Red Lanterns.
When, at the start of his career, filmmaker Vassilis Georgiadis, helped out on film sets, he was always bothered by one thing --the way actors spoke. With his 1956 directing debut he ensured that the characters spoke in a natural style. Georgiadis, who is known for his box office success and films like the Oscar-nominated "Red Lanterns" has kept an eye on the developments in Greek cinema, even though he has left film production to the new generation. While he hopes that Greek film will one day break its reliance on state funding, he pointed to some great trends in the local industry. The director is of the mind that Greek films should concentrate on a unique cultural expression, and not imitate American films, or genres like science fiction or action (although it would be hard to explain that to the sold-out "Attack of the Killer Moussaka" crowds at the festival). Georgiadis was thrilled that four of the films in the Greek Panorama of the festival express what he saw as the essence of Greece.

Polaroids and butterflies.
Tonino Guerra gave more of a storytelling hour than a press conference yesterday. He told journalists about his parents, the possible Brazilian origin of his name, life in a camp in Germany, and tales about his colleagues. It was while locked up during the war that his storytelling gift really flourished. When they were hungry, the other prisoners would ask a young Guerra to describe meals. "They would sometimes ask for seconds," Guerra recalled. He also shared a poem called "The Butterfly" with his audience, yesterday. The screenwriter felt that being modest about achievements, and powerful in poetry, was essential to working with some of the century's most notable directors. Among his many stories, Guerra told a tale of a location-scouting trip to Uzbekastan, where Antonioni snapped a Polaroid photo of local people. When the subjects of the snapshot saw themselves in their first photograph, they refused to keep the Polaroid, saying: "Why should we stop time?" It wasn't hard to picture directors choosing Guerra to shape their scripts after seeing the way the tales flowed out of him in the shape of meaningful, lively anecdotes.

Spanish rose.
Last night, Marisa Paredes arrived in the city, and took the stage at the festival, presenting her latest project, a film by Arturo Ripstein. The film, which made its Greek premiere yesterday evening at the Olympion to a packed house, is about a colonel who has unsuccessfully tried collecting his pension for twenty years.

Earth tones.
Music was essential in creating the atmosphere of the International Competition film "Earth and Water." According to one of the three music composers of the film, Yorgos Christianakis, and director Panos Karkanevatos, they still are debating details about the film's music. Another film where the Greek countryside and rural people are featured large is Dinos Abdeliodis' "The Spring Gathering." While the three-hour long film didn't make it into the International Competition, some people who saw the film's premiere yesterday morning and evening felt the film deserved major kudos.

Yellow cabs.
Argentine filmmaker Pablo Trapero, who accompanied his film "Mundo Grua" to the festival explained that the life of filmmakers in his country was not easy. In fact "sometimes people take up driving a taxi, instead of making films" he noted. His award-winning out-of-competition film is about an artist taking on different jobs to survive. In his film, a rock star, who has been forced to become a construction worker, loses his job and finds work 2000 kilometers away...

Disco lights.
The festival party to end all festival parties is finally here. This evening, the annual New Horizons party will be held at Milos, a multi-building complex, with a mood and music for any taste in each of its rooms.

Noire surprise.
"Following" played to a packed audience yesterday, in the Olympion II/P. Zannas theatre. This New Horizons' selection may look simple on the surface, but ends up challenging viewers to fit together the pieces. In it a man becomes the apprentice of an unusual robber who enjoys breaking into London flats, and getting to know strangers through their belongings.

Dark nights.
When you have become numbed to the news, it often takes a film to make Balkan pain real. "Funeral Business" is a short, simply shot story about the nightmarish desperation in Albania in 1997. In the economic film, a state of war has swept through town, with eggs suddenly precious treasures and guns in the hands of children. In this morbid, bleak environment, it's the most natural thing in the world for upright coffins to march across one's yard. Showing immediately after the Albanian short, today, is a film from Slovenia, "Idle Running," an example of Balkan filmmaking focusing on personal relationships rather than politics. Variety described the film as a meeting of "Slacker" and "Clerks" in a "Ljubljana dorm room."

Sky blue.
At six this evening, the acclaimed Iranian film "The Colour of Heaven" will be playing. Mohammad's father works in the dark coal mines and Mohammad himself is blind, but when his father picks him up for summer vacation, and the pair set off through the mountains of Northern Iran, the journey is full of colour and light.

Minty green.
The second Greek film in the international competition premieres today, Kostas Kapakas' "Peppermint." Born in Rhodes and trained in Berlin, Kapakas worked for a number of years in the cartoons business before turning to film. With "Peppermint" he brings contemporary and 1960s Greece side-by-?side, making for a tasty musical and cultural mix. His film is about the stories two cousins share after being apart for thirty years.

Quote/unquote:
"Television is improving in Greece, with better actors involved. However too much 'zapping' between channels has turned the screen into a washing machine, with shirts and socks going around and around." Director Vassilis Georgiadis.

Angelike Contis
First shot, #61, 18/11/1999