The aim of the research team of the Laboratory of Image, Sound and Movement is to utilize the research findings, which are collected in all divisions, centers and laboratories of the Institute for Mediterranean Studies, and - through processing the data concerning history and culture - to produce scripts on Mediterranean history and culture, educational documentaries, and theater, dance and music performances. The Lab will thus bring out and give prominence to the cultural heritage, in addition to organizing actions (such as festivals and exhibitions) and implementing digital projects. An additional aim of the Lab's research team is to collaborate with other universities, research centers and cultural foundations in research projects and to train graduate students and early-career researchers in the promotion of 'digital cultural material' through their participation in the Lab's activities.
The research interests of the Lab include the relationship among image, theater, music and dance; the local traditions in representational arts; and the representation of ancient theater, music and dance in conjunction with and theoretical comparison to developments abroad. The Lab also aims to bring to public attention the rich ethno-musicological material, which has been collected in the Institute for Mediterranean Studies since 1987, and to present it via the Institute's Digital Archive of History and Culture. A major objective of the Lab is to resume collecting songs, instrumental works, poetic texts, recordings and interviews and diffuse this research to a wide local and international audience, as well as to run seminars, educational projects and cultural events for the promotion of this material. An additional objective is to continue the Institute's past activity in documentary practice. Since the early 1990s, the Institute for Mediterranean Studies has produced a series of documentaries (on El Greco, Argyropoulis, Herakleion, and traditional Cretan music), which was broadcast on national television.
The Amargianakis’ Archive holds a prominent place in the collections of the Laboratory. It includes the evidence and the audiovisual material from the research activity of G. Amargianakis (1938-2003), Professor of Ethnomusicology (UOA), distinguished Member and exemplary collaborator of the IMS. His research activity was structured in the three major programs hosted by the Institute:
Since 2018, a further mission of the Lab has been to initiate and develop research on film history, which had not been a research field in the Institute in the past; combine film studies with research in other humanity fields; and collect and utilize film-related archival material. In particular, its film history research mainly focuses on a) Greek cinema, b) Mediterranean and, more broadly, island culture representation, c) film issues related to Crete and d) relation of cinema with other arts. Furthermore, the Lab has also created close links with the Department of Theater Studies of IMS, hosting a series of drama-related lectures and performances and coordinating theater-related digital projects.
Major Achievements since 2018
The Laboratory of Image, Sound and Movement, formed in 1986 by professors of musicology, theatrical studies and history of art of the University of Crete in collaboration with Greek film makers, was active until 2003. It resumed its activity in 2018, after about 15 years of inactivity.
Since its re-organization in 2018, the major achievements of the Lab have been the following
The aim of this project is to preserve, document and showcase, through a series of actions, the work of Errikos Thalassinos (1927-2000), the prolific filmmaker, screenwriter, and writer from Herakleion, Crete. With the permission of Errikos Thalassinos’ family, the project’s team has completed the digitalization and documentation of the holdings of his personal archive (Responsible: Grigoris Voskakis).
The project concerns the creation and publication of a trilingual book-cd (Greek-English-French), containing songs from the region of Smyrna, published in late 19th century by L. A. Bourgault Ducoudray under the title Trente Mélodies Populaires de Grèce & d’ Orient.
Μια «κατακερματισμένη» παράσταση, εμπνευσμένη από τις ανώνυμες μαρτυρίες ανθρώπων, οι οποίοι έζησαν και μεγάλωσαν στο Ρέθυμνο του χθες και του σήμερα. Φωνές σημερινών γονιών, νέων, μαθητών. Ένα συνονθύλευμα καθημερινού λόγου, ακαδημαϊκής γνώσης, σωματικότητας, ποίησης και ζωντανής μουσικής.
The aim of this project is to record and digitalize the theater work of Stratis Karas, prepare an edition of his plays, and give prominence to his contribution to modern Greek culture.
This project focuses on international film productions that were shot on the island of Crete, Greece, which, since the late 1940s has attracted many foreign film crews. In particular, the project examines the reasons behind producers’ choice of Crete as a shooting location, the legislation under which these productions became feasible, and their consequences for the local economy and society. This project is implemented by the University of Crete, Greece.
The laboratory has produced the following documentary films
Supported the production of the documentary Transfer (2020) of Elias Giannakakis
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13678710/companycredits?ref_=tt_dt_co
Institute for Mediterranean Studies: A Presentation (2019)
Direction: Michalis Felanis
The Secret, 1993
Duration: 59'
Story
Manolis Stagakis, an 80-year-old craftsman, and his 40-year-old son Mihalis make Cretan lyres in their workshop in Rethimno. The life trajectories of the two men and the differences between them suggest a battle between the old and the new. In parallel with the making of lyres, this battle leads to the secret of what makes the lyres, as the old-craftsman says, to sing.
The Brothers, 1994
Duration: 62'
Story
The film depicts a rare encounter between shepherds of Eastern and Western Crete--of men so close but also so far away from each other...
