We are delighted to present a unique tribute to the UK filmmaker and novelist Chris Petit with screenings of some of his most highly acclaimed films, which we are presenting in collaboration with the Greek Film Archive.

CHRIS PETIT
Chris Petit is a UK novelist and filmmaker. While working as editor of the film section of the London listings magazine Time Out in the mid-1970s, Chris Petit interested Wim Wenders in backing his first feature, Radio On (1979). With this film, Petit pulled off an extraordinary debut, a highly 'European' road movie which presented the British landscape, both rural and urban, in a manner quite unparalleled before or since.

Following this, Petit managed to make three more impressive features: a dark, stylised adaptation of P.D. James' An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1982) and, in Germany, the Fassbinder-ish thrillers Flight to Berlin (1983) and Chinese Boxes (1984), before collaborating with novelist Iain Sinclair on TV documentary profiles of historical figures. The last two displayed Petit's increasing desire to experiment with narrative forms and marked his effective break with mainstream cinema. His more recent films include Asylum (with Iain Sinclair) (2000), The Carfax Agreement: The Annotated Dracula, London Orbital (with Iain Sinclair) (2002), Unrequited Love (2006) and Content (2010)

Our tribute to Chis Petit includes the following films:

			Radio On (1979) A black and white British road movie, Radio On has become a cult film since its initial release and is one of the most striking feature debuts in British cinema. Co-produced by Wim Wenders and featuring Sting's first film performance, Radio On is austere in narrative and captures the lurking disenchantment of the British youth movements of the time. (The film features music from David Bowie, Kraftwerk, Lene Lovich, Ian Dury, Robert Fripp, Wreckless Eric and Devo).
			An Unsuitable Job for a Woman (1982) A crime film based on P. D. James novel of the same name, was an official entry in the 32nd Berlin International Film Festival.
			Flight to Berlin (1983) A terse, thought-provoking thriller.
			Content (2010) Described by Petit as 'an ambient 21st century road movie', Content is a meditative essay inspired by the almost trance-like state the act of driving can bring. With the narrative provided by Hanns Zischler, the film is variously about memories of other journeys from Texas through to Poland, the impact of modern technology and the rise of the huge impersonal factory sheds which now line roads throughout the world.