Giorgos (or Yorgos) Arvanitis ( el, Γιώργος Αρβανίτης; born February 22, 1941) is a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

Life

Arvanitis was born in the village of Dilofo,

Phthiotis Phthiotis ( el, Φθιώτιδα, ''Fthiótida'', ; ancient Greek and Katharevousa: Φθιῶτις) is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the administrative region of Central Greece. The capital is the city of Lamia. It is border ...

, Greece. Having received an education as an electrician in the construction sector, he started working in the movies business in his early 20s, advancing from 2nd camera assistant to finally become a director of photography.

Career

Arvanitis has been an important figure in the Greek film industry, having worked on many films produced by

Finos Films Finos Film (Greek: Φίνος Φιλμ) is a film production company that dominated the Greek film industry from 1943 to 1977. It was founded by Filopimin Finos in 1942 during World War II. It was the biggest film production company in Greece at ...

. In 1968, he worked on

Theo Angelopoulos Theodoros "Theo" Angelopoulos (; ; 27 April 1935 – 24 January 2012) was a Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer. He dominated the Greek art film industry from 1975 on, and Angelopoulos was one of the most influential and widely re ...

's first short film ''Εκπομπή'' (Broadcast). Since then, he has worked in every single one of Angelopoulos' movies, including award-winning

Eternity and a Day ''Eternity and a Day'' ( el, Μια αιωνιότητα και μια μέρα, ') is a 1998 Greek drama film directed by Theo Angelopoulos, and starring Bruno Ganz, Isabelle Renauld and Fabrizio Bentivoglio. The film won the Palme d'Or and the ...

(

Palme d'or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

1998), except for the very last trilogy he was shooting ('' Trilogy: The Weeping Meadow'', ''

The Dust of Time ''The Dust of Time'' () is a 2008 Greek drama film written and directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos, and starring Willem Dafoe, Irène Jacob, Bruno Ganz, Michel Piccoli and Christiane Paul. The film is the second of an unfinished trilogy started wi ...

'', ''The Other Sea''). During his career, his has worked with some of the greatest Greek directors such as

Dinos Katsouridis Dinos Katsouridis (1927 - 28 November 2011) was a Greek Cypriot film director, cinematographer and editor. He had worked in a lot of Greek film sometimes as director, sometimes as film editor and sometimes as cinematographer as well as writer. He ...

Pantelis Voulgaris Pantelis Voulgaris ( el, Παντελής Βούλγαρης; born 23 October 1940) is a Greek film director and screenwriter. His first feature film ''To proxenio tis Annas'' in 1972 won the first prize in Thessaloniki International Film Festiv ...

Michael Cacoyannis Michael Cacoyannis ( el, Μιχάλης Κακογιάννης, ''Michalis Kakogiannis''; 11 June 1922 – 25 July 2011), sometimes credited as Michael Yannis, was a Greek Cypriots, Greek Cypriot theatre and film director, writer, produce ...

(''

Iphigenia In Greek mythology, Iphigenia (; grc, Ἰφιγένεια, , ) was a daughter of King Agamemnon and Queen Clytemnestra, and thus a princess of Mycenae. In the story, Agamemnon offends the goddess Artemis on his way to the Trojan War by hunting ...

'' (1977) with

Irene Papas Irene Papas or Irene Pappas ( el, Ειρήνη Παππά, Eiríni Pappá, ; born Eirini Lelekou ( el, Ειρήνη Λελέκου, Eiríni Lelékou, link=no); 3 September 1929 – 14 September 2022) was a Greek actress and singer who starred ...

Jules Dassin Julius "Jules" Dassin (December 18, 1911 – March 31, 2008) was an American film and theatre director, producer, writer and actor. A subject of the Hollywood blacklist in the McCarthy era, he subsequently moved to France, and later Greece, whe ...

(''Cri de femmes'' (1978) with

Melina Mercouri Maria Amalia "Melina" Mercouri (, 18 October 1920 – 6 March 1994) was a Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician. She came from a political family that was prominent over multiple generations. She received an Academy Award nomination a ...

