PRESS CONFERENCE
PELICAN’S WATCH / ECOLOGICAL DIARIES – LITTLE BIG IDEAS / THE INVISIBLE DIRECTOR
As part of the 13th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, a press conference was held on Friday, March 18, 2011, with directors Lea Binzer (Pelican’s Watch), Marianna Economou (Ecological Diaries – Little Big Ideas) and Nikos Theodosiou (The Invisible Director), whose films are participating in the international program.
Lea Binzer’s film Pelican’s Watch looks at the tradition of wine production in Santorini in contrast to the invasion of cement on the island. The Santorini vineyards may be the oldest in Europe, but they are almost buried in cement for the sake of the easy money provided by tourism. “We went about this in reverse, that is, we didn’t begin the film in order to point out problems, but to highlight the vineyards as cultural elements”, the director explained. As she continued filming, the director discovered the obstacles faced by viticulturists (wine makers), which are in essence the same as those faced by Greek society. “Uncontrolled construction happens not because some people are uneducated or the victims of exploitation, but rather it is a matter of values which have to do with what this thing that we call Greece is, and what it is that we are protecting”, Ms Binzer added. She also stressed that she had to gain the wine growers’ trust at first, a process that took a year, saying: “the servility we came across was huge. The first wine grower asked permission to speak with us”. Whatever is not narrated by the people in the film is implied by the music, written by Laura Gini. “Through the music, we gave the film an ironic aspect and made an indirect accusation”, she noted. She aims to screen her film in Santorini, once it has completed its Festival cycle.
Ecological Diaries – Little Big Ideas by Marianna Economou is part of a documentary series which will be broadcast by ERT (State television channel) in April, called Ecological Diaries. The film follows the voyage of natural produce from the fields of Thessalia to European department stores. Alexandros, a farmer who is trying to exploit the possibilities of such production is our guide. The director met him through common friends, and he himself accidentally met someone who gave him the idea of growing natural produce which could be sold to “boutique” natural food stores in London. “In the fields of Thessalia, I felt that the farmers had reached an impasse. Their fields are soaked in chemicals, and they see that cotton and wheat, which are commodities on the stock exchange, aren’t getting them anywhere. Alexandros is an example to imitate. He is a man who likes ideas, he’s not afraid to experiment, he’s flexible”, the director said. In the documentary we see him getting ready to welcome tasters from London luxury department stores, a sort of degustation of tomatoes and honey. “What makes an idea great is its relationship with reality. Alexandros was lucky in that someone gave him the chance to sell his products abroad. There are other such examples, which Greek farmers need to learn from”, commented the director.
Nikos Theodosiou’s inspiration for the film The Invisible Director, an anthology of 25 important moments in the work of Roviros Manthoulis, was an event honoring 50 years of Mr. Manthoulis’ work. “These scenes had a flow and internal cohesion. Also, since many people wanted to invite R. Manthoulis to similar events, I wanted the material from the first presentation to be available to everyone”, Mr. Theodosiou explained. As he noted, it is a documentary that is a kind of masterclass given by Mr. Manthoulis. The difficulty in making the film was basically choosing 25 scenes out of the thousands that exist in the work of such an important director, who has 120 films to his credit. Among them is the first film in the world dealing with blues music. To make this film he travelled to the American south, recording African American workers singing the blues, a scene which is included in the documentary The Invisible Director. Asked about what it was like to film a director, Mr. Theodosiou noted:
“R. Manthoulis had no problem with it, he is used to collective projects, and has been a participant in political youth groups since the age of 15. He highlighted important political events through his films, he has authored a body of work, and twice – in 1975 and 1981 – he was asked to take on the reorganization of ERT. The film is indeed the recording of a life rich in experiences.”
