YORGOS ARVANITIS

#1: From doc/interview [2011]

YORGOS [GIORGOS] ARVANITIS AFC/GSC

Born: 22 February 1941, Dilofo, Greece.

Career: Received an education as an electrician in the construction business. Started as c.asst at Finos Films in 1958. Went to France in 1989.

'I left [Greece] because I wanted to see the world, to come into contact with different people; I wanted to discover things which I didn't know. I was in danger of becoming a cliché in Greece, simply repeating one style of photography. And, I won't hide from you that I had a financial problem. I had three children and was starting to think of their private tuition. As I've said, Greece is a poor country with rich inhabitants, while France is a rich country with poor inhabitants... I was also lucky. I got jobs immediately. I'd been trained within Greek conditions, to work quickly with only a few means, and word of this spread in the French cinema world.'

Ph commercials, e.g. for the 2004 Olympic Games.

Awards: Thessaloniki FF Greek Competition 'Best Cinematography Award' [1970] for 'Anaparastasi'; Thessaloniki FF Greek Competition 'Best Cinematography Award' [1972] for 'Meres tou '36'; Thessaloniki FF Greek Competition 'Best Cinematography Award' [1975] for 'O thiassos'; Thessaloniki FF Greek Competition 'Best Cinematography Award' [1980] for 'O megalexandros'; Thessaloniki FF Greek Competition 'Best Cinematography Award' [1985] for 'Mia toso makrini apousia'; Thessaloniki FF Greek Competition 'Best Cinematography Award' [1987] for 'Doxombous'; Thessaloniki FF Greek Competition 'Best Cinematography Award' [1988] for 'Sti skia tou fovou'; European Film Award nom [1989] for 'Topio stin omichli'; Venice FF 'Golden Osella' [1989] & Flanders IFF 'Joseph Plateau Award' [1990] for 'Australia'; Camerimage 'Golden Frog' nom [1995] for 'To vlemma tou Odyssea'; Namur IFF [1997] for 'Faraw!'; Camerimage 'Golden Frog' nom [1998; shared] for 'Mia aioniothta kai mia mera'; Thessaloniki FF Award [2004] for 'Nyfes'.

Yorgos Arvanitis: 'My aim is to give the film whatever I can. Because, to be honest, a good film with bad photography is a good film. A bad film with amazing photography remains a bad film. I don't "make" the film. I simply help to achieve a particular aesthetic result. The director of photography transforms the director's dream into images. He attempts to understand the dream, to walk alongside the director... The director of photography is not a creator. He takes part in someone else's creation. He is a co-creator. What I look for is collaborations, which sometimes I have, sometimes I don't, because many directors are worried that I'll get my way with them.'

Q: 'On occasion, you have argued and disagreed with directors. With Théo Angelópoulos, Jonathan Nossiter, recently with Amos Gitai.'

A: 'They were different kinds of disputes. With Angelópoulos, they were about the work itself and were creative disputes. With the other two, the arguments were deeper. With Nossiter, I had a completely different idea about the aesthetic of the film; I argued with Gitai because the way he works doesn't suit me. His roots are in documentary and he improvises a lot, with the result that the director of photography doesn't have time to think or to decide what to do. I shot what there was, but I wasn't interested like this.' [From interview by Maria Katsounaki in 'Kathimerini', 2002.]

