Iakovos Kabanellis
Writing
Biography
Iakovos Kambanellis (Greek: Ιάκωβος Καμπανέλλης; 2 December 1921 – 29 March 2011) was a Greek poet, playwright, screenwriter, lyricist, and novelist. Born 2 December 1921 in Hora on the island of Naxos, the sixth of nine children of Stefanos Kampanellis, an experienced pharmacist, and Aikaterini Laskari. His father came from Chios, while his mother came from an old noble family in Istanbul. Iakovos Kambanellis appeared as one of the most prominent Greek playwrights of the 20th century and he is considered to be the father of modern Greek theater. As a survivor of the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp, he wrote the lyrics of the "Mauthausen Trilogy" with music by Mikis Theodorakis. He has also written a memoir known as Mauthausen describing his experiences from the concentration camp. He wrote the scripts of at least 12 films and he directed three of them. In addition, he is well known as a lyricist, having written the lyrics for more than 100 songs. He was a member of the board of the Cultural Foundation of the National Bank of Greece (MIET – Morfotiko Idryma Ethnikis Trapezis), along with some of the most prominent Greek artists. From 1981 to 1987, he was Director of the Radio section of the Greek National Broadcasting Company (E.R.T.). In 2000 he was elected member of the Academy of Athens. The same year he was awarded the medal of the Order of Phoenix by the President of the Greek Republic. Kambanellis was rushed to the hospital on 4 February 2011 due to complications of his long-term kidney failure. At the age of 89, he died on 29 March 2011 from kidney failure, nine days after his wife's death.
Known For
On New Year’s Eve, a timid bank clerk is mistaken for a notorious criminal mastermind who rules the streets of Athens. Embracing his mistaken identity comes with a price though, as his unwitting white lie begins to unravel.
The Ogre of Athens
The story of a young, wild woman who doesn't want to compromise and settle down. Stella is a restless, rebellious Greek woman who plays with men and enjoys her life as much as she can. But when she meets a young footballer, things get mixed up. She loves him but she loves her freedom too. So it's about time she made an important choice.
Stella
Miranda, the rich and spoiled daughter of an Athenian businessman, accompanies her father to Messolonghi, where they have their own fish farming facilities in the best parts of the lagoon. There, while the local fishermen try to establish a cooperative so they can defend themselves against exploitation by their bosses, Miranda seduces a charming and dynamic young man, disrupting his life and his relationship with the girl he loved and intended to marry.
The Lagoon of Desire
This films tells four different stories, all connected by the banks of a river.
The River
A shepherd falls in love with an English tourist in Greece.
Girls in the Sun
Alexia is a young woman who comes from the countryside and is in love with a rich man, Paris, who is studying abroad. Her stepmother treats her cruelly and forces her to escape from home. Alexia finds herself in an isolated area by chance, where she is discovered by seven brothers who live together in a nearby house. The seven bachelors put her up and treat her like a member of their own family.
Snow White and the 7 Old Boys
An old chauffeur, after removing his rambling son, decides to live with his orphaned girl while facing the advent of the car that displaces the carts.
Horse and Carriage
A newlywed man who has just completed his national service, Alekos Stathakis, is trying to get over his class' misery, but doesn't have the necessary "equipment". He conceives an ambitious plan and submits it to a great concrete factory. He seems to believe that success is just around the corner and shares his illusion with his wife and his father. When his plan is rejected by the company, he keeps it to himself, making things even worse. He keeps leaving home to seemingly go to work and wanders to no purpose in Athens. He watches the world around him without really seeing anything, until a fatal accident ends his tragedy
The 7th Day of Creation
A quartet of short stories about Greece during the various occupations during World War 2
The Cannon and the Nightingale
A womanizing lawyer spends his holidays in mother's hotel in Corfu. What they do not know is that he has set up an entire trap by his mother and Lanitis entrepreneur, to finally learn what true love. The bait is daughter's trader Diana who plays the role of Mirka.
Date in Corfu
Anthoula has lost her mother and her father is swept away by his new love, Martha, and moves away from Anthoula to live in Aphrodite's house. Aphrodite pushes Anthoula into the arms of her son Thanos, with her sights set on her fortune. But Alekos, who truly loves Anthoula, will reveal the plot, and her father will leave Martha.
Sunday's Date
To locate the heir of $500,000, an affluent Greek-American places an announcement in the newspaper, and hundreds of potential plutocrats start flocking to the city. Will he ever find the lucky one? Is love more important than money?
Dollars and Dreams
A cinematic portrait of director Nikos Koundouros, this documentary explores his artistic journey through the voices of renowned Greek artists, tracing the experiences and influences that shaped his visionary work.
Odyssea Corporum - Ballad for Nikos Koundouros
The everyday lives of some international football players before and after a big game.
Experts on the Football Field
No description available.
Χίλια Χρόνια Πριν - Βυζάντιο: Η Γιορτή των Καλενδών
No description available.
A German in Kalavryta
Two villages are in conflict over the waters of a region, but the love between two young people will restore order.
The Abduction of Persephone
A poetic documentary based on a new interpretation of Mikis Theodorakis’s & Iakovos Kambanellis’s “Mauthausen Cantata” by Aristarchos Papadaniel (voice) and Aris Zervas (cello), and the original handwritten unpublished text for a film, “Travelogue to Mauthausen - May 1988” by Kambanellis, a concentration camp survivor. “Travelogue to Mauthausen-May 1988”: Unpublished text by concentration camp survivor Iakovos Kambanellis comes to life in its natural place resurrecting memories during Mauthausen Liberation & Commemoration Day 2022.
Mauthausen
A singer who wants to make a quick fortune goes to an island and provides cover for a gang of antiquities smugglers. He stays in the hut of a local fisherman, and together with a colleague, they pretend to be a couple vacationing on the island. However, she reacts to his plan...