The open discussion “Kastoria: The Regained Place of Takis Kanellopoulos” took place on Saturday, March 8th, at Pavlos Zannas theater, on the occasion of the rediscovery of the short documentary, Kastoria (1969) by the renowned filmmaker from Thessaloniki, featured among the 19 films of this year’s “Geography of the Gaze: Off-plan Greece (1950-2000)” tribute. Prior to the discussion, the audience had the opportunity to enjoy this rare film, screened at the Festival for the first time in 56 years and since the Best Short Documentary Award it won at the 1969 Festival.
The event was prefaced by Yannis Palavos, member of the Festival’s International Program team. “We are particularly delighted to offer you the opportunity to watch a film that was, for us, something like a Holy Grail. A film thought to be lost for a minimum of five decades, the last part of Takis Kanellopoulos’ unofficial “Macedonia trilogy,” also comprising the short documentaries Macedonian Wedding (1960) and Thasos (1961),” he stated shortly before the screening began, clarifying that the original version of the film was in color.
After the screening, director Neritan Zinxhiria was the first to take the floor. “Rewatching filmmakers that played a pivotal role in my decision to pursue cinema is always interesting. What moved me about Kastoria was how the camera lens perceived the region. It's the first time I realized that a filmmaker with a unique directorial gaze can make a village transcend spatial limits and elevate itself to a point where it can engage in dialogue with places and people a thousand of miles away. An inspired director is all it takes for the village to gain in spirituality and become accessible to everyone and everything. In Kastoria, as well as in his other films, Kanellopoulos constructs a mosaic out of details, outlining the portrait of a place that suddenly seems quite familiar – if you step back and take in the bigger picture.”
Immediately afterwards, he touched upon Takis Kanellopoulos’ idiosyncratic gaze, which unlocks a deeper level of connection and engagement with the concept of topos. “In contrast to the time when I first started filming, now we are experiencing a period of infatuation with the label of ethnic, but at a level that reaches pornographic perversion. Ethnic is turned into an aesthetic, but in a manner that is only appealing to the Western market. There are so many filmmakers whose primary focus is ethnography, but with a more pop perspective. The issue arises when the wisdom found in folklore cannot be processed through such language. Of course, this is not always the case, and I am especially glad when I cross paths with directors that have managed to do it differently. One such case was that of Takis Kanellopoulos. Time proved beneficial for Kastoria – it’s as if it invites the viewer’s imagination to take over, infusing the pixels with something of their own. Ethnography is calling us to take it a step further, not to treat it as an artifact belonging in a museum,” Neritan Zinxhiria wrapped up.
The baton was then passed to filmmaker Chrysianna Papadaki: “My first thought was that Kastoria is not a documentary in the strict sense of the term. It is a kind of fairytale with slow surreal imagery that chooses a photographic approach to depict a place. Simultaneously, it is a historical archive for the region, as well as a story, beyond space and time. We don’t see Kastoria as it was in the 60s. The story can be traced back to something more diachronic. It represents, in a way, Plato’s philosophy; something that is universal, transcending the boundaries of Kastoria, the city. Through Kanellopoulos’ gaze, it is clear to me he approached both the region and its inhabitants with a sincere love. And it is this element precisely that makes up a large part of his allure as a director.”
Next, she, in turn, commented on the recent trend of choosing the boondocks as a central setting in many films. “There is a growing obsession with the boondocks in recent years, a trend very typical of my generation. I interpret this phenomenon as an attempt to construe a new sense of identity, one dismissive of European generic trends, one that adopts a penetrating gaze, turning inwards. When I was younger, for instance, hailing from a village, or working in the countryside wasn’t cool. Personally speaking, however, I don’t look at life in large urban centers, such as Athens, with a really positive or optimistic attitude.”
“I believe Takis Kanellopoulos would be particularly delighted to hear two young filmmakers speak in this way and possess such knowledge,” the film critic, Manolis Kranakis, pointed out. Immediately afterwards, he delved into the process of finding and restoring Kastoria, while also referring to the award it had won in 1969 at the Festival. “There are very few archives and very few texts have been written. The copy we watched today is black and white, and this, understandably, opens a large discussion about how films are preserved. However, the only certainty is that our quest carries on,” Manolis Kranakis guaranteed.
At this point, Yannis Palavos mentioned this year’s tribute, titled “Geography of the Gaze: Off-plan Greece (1950-2000),” which includes 19 documentaries by iconic Greek filmmakers, who captured the collective psyche, the traditions, and the spirit of each place, be it a village, island, or a smaller town in Greece. “Kastoria raises the question of the state of a place, as viewed through the unique perspective of an artist. When can an artwork be considered accurate? The truth is you must inscribe and entomb a living part of yourself in your creation. This is exactly what Takis Kanellopoulos did in Macedonian Wedding, Thasos, and Kastoria. We wished to explore other films that manage it, and with great pleasure, we found several. The entire tribute offers this personal, idiomatic, somewhat melancholic – but at the same time, I hope, not at all exotic – glimpse into the smallest of places and the feelings they evoke.”
For her part, the Head of the Festival’s Greek Program, Eleni Androutsopoulou focused more on the issue of preserving rare films and the necessity of safeguarding the film heritage of Greece. “As the Head of the Greek Program, I have been on similar quests for years now. Each time we want to organize a tribute including older films, a race to find these films starts, but unfortunately, this race often evades reaching the finish line. The lack of substantial information regarding the copyright holders and the available copies is common – and even more so for documentaries compared to fiction films. As a result, an invaluable part of our cultural heritage slowly fades to obscurity, and both filmmakers and the audience lose a significant opportunity to engage with rare footage. We thought it is the right time, inspired by Kastoria, to open a meaningful discussion about how a film can be preserved, but primarily about how a film can find its way to the audience, which is its true destination. The Festival insists on choosing ‘challenging’ tributes, even if the copies are not in the best shape, as we believe that tributes such as the one we have organized this time shed light on a vital part of Greek film history, aiding the future of Greek cinema, which we hold dear.”
After that, the audience took the floor, including several of the director's old friends, who spoke about his unique way of capturing the essence of the region. Additionally, some spectators originating from Kastoria shared the emotions that welled up within them while watching the film. They also invited emerging filmmakers to visit Kastoria.
In response to a question concerning how the copy was found at last, Manolis Kranakis explained that the process cannot be thoroughly traced. “There is no exact answer as to how the copy was found, as this was done through a network of collectors. As we discovered, it is a widespread way of unearthing films as well as music, documents, or sketches. These networks usually remain anonymous, operating discreetly. What I observed, and it's certainly quite intriguing, is that when you search for something persistently you shake things up. Of course, the publicity the search garnered through the Festival’s recent tribute to Takis Kanellopoulos, also helped. Making it known that Kastoria was missing created some sort of ‘aura.’ It is very unfortunate that Kastoria in its original version with color, was impossible to find. I hope the shake-up caused will help in future similar endeavors.”
The new President of the Festival’s Board of Directors, Akis Sakellariou, also attended the screening and commented that Takis Kanellopoulos was an auteur from Thessaloniki, ostracized and disregarded by his colleagues, particularly during the making of his last film. Concluding, he pointed out that the marginalization of this truly remarkable filmmaker still evokes feelings of guilt within artists of the older generation.