In 1985, in a cave on Mount Psiloritis, the area's shepherds find some human bones, which are believed to be those of Daskalogiannis' fighters, who escaped Turkish imprisonment during the upheaval of the 1770s. Finding these bones brought together three mountain communities of Crete: Gergeri and Nyvritos (where the bones were found) and Anopolis of Sfakia (the homeland of the dead men).
Since then, every year, when the shepherds of Philoritis celebrate their Saint close to the cave, their Sfakian brothers of the White Mountain join them to commemorate their ancestors. A feast among 'friends and brothers' follows.
To gliki ear tis Argyroupolis/The Sweet Spring of Argiroupolis
Duration: 49'
Director: Thodoros Chatzipantazis
Collaboration: : Stavros Psillakis
Cinematography: Philippos Koutsaftis & Stavros Psillakis
Sound Supervision: N. Dionysopoulos & L. Spiliopoulos
Film Editing: Despoina Maroulakou
The lyre played by: Stelios Iliakis
«Oh! My Sweet Spring» hymn sung by: Manolis Chatzimarkos
Production: Institute for Mediterranean Studies. Co-financed by The General Secretariat of the Region of Crete (in the framework of the development programs of The European Union)
Dominicos Theotokopoulos
Duration: 120'
Direction: Theodoros Chatzipantazis, Greek version
El Greco: Pieces of an Artistic Puzzle (English version)
Duration: 120'
A Diptych by Theodore Hadjipantazis
Collaborating Art Historian: Nicos Hadjinicolaou
Director of Photography: Philippos Koutsaftis
Production Manager: Stavros Psyllakis
Sound Engineer: Nikos Dionyssopoulos
Editor: Manolis Chiladakis
Produced by the Institute of Mediterranean Studies (F.O.R.T.H.) in collaboration with the Secretariat General of the District of Crete
Part One: The Flight
Part Two: The Return
Heraklion: A Palimpsest City
Duration: 1:27'
Direction: Theodoros Chatzipantazis
The aim of the Interinstitutional Graduate (M.A.) Program in Theater and Film Studies, jointly organized and run by the Department of Philology of the University of Crete and the Institute for Mediterranean Studies, is to advance scholarship on the history and theory of theater and cinema. The Program combines the study of these related fields in modern times, on the national and international levels, aiming at an in-depth understanding of key aspects of Greek culture in conjunction with the international cultural and historical developments. An objective of the Graduate Program is to prepare researchers qualified in the critical understanding and scholarly appreciation of theater and cinema in order to be employed in the public and private sectors, participate in competitive research programs and pursue doctoral studies for a career in universities and research centers in Greece and abroad.
The Program's research interests in theater concern multifaceted archival and art material, including plays, manuscripts, and data about performances; the history of playwriting, theater direction, set and costume design, acting, theater architecture and various forms of folk theater; theater theory; and the reception of ancient drama. With regard to cinema, the Program focuses on archival research on and historical and aesthetic analyses of films, documentaries, and screenplays; the study of film direction, set and costume design, acting, musical accompaniment, and movie theaters in their social and historical context; film industry issues; film theory; and the reception of antiquity. The graduate program also places special emphasis on the relations between theater and cinema and between these two and the other arts.
Official Government Gazette (FEK)
Required Material for the Entrance Examination to the Graduate Program in Theater and Film Studies
Friday 2nd & Saturday 3rd of November 2018
Approaches to Film History
Conference with the participation of Drs., Ph.D. candidates and graduate and undergraduate students of the Department of Philology of the University of Crete.
With the Support of the Special Account for Research Funds and of The Department of Philology of the University of Crete.
Wednesday, November 7th, 2018
Stories of Trust and Documentary Cinema
Screening of The Man who Disturbed the Universe (2000) by Stavros Psillakis and a discussion with the director.
Wednesday, December 5th, 2018
Directing Ancient Greek Tragedy in the Digital Era
Lecture by Aggeliki Poulou (Dr. of Theater Studies, Michael Cacoyannis Foundation)
4-5 April 2019
Two lectures by Chrysanthi Sotiropoulou (University of Patras).
“The relation of animation film with other arts: pictorial art, music, theater, dance”
&
“European short films. Communication and art education opportunities”
11 April 2019
Nelli Karra
Lecture: “An approach to the creative process through the Deaf Theater of Greece and the ‘Arxi’ Drama School of Nelli Karra”
12 April 2019
Experiential workshop by Nelli Karra
20 May 2019
Małgorzata Budzowska
Lecture: “The Myth of Phaedra and its Contemporary Polish Stagings”
27-28 June 2019
[Nomades artcore] in collaboration with the Institute for Mediterranean Studies present work in progress_clear_project #2
Group of Excellence, Innovation, & Creativity: “Film Club”
Implementing Entity: Model Experimental Gymnasium of the University of Crete (in the context of the function of Model and Experimental Schools, Greek Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs).
Coordinators: Arsenios Arsenakis – Eirini Renieri
Duration: 2020-2021
