QUOTES

About His Films

“It’s well-known that my films and my books are not extensions of my life but reproductions of it. Generally speaking, ‘the Wretches’ are swimming and still singing.

“Sometimes, when I want to remember my film structure, I’ll watch ‘Euridice BA 2037’. It’s a very comprehensive and simple film and it makes its point where I want it to.”

“I had problems with all my films. But with the ‘Sweet Bunch’ they became much worse. I never thought there was so much intellectual bullshit roaming around in this country.”

“During the filming of ‘Sweet Bunch’ a number of odd individuals came to the set and told me that they ‘wanted to read the script to see if they would help me make the film’. …They were our kind of people, but they didn’t know who this Nikolaidis was, and God knows what sort of things he was filming.”

“After two years of successfully screening ‘Singapore Sling’ at the Scala cinema, in London, the film importers saw that it had good reviews and was selling out all of its tickets, so they decided to officially release it, but it was censored. This was in my favor because I have two such bans, one in England and the other in Germany. I don’t know how many of my fellow Europeans have had such an honour.”

“Nikos Panagiotopoulos (film director) had put it well. That ‘this Nikolaidis is a very good director, for heaven’s sake, but he just keeps shooting the same film!’ Yes, I keep shooting the same film. All in all it’s just one film and I love it from top to bottom.”

“The first person to acknowledge that ‘The Girl with the Suitcases’ (a television film) was a mistake, was me and I’ve declared that on the Internet. I didn’t hide it. It was intentional and if it had worked, certain things on television would have changed. We did not succeed though and in the end I was left exposed. However, ‘The Girl with the Suitcases’ deserves a second reading.”

“My problem is not to educate an audience. I suppose there is such an audience. An audience with a memory.”

“I was never the favourite of the balcony (during the festivals) as they wrote, because, every so often, the balcony changes its form. The balcony simply makes those who find themselves there to be rebellious and loud, so it’s a major victory for the film or the director when the balcony remains silent.”

“With ‘The Wretches are Still Singing’ and ‘Sweet Bunch’, which I consider to be films of political and dramatic intervention, I discovered the underground tunnels that join the interests of the Leftists with those of the Rightists, and of course time justified me.”

“It’ll seem strange to you, but the actors that I worked with, knew all about the art of casting. They would either reject or accept me. I’d simply introduce myself.”

“My heroes are never fragile and in no way collapse. They’re simply free-willed. They choose to be unproductive and are disinterested in consuming both goods and ideas.”

“The heroes of ‘The Wretches Are Still Singing’ and ‘Sweet Bunch’ are also observers. And in opposition to the common view, observers are also sometimes armed, mine- they just don’t announce it.”

“In other words, the rationale behind the banning of the ‘Wretches’ was essentially one critic’s review in a newspaper which served as the official instrument of the Left-wing.  Of course, they certainly screwed up badly, it was hilarious.”

“I’m not at all happy, but I ultimately got the award for best directing because I accepted the rules of the game which I took part in.  Really, was there also an award for best film?”

“All my films end up with the death of the hero or the heroes. Now I think that I’ve been liberated and have started a very beautiful dialogue with death – in the past I challenged it a lot, I’d say ‘I’m leaving on my own terms’. This will lead somewhere I hope.”

“I make films firstly for myself, my colleagues, and my 10 friends. If someone else also happens to be interested, as has happened up to now, so much the better. I’m talking about a strong core who like my work and not about those who simply buy tickets.”

“I didn’t make the films I dreamed about. I couldn’t, I didn’t have either the way or the means. So, I decided very early that I would do a kind of study on the films I wanted to actualize. That’s the reason why I don’t think I’ve created complete works. In contrast to this, I consider my books, the ‘Angry Balkan’ and the ‘Pigs in the Wind’ to be complete.”

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