Angelopoulos Films at TMoCA

The first two episodes of ‘Trilogy on Modern Greece’ a long contemplative study on contemporary  history of the country by Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer Theodoros (Theo) Angelopoulos (1935-2012) are to be screened at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art (TMoCA).

‘The Weeping Meadow’, the first episode of the trilogy, made in 2004, will be screened on Sunday, September 17, starting at 4 pm. On Sept. 19, at 2:30 pm, the cinemathque of TMoCA will show the second episode ‘The Dust of Time’ made in 2009.

Weeping Meadow is 169 minutes long, and Dust of Time is 127 minutes. Their original language is Greek with Persian subtitles, ILNA reported. The third episode of the trilogy ‘The Other Sea’ is not in the present screening event.

Like the rest of the works by Angelopoulos, the two films are famous for their exquisitely composed frames, long takes, slow pans and extended tracking shots. In sum, they establish a meditative and hypnotic mood. Immigration, homelessness, and violence included in the films are emotionally challenging.

Angelopoulos is often said to have been a poet of cinema, creating allegories of 20th-century Greek history and politics. His stately, magisterial style and languidly unfolding narratives require some effort on the part of the spectator, according to a review by The Guardian.

“By refusing to cut in the middle, I invite the spectator to better analyze the image I show him, and to focus, time and again, on the elements that he feels are the most significant in it,” Angelopoulos explained about his films.

TMoCA is located on Kargar Street, between Keshavarz Blvd. and Fatemi Street.