). In 1989, he moved to France with his wife and three sons looking for a brighter future at a time when the total number of Greek movies was in decline. The same year, he received the Osella for Best Cinematography at the

Venice International Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

for the movie ''Australia'' directed by

Jean-Jacques Adrien Jean-Jacques is a French name, equivalent to "John James" in English. Since the second half of 18th century, Jean Jacques Rousseau was widely known as Jean Jacques. Notable people bearing this name include: Given name * Jean-Jacques Annaud (born 1 ...

. Since then he has worked with directors such as

Volker Schlöndorff Volker Schlöndorff (; born 31 March 1939 Friday) is a German film director, screenwriter and producer who has worked in Germany, France and the United States. He was a prominent member of the New German Cinema of the late 1960s and early 1970s, ...

(''Homo Faber'' (1991)),

Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Brothers Jean-Pierre Dardenne (; born 21 April 1951) and Luc Dardenne (born 10 March 1954), collectively referred to as the Dardenne brothers, are a Belgian filmmaking duo. They write, produce, and direct their films together. The Dardennes ...

Marco Bellochio Marco Bellocchio (; born 9 November 1939) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Life and career Born in Bobbio, near Piacenza, Marco Bellocchio had a strict Catholic upbringing – his father was a lawyer, his mother a schooltea ...

(''Il sogno della farfalla'' for which he received the Best Photography prize at the

Gramado Gramado is a small tourist city, southeast of Caxias do Sul and east of Nova Petrópolis in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, in the Serra Gaúcha region. The city was originally settled by Azorean descendants and later receive ...

in 1994),

Goran Paskaljevic Goran may refer to: Ethnic groups * Gorane, or Goran, an ethnic group of northern Africa * Goran (Kurdish tribe), an ethnic group of the Middle East * Gorani (ethnic group), an ethnic group of the southeastern Europe Other uses * Göran, a Sw ...

(''Someone Else’s America'' (1994)),

Marco Ferreri Marco Ferreri (11 May 1928 – 9 May 1997) was an Italian film director, screenwriter and actor, who began his career in the 1950s directing three films in Spain, followed by 24 Italian films before his death in 1997. He is considered one of t ...

Bruno Podalydès Bruno Podalydès (born 11 March 1961) is a French writer, film director, producer and actor. His brother Denis Podalydès Denis Podalydès (born 22 April 1963) is a French actor and scriptwriter of Greek descent. Podalydès has appeared in more ...

Agnieszka Holland Agnieszka Holland (born 28 November 1948) is a Poles, Polish film and television director and screenwriter, best known for her political contributions to Polish cinema. She began her career as assistant to directors Krzysztof Zanussi and Andrzej ...

(''Total Eclipse'' with Leonardo DiCaprio),

Amos Gitai Amos Gitai ( he, עמוס גיתאי; born 11 October 1950) is an Israeli filmmaker, who was trained as an architect. Gitai's work was presented in several major retrospectives in Pompidou Center in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and L ...

, Nikos Panayiotopoulos and the very controversial

Catherine Breillat Catherine Breillat (; born 13 July 1948) is a French filmmaker, novelist and professor of auteur cinema at the European Graduate School. In the film business for over 40 years, Catherine Breillat chooses to normalize previously taboo subjects in ...

. He is a member of the

Association Française des directeurs de la photographie Cinématographique Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

Filmography

* 1967 : '' Oi Thalassies oi Hadres'' * 1970 : '' Reconstitution'' * 1970 : ''

Ipolochagos Natassa ''Ipolochagos Natassa'' (Greek: ''Υπολοχαγός Νατάσσα'', ''Lieutenant Natasha'', also known outside Greece as ''Battlefield Constantinople'') is a 1970 Greek film. It starred Aliki Vougiouklaki as Natassa, Dimitris Papamichael as ...

'' * 1972 : ''

Days of '36 ''Days of '36'' ( el, Μέρες του '36, italic=yes, translit=Méres tou '36) is a 1972 Greek dramatic independent underground art film directed by Theo Angelopoulos. Its title is a tribute to Constantine P. Cavafy. Filmed during the Regime o ...

