Young Filmmakers Out to Conquer the World

Film making is a way of life for the two Greek film makers, Dimitrius Apostolou (‘In the Shadows’) and Thophilos (‘Show time’), who are seeking an identity through their films. They represent a small country and are trying to find ways to reach out to the world through their art. They echoed the universal problems of the dearth of money to produce and distribute their films at a press conference held at the IFFK Media Center today.
Talking of the current status of Greek cinema Dimitrius said, “Today it is the best than it has ever been but it is not good enough.” He added, “The shortage of funds curbs the creativity of the director to make the quality films he wants to. Not only is the starting up of a film difficult but there is a danger of getting lost in the middle. If the film is completed there are the marketing hassles.”He was appreciative of the platform that the film festivals offered for the promotion of films. He felt it was a medium through which he could share his expression with the rest of the world.
Thophilos listing out the various aspects of film making said that it ‘was all about taking individual decisions but one cannot decide the budget or choose the festivals where the films have to be screened.’ He listed the drawbacks of Greek film makers. He opined that they made films which lacked universal appeal. Secondly, there was the inability to find producers with a vision to make a film happen. In such a scenario filmmaker had to don several roles –that of a director, producer, promoter, distributor and sometimes even the actor. He went on to say that film making was 50% talent and God’ grace and 50% networking. He said ironically the people with real talent were not acknowledged whereas mediocre filmmakers enjoy the limelight.
These pioneers of Greek independent cinema felt co-production was a solution to meet the financial demands. This also opened up a channel for networking which meant a great deal in promotion of films.
Indian filmmaker Anand Subramanian spoke about his debut film ‘Doosra’. He told that it was a black comedy which viewed the underworld from the flipside and is based in Bangalore. This film depicts the foolishness of the underworld and is without the typical shoot-out scenes and gory blood bath the underworld is synonymous with. He was nostalgic that his first film was screened at the IFFK, Thiruvananthapuram being his birthplace.
Earlier on actor Murali released the book ‘Chithranjali’ and the first copy was received by producer, T.V.Chandran.