.”
Afterwards, the Greek directors talked each one about his first experience in an international film festival and they all concluded that, apart from joy, it caused them a great deal of awkwardness. “My first presence in the Cannes Film Festival was a lonely, horrifying experience, far from being pleasant. I was in a daze.”, mentioned Constantine Giannaris. “During a festival, you can get very lonely, as your work is being exposed outside your own country.”, agreed Vardis Marinakis, whose film Black Meadow was screened at the Sevilla Festival. “I was overwhelmed by a feeling of terror during screening”, stressed Syllas Tzoumerkas, who participated with his film Country of Origin, in the Venice Film Festival. Aris Mpalafoukas and Alexis Alexiou had more pleasant memories from the Montreal World Film Festival and the Rotterdam International Film Festival, where their films Apnea and Tale 52, were screened. “I participated in the Montreal Festival with my first feature length film. It was a wonderful experience, as the movie was first screened abroad and then in Greece and I had the chance to see people’s reactions.”, noted Ari Balafoukas. “I participated in the Rotterdam Festival with my film Tale 52. This experience can be revealing for a new director. One of the Festival’s organizers warned me before the screening that the audience might have extreme reactions, because of the film’s theme. With the exception of a spectator who cried to me “Why on earth did you make this movie?”, everything went just fine.”, added Alexis Alexiou.
The next question that was asked was whether a director must be involved in the commercial part (promotion) of his film. “An artist has to be a businessman as well, he has to know how to sell his work properly, as art is a form of business.”, stressed Constantine Giannaris. On his part, Vardis Marinakis underlined that in other countries, the promotion of a project begins really early, at the treatment stage. It is a common practice that we know nothing of in Greece. “It bothers me that many times, the whole process lacks emotion and we think only in terms of practical issues, when it comes to promoting a film, as if it is a merchandise display, as if we are selling socks.”, he pointed out. “It would be better if somebody other could take on the public relation part. This way, we could focus on the artistic creation part, which is our noblest task”, added Ari Balafoukas.
When asked which actions on the part of the state institutions and organisms could give a further boost to Greek films abroad, the directors pinpointed the problem of public relations, as well that of the film selection criteria. “It’s all about public relations and we have to invest on this section, on the proper way to promote our movies. We should examine the project selection process in depth and promote the projects that inspire a sense of authenticity, even if they do not seem to abide by certain rules.”, stressed Vardis Marinakis. Constantine Giannaris placed emphasis on the way festivals work and described it as being “under crisis”. “For example, in some festivals, such as the Cannes Festival, there are cases of nepotism, while in many festivals, sales companies are implicated, to a large extent. Moreover, many times the selection criteria are not of an artistic or aesthetic nature but involve politics.”, pointed out the director. On his part, the GFC President, Mr. Papalios underlined that: “The most important step is to convince someone to see your movie and Greek directors are beginning to succeed in this field.”
The participants were then asked if Greek cinema has become a fashion, because of the constant talk about Greece and its economic crisis in an international level. “If this fashion does truly exist, it is certainly to our benefit”, said Syllas Tzoumerkas, by adding though that: “the most important thing is for the audience abroad to be interested in the film’s theme as well”. The Greek Film Academy President Tasos Mpoulmetis intervened in the discussion and expressed his firm belief that: “The economic crisis will help the promotion of Greek cinema over the next years.”
The participants went on to comment on television’s role in relation to cinema. “The situation is tragic and it is not only cinema to blame. The quality of television is clearly degraded. Television does not do its job properly, it does not raise the level.”, said Constantine Giannaris. “They put directors on the dock for the kind of art they produce, but no-one seems to acknowledge that everyone is to be held responsible for the situation nowadays”, added Aris Mpalafoukas, while Alexis Alexiou mentioned that today, we are experiencing a cultural crisis “during which, it is more difficult than ever to make films.”
The Thessaloniki International Film Festival Dimitris Eipides gave his views on the subject as well. “The Greek spectator is addicted to commercial products and is not taught to watch quality cinema. Nevertheless, I remain a romantic one and believe in a better world through art and culture. We have entered a period of growth and Greek directors who succeeded in turning international focus on Greek production have provided us with the necessary spark.”
