Én the early nineties, the period during which we were put
in charge of the Festival, there was a widely-held notion
-of an eschatological nature, we might say- that said,
more or less, that cinema was dying. Indeed, and quite paradoxically,
this view was supported primarily by the prolific consumption
of images through other media (TV, music videos, et al.),
but also by other factors which were of concern to us back
then: the relative decline of contemplative European cinema;
the backlash of a thematic and aesthetic neo-conservatism
on the part of Hollywood; the development of the making
of
film in a way which ignored substance and thought, and
exclusively promoted cinema as a mass entertainer. The Cinema dÕAuteur
was losing hope; the cinema of "professional filmmakers"
and standardization was prevailing.
On the other hand, during the same period, digital cameras
and videos began to bring forth new and different forms
of expression and creation. The various aesthetic trends
which
used and which relied upon these new technological applications
were considered meta-cinematic; the descendants of a glorious
art which seemed to be inescapably on its way, if not to
death, at least to its mutation. It appears, however, that
the new digital or virtual post-cinematic technology will
leave behind it the great anxiety of cinema, that which
is related to its commercial expediency and its mass acceptance.
The old and forgotten concept of the camŽra-stylo comes
to
disturb once again the need for the recording and the recreation
of life with pictures, directly and quickly, in an "easy"
and ÒcheapÓ way, and always in the first person. If, then,
we bypass the dedication of certain people to the nostalgia
of a clean past, of a, perhaps by now obsolete, love of
cinema (times change, reality changes, and audiences also
change);
if we keep in mind that always and everywhere the paths
of art are not free of mud and dŽbris, ascents and declines,
then we will have to seek out new supplies; we will have
to see how the course of cinema and its future, acquires
new pathways, which are almost indistinguishable from the
other flows of images. After all, given that cinema not
only
runs through the world but is also run through by the world,
each era has the cinema it deserves, neither better nor
worse, even if we tend to look at everything nostalgically.
Despite the haste, therefore, with which the End was proclaimed,
and despite the counter-attack of the conservatives who tried
to impose uniformity as the only way out of the crisis, it
appeared that cinema once again had at its disposal inexhaustible
abilities for renewal and adaptation.
Europe's fatigue and America's conformity were rattled
by the winds of Asia; thanks to digital technology, the
aesthetic
horizons became broader; and it appeared that that which
remained as a justification of cinematic culture is unconventionality
and the restlessness of its creators.
Unconventionality and restlessness are the two critical
measures which pervade the program of this yearÕs Festival.
This ceaseless
quest of a cinema which does not rest on its aesthetic
certainties and does not compromise with social conformities,
has always
been -and always will be- our horizon:
Most of the films of the Official Selection have woman
as their central theme; they are all portraits of women.
They
present woman's place, her existential pain, her joys and
sorrows, her peculiarities and her eternal struggle for
happiness in a society that keeps trapping her. This is
a significant
coincidence, which we would like to strongly underscore.
But this year's tributes are also related to filmmakers
and films that are far removed from anything trite. Greece's
Nikos Panayotopoulos displays a unique irony, a freedom
of
movement and a different, somewhat twisted view of the
world. GeorgiaÕs Otar Iosseliani is the great reveller,
the singer
of life and nature, who can always discern, behind things,
their fundamental magic and exhilaration, while he seethes
with venom and bitterness towards the compromised and the
shallow. China's Wong Kar-wai is melancholy, erotic and
fascinating; a very different figure, who was able to conquer
the spirit
and pace of his time, by renewing the meaning of cinematic
creation. We will also remember and become better acquainted
with Portugal's Joao Cesar Monteiro, who recently passed
away, after having created an oeuvre which was savage,
metaphysical, subversive, but also humorous. And from the
former Soviet
republics of Asia come the "Stars of the Steppe", an impressive
encounter with a robust, but heretofore unknown, side of
contemporary cinema.
From the very inception of our endeavor, Thessaloniki has
been a meeting point with our Balkan neighbors. Again this
year we will be presenting our "Balkan Survey", which gives
us the opportunity to communicate among ourselves and to
come in contact with a wide range of films and cinematic
genres - from satire to social drama, by way of the thriller
and the posing of existential questions.
This year, "New Horizons" are redefining their orientation
towards new and independent voices which co-exist with
the avant-garde artist Michael Snow and the provocative
Japanese
outsider Shinya Tsukamoto.
Finally, I would like to emphasize the impressive presence
of Greek films in this year's festival with many newcomer
filmmakers which make up the new generation of the Greek
cinema, as well as with the notable return of older directors.
Let us hope that the first signs of the rekindling of the
relationship between the audience and Greek cinema will
lead to an enhanced identity and a steady course which
will be
able, thanks to the Festival, to transcend the narrow limits
of our market and open up, with greater confidence, to
more distant horizons.
Michel Demopoulos
Director of the Festival
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