FILMS
1965	Peripeteies me tous Forminx [Kostas Lihnaras & (uncred) Théo Angelópoulos] b&w; cph: Giorgos Panousopoulos
1965	I de gyni na fovitai ton andra [Yorgos Javellas] b&w; 2nd cinematographer; ph: Nikos Gardelis
1966	O xypolytos pringips [Yánnis Dalianidis] c
1966	Dama spathi/Queen of Clubs/Love Cycles [George Skalenakis] b&w; cph: Andrea Anastassatos
1967	Oi thalassies oi hadres [Yánnis Dalianidis] c
1967	Pyretos stin asfalto/The Asphalt Fever [Dinos Dimópoulos] b&w
1967	Kati kourasmena palikaria [Dinos Dimópoulos] c
1967	Gabros ap' to Londino [Yánnis Dalianidis] b&w
1968	I arhontissa kai o alitis [Dinos Dimópoulos] c
1968	Poly arga gia dakrya [Panos Glykofrydis] b&w
1968	O mikes pantrevetai [Yánnis Dalianidis] b&w
1968	Ekpombi/I ekpombi/Broadcast [Théo Angelópoulos] b&w; short/22m
1968	Mia Italida ap' tin Kypseli [Dinos Dimópoulos] c
1969	I neraida kai to palikari [Dinos Dimópoulos] c
1969	I oraia tou kourea [Dinos Dimópoulos] b&w
1969	To levedopaido [Dinos Dimópoulos] c
1969	Otan i polis pethainei [Yánnis Dalianidis] b&w
1969	Panikos/O panikos/Panic [Stavros Tsiolis] b&w
1969	I daskala me ta xantha mallia [Dinos Dimópoulos] c
1970	Mikri spoudi [Fotis Lazaridis] b&w; short/6m
1970	Aftoi pou milisan me to thanato [Yánnis Dalianidis] c
1970	Anaparastasi/Reconstruction [of a Crime] [Théo Angelópoulos] b&w; + small part
1970	Ypolohagos Natassa [Nikos Foskolos] c; cph: Nikos Gardelis & Dimos Sakelariou
1970	O Thanasis, i loulietta kai ta loukanika/I teleftaia trella tou Thanasi [Dinos Katsouridis] b&w
1970	I zougla ton poleon [Stavros Tsiolis] c
1971	Katahrisi exousias/Abuse of Authority [Stavros Tsiolis] c
1971	Eshati prodosia/High Treason [Panos Glykofrydis] c
1971	Ti ekanes ston polemo, Thanasi?/What Did You Do in the War, Thanassi? [Dinos Katsouridis] b&w
1972	I taratsa [Kostas Zirinis] b&w; short/20m; cph: Nikos Petanidis & Christos Triantafillou
1972	I rena einai 'off-side' [Alekos Sakellarios] c
1972	I komissa tis Kerkyras [Alekos Sakellarios] c
1972	I Aliki diktator [Takis Vougiouklakis] c
1972	Meres tou '36/Days of 36 [Théo Angelópoulos] c
1972	Aihmalotoi tou misous/Prisoners of Hate [Nikos Foskolos] b&w
1972	Thanasi, pare t' oplo sou/Thanassi Get Your Gun [Dinos Katsouridis] c
1973	O valtos [Dinos Dimópoulos] c
1973	Thema syneidiseos/A Matter of Conscience [Petros Lykas] c
1973	Topos kraniou [Kostas Aristópoulos] c
1973	Ioannis o viaios/John the Violent [Tonia Marketaki] b&w
1973	O megalos erotikos/The Great Love Songs [Pantelis Voúlgaris] b&w-c; cph: Giorgos Panoussópoulos
1974	O thiassos/The Travelling Players [Théo Angelópoulos] c; filmed 1974-75
1975	Loukianos Kilaidonis: Apla mathimata politikis oikonomias [Adonis Lykouresis] b&w; doc/45m
1975	Le fils d'Amr est mort/Le mensonge [Jean-Jacques Andrien] c; cph: Georges Barsky, a.o.
1975	Assault on Agathon [László Benedek] c; cph: Aris Stavrou
1975	Iphigeneia/Iphigenia [Michael Cacoyannis] c
1976	Ipnos ke thanatos/Sleep and Death [Konstantinos Aristópoulos] c
1976	Diadikasia/Proceedings [Dimosthenis Théos] c; cph: Aris Stavrou
