Filmmaker Nikos Panayiotopoulos, 74, dies
One of the pioneers of the New Greek Cinema movement in the 1970s, Nikos Panayiotopoulos died in Athens in the early hours of Monday after suffering a heart attack. He was 74 years old.
Panayiotopoulos was born on the island of Lesvos in November 1941 and studied film in Paris, where he lived from 1960 to 1973, returning to Greece with the fall of the dictatorship and directing his first film, “The Colors of Iris” in 1974.
He directed a total of 16 feature films, mainly on the theme of human relationships, and was distinguished for his work at Greek and international film festivals, grabbing international critical attention with introspective romances and studies of the bonds that bring poeple together, such as “The Idlers of the Fertile Valley,” “A Night to Remember,” “Delivery” and “Athens-Istanbul.”
His latest film, “Rembrandt’s Daughter” was released a few weeks prior to his death.
