C. P. Cavafy, A. Sikelianos, C. Varnalis and A. Embirikos through the directing gaze of Mary Koutsouri. A festive night devoted to the celebration of the World Poetry Day

World Poetry Day at MCF through the directing gaze of Mary Koutsouri

Michael Cacoyannis Foundation -in the line of World Poetry Day- organises a festive event with the title: World Poetry Day at MCF through the directing gaze of Mary Koutsouri. In addition, there will be projections of four special ERT documentaries about C. P. Cavafy, A. Sikelianos, C. Varnalis and A. Embirikos that are directed by Mary Koutsouri.

The projections on Thursday 21st of March 2013 (19:00) are going to be prefaced by the programmer of the Television Station of the Hellenic Parliament Kostas Alavanos, the author Andreas Staikos and the poet and journalist George Pavrianos. In parallel, from Tuesday 19th of March to Sunday 24th of March 2013 (18:00 – 22:00), daily projections of the documentaries are going to take place at the MCFs Video-Room.

The director Mary Koutsouri, who is the daughter of the architect Renos Koutsouris and niece of Amalia Fleming, recounts about her life and direction:

Throughout
my childhood, I have witnessed the creation and the production of great
films, such as Voulgaris The Engagement of Anna and Liappas I
Always Remember You Leaving. Suddenly, the director Nikos
Panayotopoulos told me: Mary, you have to work for the cinema and stop
being its mascot!. After these words, I worked for 33 years at the
television.

By the age of 29 years old, I was at BBC. Just before
that, I filmed the Greek version of a broadcast about Manolis
Andronikos and I worked with the British Channel and its producer Roy
Davies. That was the first time that Verginas tombs were shot with a
camera.

Before my ERT period, I had worked with foreign
television channels I had been earning 9.000 drachmas per day, while
other directors had 1.000 drachmas monthly. For shooting a television
documentary, I have been too demanding. The 30-year broadcasting of my
works always justifies my persistence.

I have tried to give
prominence to the work of the great poets, instead of pervading their
lives. Priority is their work I do not know if there is any norm that
separates the work and the personal life of an artist. However, I
focused on the first part.

I have to be attracted by the
personalities, before filming them. This is the one and only condition
for making a filmic tribute to someone. This click that is fired by the
instinct.

Nowadays, Mary Koutsouri edits her photographic archive in cooperation with Roula Michailidi, at Mpenakis Museum.

The Documentaries

• C. P. Cavafy (for the 50 years since his death)

Alexandria is the background of this documentary. Cavafy (1863 1933) lived in
this city and he praised Alexandrias beauty through his work. People
who studied his work and people who knew Cavafy enlighten perspectives
of his personality and his art. One of the greatest European poets of
the 20th century (according to G. P. Savvidis) is revealed through the projection of rare photographic and printed archive documents, as well as through historic videos of that era.
Alexandria, the historic circumstances that influenced the poet and
Cafavys relations with other poets are the basic elements of this
documentary.

Director: Mary Koutsouri
Arrangement of Production: Ismini Spetseropoulou
Script-Texts-Interviews: Dimitris Daskalopoulos
Music Arrangement-Composer: Emilia Rodi
Director of Photography: Sirrakos Danalis

Research: Kostas Papadopoulos
Scientific Consultants: G. P. Savvidis
Narration: Vassilis Papavassiliou
Poems are read by: Lefteris Voyatzis
Duration: 58΄

• Angelos Sikelianos

The tribute to the poet Angelos Sikelianos (1884-1951) starts from his
birthplace, Lefkada. Some biographical elements concerning his family
tree are exposed and there is a reference to his first wife, Eva Palmer. Afterwards, the documentary is focused on these two visionary people and their idea of the revival of the Delphic Ceremonies. Sikelianos eulogy at Palamas funeral is also mentioned. The second wife of Sikelianos, Anna Sikelianou, is offering a de-profundis confession about how Sikelianos dealt with the German Occupation and his illness. The obstacles of obtaining the NOBEL Award go under the microscope.

Director: Mary Koutsouri
Arrangement of Production: Katerina Katotaki
Scripts: Petros Mavroudis
Music Arrangement: Emilia Rodi
Director of Photography: Sirrakos Danalis

Narration: Petros Fissoun
Texts by Eva Sikelianou are read by: Vera Zavitsanou
Poems by A. Sikelianos are read by: Antonis Antoniou
Duration: 53΄

• Costas Varnalis (for the accomplishment of 100 years since his birth)

A tribute to the poet and author Costas Varnalis (1884 1974), the person that is considered as the father of social poetry in Greece. The camera tries to depict the highlights of his career and his journey from his birthplace (Pyrgos of Bulgaria) to Athens, Paris, Argalasti, Aegina and Ai-Stratis (the place of his exile in 1935). The documentary is based on poets personal notes. In addition, information about his
childhood in Bulgaria, his studies in Athens, his participation in the
Demotic Greek Movement, his experience as a teacher in Athens and Paris
and his influences by the Marxist Theory are provided. Special allusion is made about his translations, his articles and his LENIN Award for Peace in 1959.

Director: Mary Koutsouri
Assistant Director: M. Panayiotopoulos
Narration: Maya Lymperopoulou
Editor: Chrysa Prokopaki
Script: Theano Michailidou
Music Arrangement: Emilia Rodi
Director of Photography: Sirrakos Danalis
Arrangement of Production: Katerina Katotaki

Texts and Poems by C. Varnalis are read by:
Vassilis Papavassiliou, Eva Kotamanidou, Dimitris Katalifos

Production: Department of Special Co-Production of Bulgarian Television-TELERIMPEX
Duration: 73΄

Narration: Petros Fissoun
Texts by Eva Sikelianou are read by: Vera Zavitsanou
Poems by A. Sikelianos are read by: Antonis Antoniou

• Andreas Embirikos

A documentary about the persona of the great Greek surrealist poet Andreas Embirikos (1901-1975) through the eyes of psychologists (Froso Karapanou), poets (George Likos and Nanos Valaoritis) and professors (Giorgis Giatromanolakis). This interdisciplinary approach tries to decode both the psychoanalytical and poetic work of Embirikos, who was the first representative of Surrealism in Greece. His own voice reading his texts
and poems, the unpublished photographic material and the manuscript of
Texts or Personal Mythology (1960) are composing the mosaic of his
portrait.

Director: Mary Koutsouri
Arrangement of Production: Christoforos Mourikis
Production Assistant: Eleutheria Kapokaki
Music: George Papadakis
Director of Photography: Sirrakos Danalis

Scientific Consultants: Stavros Petsopoulos, Michalis Chrisanthopoulos
Narration-Script: Michalis Chrisanthopoulos

Texts and Poems read by: Andreas Embirikos
Also reads: Alexis Kostalas

An internal production by ET-1
Duration: 53΄