QUOTES

About Cinema

“What is filmmaking… It’s an extension of our lives. It’s about multiplying internal and external time. It’s all those things we did wrong and now wish to fix, along with all those things we never did, yet still wish to…

It’s about the love that transpires… when the crew is found, the cast, the new family that is formed which goes on to create something that will never be lost. It’s where their statements reside, where their soul is present and their reflection will never age, will never die and will always be there saying the things that they believed…

A dangerous thing filmmaking is, very dangerous!”

N.N

“Cinema is about the relationship relation and the quantity between darkness and light.”

My life is a movie 24/7 and when the movie of my life isn’t good, I change my life. I don’t always need to record all that on film.”

“Cinema is a good defense against the ghost of death. It multiplies time, your relationships, your stories, and no matter how lonely and isolated you are, suddenly you’re negotiating five thousand images, places and connections. It’s right there that you are transported, you stand up to death and protest…”

“The public that got bored of watching television in their homes now go and watch television in ‘popcorn movie ’ theatres.”

“The film festivals are a compact exhibition of deprivation, narrow minded prejudice, and the hostile response of the European spirit. It’s no coincidence that the Japanese film director  Tsukamoto (Tetsuo-Iron Man) was assailed with eggs and mockery by a selected audience at the Cannes Film Festival, when he dared… to strip off the hypocrisy from the body of the European vision.”

“In the past, when I started shooting a film, I thought it was already complete, both on paper and in my mind. I quickly discovered that a film doesn’t only belong to its scriptwriter or its director, but to itself as well.”

“A film is cinematography. And cinematography means to have a director for the lights, a director for the clothes and to have a camera that interprets the heroes’ feelings. Not to have it thrown around here and there, as has been common in many movies over the last 10 years, and greatly overused in European and American films.”

“I believe that the director of photography is another director. If you don’t have one that is your equal or even above you, then all the work could go to waste. Such people are almost extinct nowadays.”

“Don’t tell me about Angelopoulos, the film director. A ridiculous case. Personally, I admire the man. He’s the revenge of cheap posturing. He managed to convince all of the Europeans that he’s a director. That’s how Greece gets her revenge!”

“The existence of a non-political position in relation to cinema does not necessarily indicate the absence of a political stance. On the contrary I would say, by default, those who produce non-politics are -for the present government- the right people and will therefore remain in their positions or be upgraded to genuine idiots. The stance of the Government towards Greek Cinema is well known. They aim to establish a ticket-dominated, American blockbuster style of cinema, and the present creaseless and sterile leadership of the Ministry of Culture is doing its job so perfectly well. However, we’ll establish our own style, even though Mr. Tatoulis’ (president of the Greek Film Center-GFC-at that time) zombies, won’t like it.”

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