“It is a great gift to work with George. “I surrender to his own process and I do not think of anything else,” he said the Oscar-winning actress Emma Stone at the press conference held today (5/5) for new film by George Lanthimos, entitled “Vlichi”which is the second assignment of the program of the National Opera (ELS) and the NEON “The Artist on the Composer”.
The film will make its world premiere, accompanied by ensembles, on May 6, 7 and 8, 2022 at the Stavros Niarchos Hall of the ELS at the SNFCC.
The award-winning Greek filmmaker, accepting the proposal of the Artistic Director of ELS George Koumentakis and the Director of NEON Elina Kountouris, signed the production, screenplay and direction of the film “Rain”, which was shot in 2020 with February, starring Emma Stone and the distinguished French actress Damian Bonnar.
“The interest for me to make this film was to return to a more early stage of cinema and the arts in general – the mute – black and white. I was given the opportunity to tell a story without words. “Let me start from the beginning and discover how this can be connected with other arts” said George Lanthimos regarding the creation of “Vlichi”. As he explained, it was a parallel process: “I was thinking about the story and I was accepting the musical proposals from G. Koumentakis and we were discussing how they could work. It was not a logical process, I would say more instinctive. We had different options until it was completed. When you finish a movie it takes on a form of its own that you had in mind. So I always leave space and time to make decisions “. According to him, the film can only be presented live with an audience and always accompanied by live ensembles. “It’s not a movie you can see on your computer. It is another experience. Today there are many ways to go back and watch a movie. “This project was clearly created for a room.”
Emma Stone (who participated in the film on a non-profit basis as informed by the director of NEON, Elina Kountouris), said that she was inspired by the script written by George Lanthimos to say “yes”. “Of course it was a temptation to have the opportunity to travel to Greece and work here. I do not know if it is the most difficult project I have done, but it was definitely a challenge. I could talk for hours about the things I like about my collaborations with George. We are doing very well. Artistically, I trust him completely. I never worry about anything. He pays attention to every detail, he misses nothing. I feel safe and I feel challenged. After all, what would be the point of continuing to do this job, if I did not find a challenge like the ones that George offers me?
Referring to their collaboration, George Lanthimos said that it is very rare to find partners who do so well. “It’s great to create relationships that grow through work and to evolve them. Emma and I are now finishing the third film together, it is a relationship that is growing “.
Regarding his return to Greece to create the film, the Greek director said: “I do not consider that I returned to Greece because I do not consider that I left .. The circumstances led me to make the films that I made here. The conditions led me abroad as well. I did not have to make English-language films. I was already interested. I liked his proposal to return this project to Greece from the beginning. The fact that it will be shown here seems attractive to me. Because working abroad has advantages, but you also lack things. Like making movies with people you know, with a smaller crew and less control. In Vlichi which is a silent film, I liked that I had limitations. Restrictions are necessary because you can easily get lost in creating a movie, if you have a lot at your disposal. In fact, I notice that if I do not have them, several times together with my collaborators we put restrictions on our own. I also always want my films to be open so that viewers can have their own experience. And such a project – like Vlichi – helps a lot in not making things concrete “.
Referring to the title of the film (which means shooting), G. Lanthimos stated: “I do not know how I always choose the title. I did not like shooting. Vlichi both sounds nice and is written nicely. It thematically ties in to a movie that has no sound. “Animals are also not heard but play an important role in the film.” As he explained, this is not a movie of the time. “The effort was to have a non-season in this project. The costumes are inspired by traditional costumes, while the car is modern. Growing up I am fascinated by tradition and I find it more and more important in a way. I think it is important to have knowledge and to keep some things. “We can be inspired by tradition without being its slaves.”
The artistic director of ELS, George Koumentakis, said in his greeting: “From a young age in the places where I lived I listened to incredible stories that are passed down from generation to generation and are imprinted on the old dug skin of those who tell them. In those stories where sex is intertwined with faith, nature, infidelity and death, you are never sure what really happened and what is part of the fantasy. I saw such a story in Vlichi, between dream and realism. In the black and white images of the film I saw the history of cinema through the unique cinematic personality of Lanthimos, in an incredibly modern way. It is impossible to take your eyes off the couple, the unique old women of the island, the kid, in this cycle of life and death that is illustrated in a raw and at the same time poetic way. As a person of music, what impressed me most of all is the way the film acquires a voice, through the musical works that accompany it live. This partnership of arts offers a new experiential experience for the public and a new path for us “.
The program “The Artist on the Composer”, a collaboration of the National Opera and the Organization of Culture and Development NEON (www.neon.org.gr), connects pioneering contemporary artists and directors and / or film producers with live orchestral music performance . Through works that are the fruit of new assignments, each artist converses with works by classical composers, free from the usual operatic conventions and narrative, opening up to an audience that may not have previously dealt with opera.
After the installation of Nikos Navridis in 2019, the great Greek director with international recognition George Lanthimos takes the baton of the second assignment of “The Artist on the Composer” and creates a new film, which will always be presented accompanied by ensembles. The soundtrack of the film consists of works by GS Bach / Knut Nysted and Tosio Hosokawa, which will be performed live at Stavros Niarchos Hall by soloists Angelina Tkacheva (harpsichord), Wu Wei (Kendal), the “and the ERT Choir.
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