1976	O Thanasis sti hora tis sfaliaras/Events Hit Thanassi Smack On the Nose [Dinos Katsouridis & Panos Glykofrydis] c
1976	A Dream of Passion/Cri de femmes/Kravgi gynaikon [Jules Dassin] c; + prod
1976	Oi kynigoi/I kynighi/The Hunters [Théo Angelópoulos] c; filmed 1976-77
1977	Ta tempi [Giannis Prokovas] c; doc/20m
1978	I Athina pou fevgei [Anna Botopoulou] c; doc/35m; + ed
1978	Eleftherios Venizelos, 1910-1927 [Pantelis Voúlgaris] c
1979	O megalexandros/Alexander the Great [Théo Angelópoulos] c
1980	O kotsos kai oi exoghinoi [Dimis Dadiras] c
1981	?/Let Them Be Married [Yánnis Diamantópoulos] ?
1981	To megalo kanoni [Panos Glykofrydis] c
1982	To eftihismeno prosopo tis Leonoras/The Happy Face of Leonora [Dinos Mavroidis] c
1983	To tragoudi tis epistrofis/Homecoming Song [Yánnis Smaragdis] c
1984	Taxidi sta Kythira/Voyage to Cythera [Théo Angelópoulos] c
1985	Mia toso makrini apousia/Such a Long Absence [Stavros Tsiolis] c; + co-prod
1985	Petrina chronia/Stone Years [Pantelis Voúlgaris] c
1986	Eva [Marc & Hara Gastine] 16mm/c; short/22m
1986	O melissokomos/The Beekeeper [Théo Angelópoulos] c
1987	Doxombous/Doxobus [Fotos Lambrinos] c
1987	To kalokairi tis Mideias/Medea's Summer [Babis Plakaikis] c
1988	Topio stin omichli/Landscape in the Mist [Théo Angelópoulos] c
1988	Sti skia tou fovou/In the Shadow of Fear [Yiorgos Karypidis] c
1989	Australia [Jean-Jacques Andrien] c
1989	L'autre/The Other [Bernard Giraudeau] c
1989	Xenia [Patrice Vivancos] c; cph: Yánnis Daskalothanassis
1990	Homo Faber/Voyager [Volker Schlöndorff] c; ph USA/Mexico: Pierre Lhomme; aph USA: Stan McClain; sfx ph: Kay Albrecht
1990	Écrans de sable/Sand Screens [Randa Chahal Sabbag] c
1990	To meteoro vima tou pelargou/Le pas suspendu de la cigogne/The Suspended Step of the Stork [Théo Angelópoulos] c; cph: Andréas Sinanos
1991	Holozän/Holoscene [Heinz Bütler & Manfred Eicher] c
1991	Je pense à vous/I Think of You [Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne] c
1992	Le bateau de mariage [Jean-Pierre Améris] c
1992	Poisson-lune/Sunfish [Bertrand Van Effenterre] c
1993	Il sogno della farfalla/The Butterfly's Dream [Marco Bellocchio] c
1994	To vlemma tou Odyssea/Ulysses' Gaze [Théo Angelópoulos] c; cph: Andréas Sinanos
1994	L'Amérique des autres/Someone Else's America [Goran Paskaljević] c; ph Spain: William Diver
1995	Total Eclipse/Rimbaud-Verlaine [Agnieszka Holland] c
1995	Nitrato d'argento/Nitrate Base/Nitrate d'argent [Marco Ferreri] b&w-c
1996	Port Djema [Eric Heumann] c
1996	Bent [Sean Mathias] c
1996	Faraw!/Une mère de sables [Abdoulaye Ascofaré] c; cph: Lionel Cousin
1996	Train de vie/Train of Life [Radu Mihaileanu] scope/c; cph: Laurent Dailland; 2uc: Marian Stanciu
*1996*	Le silence d'Alexandre [Jean-Jacques Andrien] status unknown; in 2003 still looking for funds
1997	Mia aioniothta kai mia mera/Eternity and a Day [Théo Angelópoulos] c; cph: Andréas Sinanos
1998	Innocent [Costa Natsis] c
1998	Romance [Catherine Breillat] c
1999	Signs & Wonders [Jonathan Nossiter] dv/c; 2uc: Yorgos Giannelis
