[MGSA-L] The archaeology of the present

[June Samaras]

The archaeology of the present

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite4_1_17/03/2015_548254

  The anti-hero of 'The Archaeologist' is Greece itself: a bankrupt country
where structure and institutions have mostly broken down, and individuals
often have to take things into their own hands to make things work.

By Harry van Versendaal

When digging up the past, you may unearth some ugly truths about the
present.

Georgia Karamitrou-Mendesidi, the central character in Kimon Tsakiris’s
latest gem “The Archaeologist,” which comes out in theaters on March 19, is
doomed to learn this the hard way, as her efforts to rescue ancient
artifacts before they end up at the bottom of an artificial lake in
Greece’s northwestern Macedonia region get caught up in an uncomfortably
familiar web of dysfunction, corruption and red tape.

“I did not want to make your standard archaeological documentary. Here is
an individual, a strong character, who has set out a goal, and she tries to
achieve this goal as several parallel stories unfold,” Tsakiris said during
an interview with Kathimerini English Edition ahead of the film’s debut at
the ongoing Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.

Sporting an Indiana Jones hat and white fingerless gloves Karamitrou
carries no whip but is single-minded in her devotion to the riverside
excavations of ancient Aiani. She confronts local villagers, meets with
politicians and spends hours on the phone and at the 110-acre dig near the
hamlet of Elati to salvage and record what she can before the waters rise
and cover the ancient stones for good.

Legally, construction of any kind takes a backseat when archaeological
finds are involved. But the Public Power Corporation’s massive
hydroelectric dam construction, powered by political and bureaucratic
obstacles, relentlessly chugs on as Karamitrou and her team are given a
mere two months before the area is irreversibly flooded.

A Greek microcosm

Coming nearly a decade after the 40-year-old filmmaker’s darkly humorous
“Sugartown: The Bridegrooms,” the documentary contains the subtle irony,
careful dissection, and cathartic moments that have become a trademark of
Tsakiris’s work. “The Archaeologist” inevitably ends up serving as a
metaphor for contemporary Greece.

“You see how the institutions and our society works. From the small favor
you'll ask of your mayor all the way to the top of the pyramid, cronyism
cuts across all levels. With a character that struggles to function in all
of this while trying to make a difference, this is how her clash with
reality manifests itself. It’s like a Greek microcosm,” said Tsakiris, who
worked on the film for two years until wrapping up shooting in January 2014.

The anti-hero of “The Archaeologist” is Greece itself: a bankrupt country
where structure and institutions have mostly broken down, and individuals
often have to take things into their own hands to make things work.

Karamitrou, who has been digging in Aiani since the early 1980s and was
instrumental in the building of the local museum, has given up a life in
academia with her husband and kids to stay in the area and fight for what
she believes in.

“When you hear this talk about collective responsibility, it means no one
is responsible,” the archaeologist says in her steady voice behind the
wheel of her blue Toyota, echoing a familiar mantra in Tsakiris’s work.

“Karamitrou, from her position, decided to take the responsibility. Imagine
if we all did that, each from their own position. This is what counts,” the
director said.

Change

But as admiring as Tsakiris may be of Karamitrou’s drive and commitment, he
is not idealistic about it.

“Sure, the whole lone cowboy thing is important because often pioneers with
a vision have showed the way and then others followed. But I don’t think
this is the solution. The point is not to have 100, 150 or 500 individuals
who go and put themselves out on a limb and either achieve something small
or fail to do so. This is only a paradigm, I hope, until new institutions
come into place and things work better, and things are not so quixotic
anymore,” Tsakiris said.

“There is no reason why things should be that hard. Why should it be so
hard to simply do your job? Karamitrou is an example of what anyone trying
to achieve a goal will encounter in this country. It could be a nurse or a
journalist trying to do a job and who is hampered by the ill mentality of
society,” he said.

As a filmmaker working in Greece, Tsakiris knows one or two things about
the obstacles that aspiring professionals face.

After public Greek broadcaster ERT was abruptly shut down by the previous
conservative-led administration in the summer of 2013, he was among the
many local directors who saw European funding for their productions go up
in smoke. His previous film, “Mitsigan – Hardships and Beauties,” the
profile of a quirky vegetable farmer in the Peloponnese, was eventually
completed after he was able to find alternative sources of funding. “The
Archaeologist” was produced by Faliro House.

There is no last-minute rescue for the excavations at Aiani. As the river’s
banks crumble, swallowing up both trees and neolithic stones in beautiful
underwater cinematography accompanied by Thanasis Papakonstantinou's
baritone lament, the feeling is one of utter desolation.

In a final insult, our lone cowgirl becomes one of the thousands of Greek
civil servants to get pushed into early retirement or a labor reserve
scheme on heavily docked wages, in line with foreign creditors’ demands.

_________________________

Cine Frida Liappa: Friday, March 20, 6 p.m. | ID: 116

For more on the festival, go to tdf.filmfestival.gr.

-- 
June Samaras
2020 Old Station Rd
Streetsville,Ontario
Canada L5M 2V1
Tel : 905-542-1877
E-mail : june.samaras at gmail.com
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