TEHRAN – The cinematheque of the Iranian Artists Forum (IAF) in Tehran screened “The Suspended Step of the Stork” directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos on Monday.

The movie screening was part of the 6-day program by the IAF to show six films by Angelopoulos, Honaronline reported.

A 1991 Greek film, “The Suspended Step of the Stork” entered the Cannes Film Festival in the same year.

A journalist (Gregory Patrick Karr) is in a town on the border of Greece where refugees await approval of their papers. He notices an old man (Marcello Mastroianni) whom he suspects is a famous politician who, years ago, disappeared without a trace. He works to uncover the man's story, meeting one of his old lovers (Jeanne Moreau) in the process.

The film explores the concept of borders, specifically in relation to the history of the Balkans. Angelopoulos weaves a poetical allegory on borders, refugees, a changing world in our turbulent age – and the possibility of a new humanism evoked in an almost mythical closing image of refixing communications.

In the film, the journalist gains an appreciation of the possibility of a new humanism in the process of border crossing. The final shot of the reporter watching phone lines being built embodies this idea, offering the healing touch of movement beyond boundaries.

Theodoros Angelopoulos (1935–2012) was a Greek filmmaker, screenwriter, and film producer. He dominated the Greek art film industry from 1975 on, and Angelopoulos was one of the most influential and widely respected filmmakers in the world. He started making films in 1967. In the 1970s, he made a series of political films about modern Greece.

Angelopoulos' films, described by Martin Scorsese as those of “a masterful filmmaker,” are characterized by the slightest movement, the slightest change in distance, long takes, and complex, carefully composed scenes. His cinematic method is often described as “sweeping” and “hypnotic”. Angelopoulos has said that in his shots, “time becomes space and space becomes time.” The pauses between action or music are important to creating the total effect.

In 1998, his film “Eternity and a Day” went on to win the Palme d'Or at the 51st Cannes Film Festival, and his films have been shown at many of the world's esteemed film festivals.

SS/SAB