Filmmaker, restaurateur, architectural designer, Panos Bournias
was born in 1956 in Athens, Greece. He grew up in 1960s and
1970s, troubled times for Greece. “My father was an
intellectual who belonged to a left political party. Progressive
social thinkers and reformers like my father would often end
up in jail or in exile. He was often taken away. This was
his life and at the same time this was the life of the whole
family at the time.”
How did you get involved in films? “I’ve always
had a passion for the fine arts. I took the entrance exams
for the Fine Arts School in Athens, but the school was very
academically strict in those days and was very difficult to
enter. So, with the same portfolio that I had prepared for
the fine arts school, I gained admittance to the Ecole National
Superieur Des Beaux Arts (The Academy of Fine Arts) in Paris.”
“ I studied cinema from 1974 to 1981. I was very fortunate
to study under the Greek cinematographer Costas Gavras, a
famous auteur director noted in particular for his film “Z”
about ruthless political repression. He instilled in me a
deep love of film.”
“ I worked as a film director from 1984 to 1996. I began
my career when I was 26 years old working as an assistant
director, producer and script writer. In those days making
a film in Greece was still cheap and there were many opportunities
in the industry.”
“ In 1992 I at last got my chance to make my own movie,
"The Ring,” a dark comedy about people working
in a hospital mortuary in a provincial hospital in Greece
at the beginning of the last century. The movie had a good
run in festivals and theatres and won the best film of the
year award from the Minister of Culture.”
“ I first came to Bali to make a movie about the life
of a Greek sailor who lived in the archipelago during the
19th century. It was called "The Edge of the Earth."
It received many awards, amongst them The Best Film of the
Year (1995) at the Thessaloniki Film Festival.”
“ We never thought that it would be so easy to make
a movie in Indonesia with people who were not professionals,
but everything went smoothly, especially in Bali. We had no
corruption problems, no real hassles.”
You seem to have a special interest in making period films?
“Yes, that’s true. Though these movies are more
expensive to make, I like settings that take place not only
during the last century and also in the 1960s and 1970s. A
special atmosphere is created which gives the film more personality.”
“ In Indonesia, it’s easy to recreate long ago.
If you avoid vehicles and cables, you can easily find locations
that look hundreds of years old. Even Benoa Harbor has this
feel if you choose your angles with care.”
“ I’ve lived in Bali since 1996 when I moved here
permanently with my family. I had been working in Jakarta
in the commercial production business – mostly doing
40 to 60 second spots for TV. We moved here in search of a
more peaceful and relaxed lifestyle.”
“ We opened the Pantarei Restaurant in 1997. I’ve
always been a good cook - cooking for friends and family in
my free time. My partners eventually took over Pantarei but
then we opened Nero Bali with an Indonesian partner. The restaurant
has kept us very busy for the past 5 years now.”
“ I always wanted to own a restaurant. In Greece many
directors own restaurants and bars as a way to keep up with
your social contacts and also realize some income for the
down time when they’re not making movies. Unlike in
L.A., a director in Greece might have to wait four or five
years between film projects.”
“ My other business interest is as a consultant in a
construction and design company. I did much of the construction
of Nero Bali and was involved in the building of Biasa (now
an art gallery) and the Sunrise School kindergarten. The Sunrise
School in Kerobakan was a controversial project inspired by
parents. The kids seem to love it as it is a very open, luminous,
fun and adventurous - a completely different environment from
your conventional school building. You have to see it.”
Are you planning any new projects? “This summer we’re
going to make a film about the whalers of Lembata in far eastern
Nusatenggara. I haven’t been to the whaling village
yet, but I got the idea many years ago when I first heard
about these brave whalers. I also found inspiration from Melville’s
Moby Dick, in particular the passage in the book where Captain
Ahab meets up with whalers in the Sunda Strait. I feel that
the film has a lot of marketing potential.”
“ My intention is to use this documentary as a pilot
for a movie and also to sell it as a TV special. We will go
with a sound specialist and the well-known Japanese dive consultant
Takashi Enomoto who has worked in many sea movies in Japan.
We will live on a motorized fishing boat for two months in
order to capture the action and the atmosphere.”
“ We will use some fictional devices, following the
lives of a few fishermen. This will make the story more realistic.
We hope that everything will go smoothly, though when you’re
making a low-budget film in such an unpredictable working
environment as Indonesia you never know. Anything can happen.”
Panos Bournias may be contacted via his email: nerobali@dps.centrin.net.id.
Suggestions for interviews or comments may be sent to pakbill2003@yahoo.com
Copyright@2004 Al Hickey
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