The Sponge Divers

On an Aegean island, two young people, Nikolos and Lenio, are in love. But when Nikolos, orphaned and penniless, goes to Lenio’s father to ask for her hand in marriage, kyr - Anestis sends him away. Lenio insists, and finally her father agrees, provided Nikolos goes sponge diving a few times in order to make some money with which to set up home.

Film trailer: Quick Time / Windows Media Player
Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.
Script: Yorgos Sevastikoglou based on the short story
Cinematography: Gavriil Egiazarov
Editing: E. Karpova
Sound: V. Lesiov
Music: Edgar Oganesyan
Actors: Nelly Kornienko (Lenio), Yury Vasilyev (Nikolos), Otar Koberidze (Petris), Georgy Chernovolenko (Mr Anestis), Mikhail Gluzsky (captain Alimonos), Pavel Pavlenko (Babouris), Sotiris Belevendis (Menelas
Production: Mosfilm
Producers: Lazar Milkis
Costumes: M. Abar-Baranovskaya
Sets: Abram Freydin
Format: 35mm B&W
Production Country: USSR
Production Year: 1960
Duration: 81

Manos Zakharias

He was born in Athens and studied Chemistry at the University of Athens and Drama at the Rota-Sarantidis School. In December 1945, he won a scholarship from the French Institute to study in France. He attended Art History classes at the Sorbonne and graduated from the Institute of Higher FilmStudies (IDHEC) in Paris. Between 1948-49 he took part in the Civil War, organizing the filming crew of the Republican Army. After the defeat of the communists, he went into political exile in Tashkent. There he graduated from the School of Direction of the Theatrical Institute and taught acting for two years. In 1956 he attended Mosfilm’s School for the Advanced Training of Film directors in Moscow. He went on to make ten films at Mosfilm Studios. In 1979 he returned to Greece. He served as Advisor on Film Issues to Melina Mercouri, President of the Greek Film Center and head of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation ERT’s European Program Office.

Filmography

1947 Flagrand Delit
1948 The Truth about the Children of Greece
1959 Utreni reis/The Morning Flight
1960 Lovtsy gubok/The Sponge Divers
1962 Notsnoi pasazir/The Night Passenger
1963 Konec I natcolo/The End and the Beginning
1966 Ya soldat, mama/I Am a Soldier, Mother
1968 Karatel/A Member of the Firing Squad
1970 Gorod pervoi lyubvi/The Town of First Love
(a seven-part film - Boris Yasin & Manos Zakharias)
1972 Na uglu Arbata I ulitsy Bubulinas/At the Corner of Arbat and Bubulinas Street
1974 Who Will Answer?
1977 Psevdonim: Lukac/Under the Name of Lukac