Archive of films Athens Blues / Mia mera ti nychta

Greece
2001, 110 min

Section: Another View
Year: 2002

The sun may set on Athens but the city never sleeps. And some of its people never sleep either, among them a trio of old friends drinking wine and telling good stories, nor the former beauty queen Maria, or her grandson Thomas who sets out on a nighttime adventure. It’s a magical night full of the music that is an inextricable part of Athens.


Synopsis

The sun may set on Athens but the city never sleeps. And some of its people never sleep either, among them a trio of old friends who sit at a table drinking wine and telling good stories. And Maria, a former beauty queen who’s got her grandson Thomas on her hands, isn’t asleep either. She can’t resist a tryst at the movies with an old lover, but she returns home to tuck the boy in bed. She doesn’t notice him escaping, however, setting out on an adventure to a city seething with nightlife. It’s a magical night, set to the unmistakable music of Athens, and each of the inhabitants of this enchanting city enjoys it in his or her own way. Athens is a world unto itself, worth drinking in through all of one’s senses.

About the director

George Panoussopoulos

George Panoussopoulos has shot thirty films as a cameraman and is also a renowned scriptwriter, producer and director. Filmography (selected): Honeymoon (1978 – four awards at the Salonika IFF), A Foolish Love (1981), Mania (1985), Love Me Not (1989) and Love Not (1994). The director on Athens Blues: “I needed blues for this city and for this night. Blues, as only Stelios, son of the legendary Greek musician Vamvakaris, knows them. He brought the world Rebetiko, a music derived from old Greek traditions and the only original pop genre of the 20th century. Then Stelios merged Rebetiko with the blues, and he and his band made the music for my film; when you listen to it, it sends chills down your spine.”

About the film

Black & white, 35 mm

Section: Another View
   
Director: George Panoussopoulos
Screenplay: George Panoussopoulos, Sotiris Kakissis
Dir. of Photography: Christos Karamanis, George Panoussopoulos
Music: Stelios Vamvakaris
Editor: Yiannis Sakaridis
Producer: Fenia Kassovitsa, Amanda Livanou, Heraclis Mavroidis
Production: Greek Film Centre
Cast: Betty Livanou, Minas Hatrissavas, Elias Logothétis, Andreas Pouzos
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