Vangelis Serdaris, one of the great Greek directors, a member of the so-called golden generation of Greek cinema, with a rich body of work recognized in Greece and abroad, passed away yesterday at the age of 87.

Serdaris was characterized by many as the father of Greek realism in cinema. Rosita Sokou called him the Fellini of Greece.

It was considered as one of the greatest directors that Greece ever produced. It belonged to golden generation of cinemawhich produced names such as Theodoros Angelopoulos, Pantelis Voulgaris, Kostas Ferris, Tonia Marketakis, Dimos Theos, etc.

His most important films are “Robbery in Athens” (1969), an amazing film noir, “The Greenhouse” (1985), “The Royal Family” (1997), “The Seventh Sun of Love” (2001), while he was a co-producer in the film ” Rebetiko”.

The Society of Greek Directors expressed immense sadness at the loss. As they mentioned, he was characterized by many as the father of Greek realism in cinema, in fact Rosita Sokou had called him the “Fellini of Greece”. “His artistic personality will remain unforgettable and we say goodbye to him with great gratitude and respect,” they note.

The Minister of Culture also sent a condolence message Lina Mendoni emphasizing that Greek cinema is getting poorer.

“Vangelis Serdaris, child of the Civil War and the Occupation, a great man, a brilliant director who honored our country with his award-winning film work, here and abroad, has left us. He stood out for the new spirit he brought to his art, for his tireless work ethic, for his bold and creative character, for his love for young filmmakers, but also for his collaborations with his friends, Giorgos Zervoulakos, whom we said goodbye to April, and Kostas Ferris. One of the first independent filmmakers, in a difficult period of crisis for traditional studios, in 1969 he shot the Greek film noir “Robbery in Athens”, which became a model of film writing and production for later generations of filmmakers. After the dictatorship, Vangelis Serdaris passionately continued his cinematic journey, directing existential dramas with social depth, contributing with the quality of his directorial writing, both in professional cinema and on television. I say goodbye with sadness to Vangelis Serdaris, the composed and honest professional, the important artist. My sincere condolences to his family, colleagues and friends,” says Ms. Mendoni.

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He was born in 1936 in Vlachokerasia, Arcadia.

After his circular studies in Tripoli and Tegea, he was admitted to Panteion University to study political science, however he never got a degree and studied cinema at the Film School in Athens.

After finishing his studies until 1967 he worked as an assistant director in many productions, and participated in all the processes, such as production organization and selection of actors, selection of sets and filming locations, directing execution, and finally editing.

Since then Serdaris has worked as a director and independent producer in the cinema, after 1975 also in television.

He had directed and produced successful films, distinguished themselves at international festivals, and at the Thessaloniki festival with a significant number of historical, folklore, scientific and ethnological documentaries mainly on behalf of Greek television and the English channel Channel 4.

On behalf of the Hellenic Television in a series of documentaries, he has recorded the Greek-Italian and Greek-German war of the period 1940-1945, with documents and personal testimonies of the survivors, ordinary soldiers and Greek, Italian, German and English officers as well as ordinary citizens. He received many awards abroad and in Greece.

His most important films were the film noir “Robbery in Athens” (1969), “The Greenhouse” (1985), “Basiliki” (1997), “The Seventh Sun of Love” (2001).

He was a co-producer of the film Rebetiko.