Athens News Agency: News in English, 12-01-25

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] Award-winning filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos dies

[01] Award-winning filmmaker Theo Angelopoulos dies

Angelopoulos, who was hit by a motorcycle on Tuesday afternoon while filming on location in Drapetsona, died later in an Athens hospital, suffering from severe head wounds and bodily injuries, including to his spleen.

The 'elegiac poet' of Greek cinematography with a career spanning more than four decades, Angelopoulos was born in April 1935, and studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and after his military service went to Paris to attend the Sorbonne where he initially studied French philosophy, cinematography and ethnology, but soon dropped out to study film at the Institute of Advanced Cinematographic Studies (IDHEC) and the Musee de l'Homme Paris-based Museum of Man) research center.

Upon his return to Greece in 1964 and up until 1967 he worked as a journalist and film critic for the newspaper Dimokratiki Allaghi (Democratic Change), while in 1978 he was a jury member at the 28th Berlin International Film Festival.

Angelopoulos became involved with cinematography in 1965, making his first short film, "The Broadcast" in 1968, which was presented at the International Thessaloniki Film Festival and won the Greek Critics' Award. This was followed by a series of political feature films in the 1970s about modern Greece. His first feature film, "The Reconstruction" (I Anaparastassi, 1970), which marked the dawn of modern Greek cinema, also won the top award (Critics' Award) at the International Thessaloniki Film Festival, as well as the awards for Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Film and Best Actress, while it further received several distinctions abroad, including the 1971 Georges Sadoul Award as "Best Film of the Year Shown in France" and the 1971 Best Foreign Film Award at the Hyeres Film Festival.amna

He developed a trademark style marked by slow, episodic and ambiguous narrative charasterised by long takes such as in The Travelling Players, which consists of just 80 shots in some four hours of film, which frequently contained meticulously choreographed and complex scenes involving numerous actors.

Considered by some respected international film critics as one of the word's greatest directors, Angelopoulos was awarded an honourary doctorate by Essex University in the UK in July 2001.

Angelopoulos' films have enjoyed impressive acclaim internationally, receiving some of the most envied awards abroad:

- "Days of '36" (Meres tou '36, 1970): 1972 Best Director, Best Cinematography Awards, Thessaloniki Film Festival ; International Film Critics Association (FIPRESCI) Award for Best Film, Berlin Film Festival.

- "The Travelling Players" ( O Thiassos, 1974-75): 1975 International Film Critics Award (FIPRESCI), Cannes; 1975 Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Actress, Greek Critics Association Awards, International Thessaloniki Film Festival; Interfilm Award, "Forum" 1975 Berlin Festival; 1976 Best film of the Year, British Film Institute; Italian Film Critics Association "Best Film in the World", 1970-80; FIPRESCI: One of the Top Films in the History of Cinema; Grand Prix of the Arts, Japan; Best Film of the Year, Japan; Golden Age Award, Brussels. amna

- "The Hunters" (I Kynighoi, 1977): 1978 Golden Hugo Award for Best Film, Chicago Film Festival.

- "Megalexandros" (Alexander the Great, 1980): 1980 Golden Lion and International Film Critics Award (FIPRESCI), Venice Film Festival.

- "Voyage to Cythera" (Taxidi Sta Kythira, 1983): Best Screenplay and International Film Critics Award (FIPRESCI) Best Film Awards, 1984 Cannes Film Festival; Critics' Award, Rio Film Festival. amna

- "Landscape in the Mist" (Topio stin Omichli, 1988): 1988. Silver Lion Award for Best Director, Venice Film Festival; 1989 Felix (Best European Film of the Year) Award; Golden Hugo Award for Best Director; Silver Plaque for Best Cinematography, Chicago Film Festival.

- Ulysses' Gaze (To Vlemma tou Odyssea, 1995): Grand Jury Prize and International Film Critics' Award (FIPRESCI), 1995 Cannes Film Festival; Felix of the Critics (Film of the Year 1995).

- Eternity and a Day (Mia Aioniotita kai Mia Mera, 1998): Palme d’Or, 1998 Cannes Film Festival; Prize of the Ecumenical Jury.

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