The special screening of the short documentary L'éclairage revient / Waves of Light, in collaboration with the Public Power Corporation (PPC), took place on Thursday, March 13th, in the packed John Cassavetes theater, in the presence of the creators Pantelis Kalogerakis, Michalis Kalogerakis and Panagiotis Andrianou, as part of the 27th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival. The project L'éclairage revient [the Light Returns], filmed at the historic PPC’s Steam-Electric Power Plant in Aliveri, is part of the "Waves of Light" online festival, carried out by the Greek National Opera in collaboration with the Public Power Corporation, under the artistic curation of Giorgos Koumendakis. The filmmakers were inspired by the notes they found at the plant crafting a soundscape where Arthur Rimbaud's poetry interacts with the reflections of those who once worked at the Steam-Electric Power Plant of Aliveri.
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The film was introduced by Geli Mademli, collaborator of the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival and Publications Coordinator: "Welcome to a very special screening of the 27th edition of the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival. This screening is special, not only because it combines cinema with music, but also because it presents a hybrid work, created within the framework of the online festival "Waves of Light". Today's screening is supported by PPC and we will have the opportunity to enjoy the film The Light Returns. We are very happy to have here with us the creators Panagiotis Andrianos, Michalis Kalogerakis and Pantelis Kalogerakis", she said and gave the floor to Pantelis Kalogerakis.
"When we visited the inactive steam-electric power plant in Aliveri, we experienced an amazing and very vivid situation," he stated. "It is an area that is, on the one hand, protected. On the other hand, it has been closed for years, emitting the feeling of human absence. At the same time, it was impossible not to notice all the objects people had left there when leaving. From ashtrays and journals to notebooks – we are talking, after all, about an analogue era. We used pieces of these workers' notes in the film. Every manuscript was written in beautiful calligraphy, while at the same time these people were responsible for the well functioning of this huge plant, providing electric power to all of us," he noted.
As he went on to say, this was the reason why Arthur Rimbaud's poems were finally incorporated into the film: "Rimbaud was a poet during the Industrial Revolution and as a prophet – as he called himself – he serves as a capstone to the industrial image we are trying to give to the film. It was a great opportunity for us to collaborate and get inspired. We would like to thank the Greek National Opera and the artistic director George Koumendakis, as well as PPC for their sponsorship and support," he added. After the screening, a live concert by Michalis and Pantelis Kalogerakis followed with selections from their albums (Prosopiko, Rimbautika, Varvara Project, Melpomeni’s Tales etc.).
