The main objective of this book is to present an original guide of the city of Athens through its multiple cinematic facets. The filmic geography of this book will not be limited to the central historical districts and film locations, but will also include the periphery of Athens (popular neighbourhoods, poor suburbs or slums are often represented in the post-war neorealist films), garden cities and upper class suburbs (preferred by the auteurs of the 70’s) with the intention to present an exhaustive physiognomy of the city. The relation of the Greek capital to the sea could not be neglected. Summer resorts, hotels, beaches and cosmopolitan islands near Athens, such as Hydra, have always been a preferred setting for many international productions. The image of an eternal, idyllic, and touristic city will be juxtaposed with images of recent films that record the transformation of Athens under the economic crisis (the deserting of the city centre in the last five years, the rising of urban violence, social manifestations and riots).
The book will provide scene descriptions of specific city locations, historic buildings, monuments, emblematic buildings, landmarks, and archaeological sites, examples of vernacular architecture, neighbourhoods and districts. Its visual framework will include detailed maps of film locations, while contemporary photos of locations will be juxtaposed with screenshots from specific films. In addition, the introductory essay and some spotlight essays written by specialists will focus on subjects that link urban identity to cinema history.
The films will include both Greek and foreign productions from various genres and types (mainstream, arthouse, cult films, b movies) from different historical periods, in order to establish a connection between the various aesthetics of the dominant representations of Athens.
The book will include essays on the following subject-
1. Athenian Modernity in the Silent Film Period (Elisa Anna Delveroudi)
2. The Tourist Gaze of the Greek Film Musical in the 1960’s (Lydia Papadimitriou)
3. Athens under Reconstruction: from Post-War Construction Boom to the Olympic Games (Anna Poupou)
4. Underground Athens: Urban Subcultures on Screen (Lina Milonaki)
5. Dirtopia: Urban Pollution, Lethal Smog, Deadly Traffic and Other Monsters (Myrto Kalofolia)
6. Burning Athens: the Demolition of a City in Crisis (Eirini Sifaki)
7. Open-air Cinemas and Cinema Going Practices (Dimitris Eleftheriotis)