“What do I remember from Mirivilis? Love. The wave of love, his very warm and loud laugh, his eyes, the touch of his fingers when he held me in his arms and told me a story, the beautiful aura that he wrapped around me, whether he came to my school, has passed. walked or rested together in the summer in Mytilene … “.

Stratis Myrivilis’ granddaughter may be a gifted storyteller, but the images, these rare Super 8 films made by his son-in-law, the husband of his daughter Drosula, with the author enjoying nature and the sea, are “erotic”, giving impetus to this special cinematic journey and historical work.

Christina Angelopoulou, who appears in the documentary by Irini Vahliotis and Panagiotis Kleidaras, is one of two granddaughters of Mirivilis. The other is Eleni (Lenio) Mirivili, an associate professor at the University of the Aegean, known for her environmental work.

“House with Pomegranates”, the same name as the author’s unfinished novel, radiates an aura of peace and very close relationships that determined the way of thinking and life of Christina Angelopoulos. The connection between the granddaughter and grandfather of Stratis (1892-1969) was continuous and unhindered. More than fifty years have passed since his death, but nothing seems to have passed. The narratives, even when they convey “oil lamp” moments, sound almost fresh.

Personal and poetic

The 30-minute film shown at the Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival (March 2-12) is the result of a string of coincidences. “They recommended me and Panagiotis, with whom we first collaborated on Skipper Street in 2002, to read Mirivilis’s book O Vasilis o Arvanitis,” says award-winning and experienced filmmaker Irini “K” Vahliotis. . “In the same book, my aunt, set designer Denis Vahliotis, is also mentioned as my father, Christos’ favorite. This is how Panagiotis Kleidaras and I decided to transfer the novel to the cinema. This project was delayed due to the pandemic, but filming will begin in 2023. During the exploration of “Vasilis Arvanitis” we went to Mytilini, which is also the birthplace of Panagiotis. We met Christina Angelopoulou at Skala Sykamia and we formed a friendship.”

When her mother and Stratisa Mirivilis’ daughter, Drosula, died, while cleaning the house, she found a treasure trove of manuscripts, anecdotal love poems, paintings, photographs, Mirivilis’ audio letter written on a vinyl record to his wife Eleni from N. York, as seen from the top of the Empire State Building, their correspondence during the war of 1914-1919, super 8 films. “In the past, complete and exhaustive portraits of Mirivilis were made (for example, Thassos Psarras). We focused on something more emotional, personal and poetic,” adds Irini Vahliotis.

“We focused on something more emotional, personal and poetic,” says director Irini Vahliotis.

The stakes of both documentary filmmakers, who spent decades studying the great novelist, one of the main representatives of the generation of the 30s, was “how can such a tormented and multidimensional personality be attributed without biographing.” . They wondered: “What drives us.” Was it the anti-war attitude of a man who struggled for 12 years with passion and idealism to see the true face of war (“Life in the Grave”)?

“Bassilis Arvanit eventually commits suicide. So we thought maybe he forced his character to do the act that came to his mind. How did he survive, how did this person escape, ”comments the director. The answer also comes through the documentary, with his words relayed by his granddaughter: “My grandfather and I were walking in a meadow covered with poppies… ‘It’s a purple color that hides the essence of God,'” he said. to me. “Look at the nature around you. Listen to what he tells us. We need a guide to understand and feel it all.” And I, with the naivety of a 10-year-old myself, asked him “where will we find this grandfather-guide?” He turned and answered me simply and seriously: “But this is art. Through art, you will find the guide you want.”

original material

So art and love saved Stratis Mirivilis? “Not only with his wife Eleni – she repeated this name until his last days – but with life itself,” adds Irini Vahliotis.

Authentic archival material, coming into view for the first time, sheds light on the writer and journalist (he also collaborated with Katimerini), regardless of his ideological shifts that were noted. It illuminates his tenderness and humanity. “Desk”, where, in his words, “my thought communicates directly with my pen.”

The documentary “House with Pomegranates” will be shown in the “Open Horizons” program of the 25th Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival on March 5 (21:30). Screenplay by Irini Vahliotis, direction by Irini Valiotis and Panagiotis Kleidaras, photography by P. Kleidaras, editing by Chronis Theoharis, music by Anastasia Hatzipavlou. The film was funded by the Ministry of the Interior and the Greek Cypriot Society.