漫漫长路

One of Voulgaris’ best films, It’s a Long Road depicts three middle-aged men who, in confronting their personal demons, find themselves at crossroads in their lives. 　　In the first story, “A Silver Coin οn the Lips”, an archaeologist discovers the remains of a soldier from the Hellenistic period with a silver coin on his lips as payment to Charon, the mythological ferryman of the dead. The discovery triggers painful memories of the archaeologist’s son, who also died a soldier, but in very different circumstances. Having immersed himself in his work, he now tries to come to terms with his grief and goes to the border outpost where his son died. 　　In the second tale, “The Last of the Lesser Whites”, a group of ornithologists arrives in a spectacular wilderness area of the Evros Delta, where they meet with the game warden (Thanassis Vengos) who oversees the area that is home to thousands of birds of different species. The Norwegian member of the group has been tracking rare geese from Bergen; the only survivor is known to be in the area. But before the bird can be found, it is shot by a poacher, an act that forces the warden to make a decision that will affect the rest of his life. 　　The final story, “Vietnam”, follows the meltdown of a rich provincial factory owner, who is left in a state of emotional torment after his wife deserts him, taking their children with her. Distraught and desperate, he goes to a tacky bar (the “Vietnam”), gets hopelessly drunk and ends up destroying the entire establishment. 　　 　　 　　Director: Pantelis Voulgaris | Rating: R 18+ | 1998 | Drama | 118 minutes | Greek dialogue with English subtitles 　　 　　Director's Bio - Pantelis Voulgaris 　　 　　Pantelis Voulgaris was born in Athens in 1940 and studied at the Stavrakou Film School. He worked initially as an assistant director and made his first short in 1965. Since then, his films have won international acclaim and numerous awards, establishing his reputation as one of the foremost Greek film directors of his generation. Pantelis has also directed several documentaries for Greek television and the hour-long documentary on the poet Yannis Ritsos for German Television. He has also directed for the stage. In 1995 Pantelis Voulgaris was honoured by the Museum of Modern Art in New York with a mid-career retrospective. 　　 　　PRINCIPAL CAST 　　 　　Thanasis Vengos (the Game Warden) 　　Giorgos Armenis (Mr Tsetsenoglou, the Factory Owner) 　　Dimitris Katalifos (the Archaeologist) 　　 　　 　　AWARDS 　　 　　39th Thessaloniki International Film Festival - 1998 　　Best Actor Award (Giorgos Armenis) 　　Best Make up Award 　　 　　 　　DIRECTOR's – PREVIOUS FILMS 　　 　　1965 The Thief (Short Film) 　　 　　1966 Jimmy the Tiger (Short Film) 　　International Film Festival of Thessaloniki: 　　Best Short Film Award 　　Best Actor Award 　　Critics Awards 　　 　　1969 The Dance of the Goats (Documentary) 　　Grand Prix Contemporary Film Festival, Athens 　　 　　972 The Engagement of Anna 　　International Film Festival of Thessaloniki FIPRESCI, 　　Best Film Award 　　Best Director Award 　　Berlin Film Festival : 　　Otto-Dibelius Award 　　OCIC Award 　　 　　1973 The Great Love Songs 　　 　　1976 Happy Day 　　International Film Festival of Thessaloniki 　　Best Film Award 　　Best Director Award 　　 　　1980 Eleftherios Venizelos 　　 　　1985 Stone Years 　　International Film Festival of Thessaloniki 　　Best Film Award 　　Best Director Award 　　Venice Film Festival: 　　Best Actress Award 　　Special Nomination for Best Actress 　　Valencia Film Festival: 　　Best Actress Award 　　Best Music Award 　　 　　1988 The Striker with the No.9 　　Silver Knight Award – Moscow Film Festival 　　 　　1991 Quiet Dais in August 　　Mention by the Berlin Film Festival's International Protestant Film Jury 　　Selected to represent Greece as Best Film for the European Film Awards 　　 　　1995 Acropole 　　1996 Cairo International Film Festival – Best Director Award 　　Valencia Film Festival – Best Music Award 　　 　　1998 It’s a Long Road 　　Hellenic Ministry of Culture 1998 National Film Awards 　　Best Actor (Giorgos Armenis) 　　Best Make-Up 　　 　　2004 Brides 　　45th Thessaloniki International Film Festival – 2004: 　　First Prize for Fiction Film, 　　Best Leading Actress Award 　　Best Supporting Actress Award 　　Best Cinematography Award 　　Best Set Design Award 　　Best Music Award 　　Best Sound Award 　　Best Editing Award 　　Best Costumes Award 　　Best Makeup Award 　　http://www.greekfilmfestival.com.au/filmfestival05/sydney/films/film_road.htm