'' * 1975 : ''

Assault on Agathon ''Assault on Agathon'' is a 1975 drama film directed by László Benedek and starring Nico Minardos, Nina van Pallandt, Marianne Faithfull and John Woodvine. It is based on a novel by Alan Caillou. Premise Cabot Cain is a Western secret agent ...

'' * 1975 : ''

The Travelling Players ''The Travelling Players'' ( el, Ο Θίασος, translit. ''O Thiasos'', "The Troupe") is a 1975 Greek historical drama film written and directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos that traces the history of mid-20th-century Greece from 1939 to 1 ...

'' * 1977 : ''

'' * 1977 : '' The Hunters'' * 1978 : ''

A Dream of Passion ''A Dream of Passion'' ( el, Κραυγή Γυναικών, translit. Kravgi gynaikon, lit. "Cry of Women") is a 1978 Greek drama film directed by Jules Dassin. The story follows Melina Mercouri as Maya, an actor playing Medea, who seeks ...

'' * 1980 : ''

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...

'' * 1983 : '' Homecoming Song'' * 1984 : ''

Voyage to Cythera ''Voyage to Cythera'' ( el, Ταξίδι στα Κύθηρα, translit. ''Taxidi sta Kythira'') is a 1984 Greek film directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos. It was entered into the 1984 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize and ...

'' * 1986 : ''

The Beekeeper ''The Beekeeper'' is the eighth studio album by singer-songwriter Tori Amos. It deals with the topics of death, adultery and romantic conflict, and makes brief reference to ancient Gnostic mysticism from the ''Apocryphon of John''. Sonically, ...

'' * 1988 : ''

Landscape in the Mist ''Landscape in the Mist'' ( gr, Τοπίο στην ομίχλη, translit. ''Topio stin omichli'') is a 1988 Greek film directed by Theo Angelopoulos. The film was selected as the Greek entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 62nd ...

'' * 1989 : ''

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

'' * 1991 : ''

The Suspended Step of the Stork ''The Suspended Step of the Stork'' ( el, Το Mετέωρο Bήμα Tου Πελαργού, translit. ''To Meteoro Vima Tou Pelargou'') is a 1991 Greek film directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos. It was entered into the 1991 Cannes Film Fest ...

'' * 1991 : '' Voyager'' * 1994 : '' The Butterfly's Dream'' * 1995 : '' Ulysses' Gaze'' * 1995 : ''

Total Eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three cel ...

'' * 1997 : '' Bent'' * 1997 : ''

Port Djema ''Port Djema'' is a 1997 French drama film directed by Eric Heumann. It was entered into the 47th Berlin International Film Festival where Heumann won the Silver Bear for Best Director. The music for the film was written by Sanjay Mishra and r ...

'' * 1998 : ''

'' * 1998 : '' Train of Life'' * 1999 : ''

Innocent Innocence is a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence is to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime. In other contexts, it is a lack of experience. In relation ...

'' * 1999 : ''

Romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

'' * 2001 : ''

Fat Girl ''Fat Girl'' (french: À ma sœur!, lit=To My Sister!) is a 2001 drama film written and directed by Catherine Breillat, and starring Anaïs Reboux and Roxane Mesquida. It was released in certain English-speaking countries under the alternative t ...

'' * 2002 : '' Kedma'' * 2004 : ''

Process A process is a series or set of activities that interact to produce a result; it may occur once-only or be recurrent or periodic. Things called a process include: Business and management *Business process, activities that produce a specific se ...

'' * 2004 : ''

Brides A bride is a woman who is about to be married or who is newlywed. When marrying, the bride's future spouse, (if male) is usually referred to as the ''bridegroom'' or just ''groom''. In Western culture, a bride may be attended by a maid, brides ...

