Greek filmmaker and writer Angelos Frantzis delivered a workshop titled “Poetic Cinema of Greece” on Saturday, 29 November, at Honar Shahr Aftab Cineplex in Shiraz. Frantzis, who also serves as a jury member in the International Competition section of this year’s Fajr International Film Festival, spoke about the nature of poetic cinema:
“Everyone has their own interpretation of poetic cinema. Cinema is a combination of arts such as music, imagery, and poetry. While poetry relies on words, poetic cinema cannot be confined to language; this is the fascinating contrast I appreciate. Poetic cinema and poetry are different – the essence of poetic cinema goes beyond words and speech,” he explained.
Frantzis added, “Many associate poetic cinema with rural life and slow pacing, but it cannot be explained in words alone. It is not limited to form or set design; poetic cinema cannot be summarized in a few sentences because it transcends us and even feels otherworldly. The true meaning lies not merely in using poetry but in conveying poetic emotions through cinema.”
He emphasized that poetic sensibility is not confined to any specific genre. “When people think of poetic cinema, names like Andrei Tarkovsky, Abbas Kiarostami, and Yasujirō Ozu may come to mind, but poetry and lyricism can appear even in an action film, in the way it is shot – beyond clichés.”
Reflecting on his experience with Greek master Theo Angelopoulos, Frantzis said, “Angelopoulos believed that poetry in cinema is a reality beyond the image – it is what is unseen. I was his assistant and recall that when he sought a particular shot, he insisted on capturing exactly what he envisioned. If he could not achieve it, he would postpone filming for weeks. Often, I did not understand why, as these pauses were costly. That is why he preferred to produce his own films.”
He continued, “Why did he sometimes shoot the same scene multiple times? Many times, even he could not explain what was wrong, but he knew the scene was not what he wanted. It was beyond words. Often, when he finally achieved the shot he imagined, it felt like a miracle. And I believe this is exactly the essence of poetic cinema. There is no strategy to reach these miraculous moments – it is deeply personal. Each director has their own approach. Angelopoulos’s method involved preparing everything meticulously and repeating the work until he captured the exact image in his mind. That was his strategy.”
