STAVROS TORNES

Stavros Tornes is an out of the ordinary Greek filmmaker. He was born in Galatsi, Athens in 1932 and died in 1988, leaving behind him an uncompleted film, and a rich filmography. He studied cinema at the “Ioannidis” Film Academy in 1957. He began working for the cinema with various positions. He worked as an assistant of director and as an actor. In 1967 he directs along with Kostas Sfikas his first short film, “Thiraikos Orthros”. Immediately after the film’s release he left Greece because of the dictatorship and he fled to Italy. In Italy Tornes works as an active filmmaker and has relations with the Italian cinema. He acts in numerous films, writes scripts, and participates in a lot of the artistic movements of the time. In 1973 he secretly visits Greece and during this visit he shoots a short documentary called “Students”, about the anti-dictatorship actions of the students in Greece. For a short period he paints until he absolutely devotes himself to filmmaking. His first films despite of the fact they received great reviews they were banished from the Competition Program of the Thessalonica Film Festival, but still they won many of the Critics Awards. Film after film, Tornes becomes a legend amongst the film fanatics and to the new generation of filmmakers. Despite of the condemnation he had to face in many cases, his films obtained many admirers throughout the world. This fame was due to his original filmic language and his need of artistic expression. He made films with his own personal money, with minimal budget and limited means. Unfortunately he left us during his most mature period at the age of 56.

STAVROS TORNES