'' * 2004 : ''

Anatomy of Hell ''Anatomy of Hell'' (french: Anatomie de l'enfer) is a 2004 erotic drama film written and directed by Catherine Breillat, based on her 2001 novel ''Pornocratie''. According to Breillat, ''Anatomy of Hell'' is a "sequel" to ''Romance''. Plot Tee ...

'' * 2005 : '' See You at Regis Debray'' * 2005 : ''

The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael ''The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael'' is the first feature film from British director Thomas Clay, released in 2006. It features Daniel Spencer in the title role, with Lesley Manville and Danny Dyer in support. Plot An introverted, socially ...

'' * 2006 : ''

A Crime ''A Crime'' (French title: ''Un crime'') is a 2006 thriller film directed by Manuel Pradal, written by Pradal and Tonino Benacquista, and starring Emmanuelle Béart. The film unfolds the story of Vincent (Norman Reedus) who looks for his wife's ...

'' * 2007 : ''

The Last Mistress ''The Last Mistress'' (french: link=no, Une vieille maîtresse, literally "An old mistress") is a 2007 French-Italian film based on the novel '' Une vieille maîtresse'' by the French writer Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly. It stars Asia Argento and Fu' ...

'' * 2008 : ''

Dorothy Mills ''Dorothy Mills'', also known under the title ''Dorothy,'' is a 2008 psychological thriller mystery film directed by Agnès Merlet. Starring Carice van Houten and Jenn Murray, the film is about a psychiatrist assigned to work on the case of a ...

'' * 2015 : ''

Graziella ''Graziella'' is an 1852 novel by the French author Alphonse de Lamartine. It tells of a young French man who falls for a fisherman's granddaughter – the eponymous Graziella – during a trip to Naples, Italy; they are separated when ...

'', directed by

Mehdi Charef Mehdi Charef (born 21 October 1952) is a French film director and screenwriter of Algerian descent. He has worked on eleven films between 1985 and 2007. His film '' Le thé au harem d'Archimède'' was screened in the Un Certain Regard sectio ...

, starring

Rossy de Palma Rosa Elena García Echave (born 16 September 1964), known professionally as Rossy de Palma, is a Spanish actress and model. She is well known for her roles in films by Pedro Almodóvar such as ''Law of Desire'', ''Women on the Verge of a Nervou ...

* 2019 : ''Adults in the Room'' * 2019 : '' Fanny Lye Deliver'd''

International awards and honours

He has received numerous prizes for his work including (non-exhaustive list): *

Thessaloniki Film Festival The Thessaloniki Film Festival is a Thessaloniki-based cultural institution focusing on cinema. The Institution organizes the Thessaloniki International Film Festival every November and the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival every March, while its y ...

, Greek cinema awards, Best photography for '' Nyfes'' (2004), ''Doxombous'' (1988), ''Mia toso makrini apousia'' (1985), '' O Thiassos'' (1974), ''Meres tou 36'' (1972), ''Anaparastassi'' (1970) *Golden Bayard at the Namur International Festival of French-Speaking Film for ''Faraw!'' (1997) *Nomination for the Camerimage Golden Grog for ' Ulysses' Gaze' (1995) and for ''

'' together with Andreas Sinanos (1998) *Golden Kikito at the

Gramado Film Festival The Gramado Film Festival ( pt, Festival de Gramado) is an international film festival held annually in the Brazilian city of Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul, since 1973. In 1992, the festival began to award Latin American films produced outside of Br ...

for ''Il Sogno della farfalla'' (1994) *Osella for Best Cinematography at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

(''Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica'') for ''

'' (1989) *Best Photography award,

Chicago Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the compo ...

for ''Topio stin omichli'' (1988) *Golden Camera 300 for life achievement at the

Manaki Brothers Film Festival The International Cinematographers Film Festival "Manaki Brothers" (known short as Manaki Film Festival) is an annual international film festival organized by the Macedonian Film Professionals Association (MFPA). The festival is held in Bitola, ...

(2019) https://www.hephaestuswien.com/north-macedonia-manaki-brothers-19-festival/

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arvanitis, Giorgos 1941 births Living people Greek cinematographers Greek film producers Film people from Athens