2000	Liberté-Oléron [Bruno Podalydès] c
2000	À ma soeur!/Fat Girl [Catherine Breillat] c
2000	Après la tempête/Dominique Aubier, portrait d'une femme extraordinaire [Joële Van Effenterre] c; doc/82m
2001	Les amants du Nil [Eric Heumann] c
2001	La dernière lettre/The Last Letter [Frederick Wiseman] b&w; 61m
2001	Kedma [Amos Gitai] c
2002	Kourastika na skotono tous agapitikous sou/I'm Tired of Killing your Lovers [Nikos Panagiotopoulos] c
2002	La boîte magique/The Magic Box [Ridha Behi] c
2002	Anatomie de l'enfer/Anatomy of Hell [Catherine Breillat] c; cph: Guillaume Schiffman
2003	Process [C.S. Leigh] c; filmed in 29 takes
2003	Nyfes/Brides [Pantelis Voúlgaris] c
2003	L'enfant endormi [Yasmine Kassari] c
2004	The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael [Thomas Clay] Cineovision/c
2004	La ravisseuse/De profundis [Antoine Santana] c
2004	Ashes and Snow [Gregory Colbert] c; exp doc/63m; cph: Acacio Almeido, G. Colbert, Koji Nakemura & Philippe Vene
2005	Mon fils à moi/Je t'aime tant/My Son [Martial Fougeron] c
2005	See You at Regis Debray [C.S. Leigh] p/b&w-c; 71m
2005	A Crime/Un crime [Manuel Pradal] c; cph: Frédéric Nicolas
2005	American Widow [C.S. Leigh] b&w-c; 305m; cph: Joachim Hoge & C.S. Leigh; filmed 2005-08
2006	Une vieille maîtresse/The Last Mistress [Catherine Breillat] c; originally scheduled to start shooting in September 1997
2006	5 pm/Cinq heures du soir [Caroline Brunner] c; short/11m
2007	Le mort n'entend pas sonner les cloches [Benjamin Mirguet] c; short/27m
2007	Dorothy/Dorothy Mills [Agnès Merlet] tvi/c; 2uc: John Conroy
2007	Sur ta joue ennemie/Welcome Home [Jean-Xavier de Lestrade] cs/c
2008	Emma Blue [Robert MacLean] s16/c
2008	An Organization of Dreams/Guns & Poetry [Ken McMullen] 35mm+HD+mobile phone-to-35mm/c; cph: Elso Roque; 2uc: Grant Wakefield; the script 'Guns & Poetry' developed during shooting into the film 'An Organization of Dreams'
2008	La blonde aux seins nus/The Blonde with Bare Breasts [Manuel Pradal] c
2009	Gigola [Laure Charpentier] c
2010	Dr Nazi [Joan Chemla] c; short/15m
2010	La terre outragée/Land of Oblivion [Michale Boganim] c; cph: Antoine Héberlé
2011	Il a plu sur le grand paysage [Jean-Jacques Andrien] c; doc/100m; filmed 2009-11
2011	Tom le cancre [Manuel Pradal] c
2013	Fadhma N'Soumer [Belkacem Hadjadj] c
2013	Graziella [Mehdi Charef] HD (Sony PMW-F3)/c
2014	Blind Sun/Heatwave [Joyce A. Nashawati] scope/c
2015	Projection [C.S. Leigh] c
2016	Fanny Lye Deliver'd [Thomas Clay] ts/c; 2uc: Dirk Eichler

TELEVISION
1981	Chorio ena, katikos enas/One Village, One Villager... [Théo Angelópoulos] doc/20m
1983	Athina, epistrofi stin Akropoli/Athens, Return to the Acropolis [Théo Angelópoulos] doc/43m; addph: Andréas Sinanos; ep series 'Capitali culturali d'Europa'
1987	Liban: Le pays du miel et de l'encens/Beirut [Maroun Bagdadi] ep of 6-part series 'Médecins des hommes'
1988	Komitas [Don Askarian] tvm/b&w-c; cph: Martin Gressmann & Eberhard Geick
2001	L'île bleue/The Blue Island [Nadine Trintignant] tvm