After Nikos Navridis’ first and very successful installation, the programme The Artist on the Composer, a three-year collaboration between the Greek National Opera and the Organization for Culture and Development NEON brings to Greece the great Greek internationally acclaimed director Yorgos Lanthimos.

As it had been announced all along by the GNO and NEON, the programme The Artist on the Composer connects cutting-edge contemporary visual artists, composers and/or film producers with “live” performances of orchestral music. Through the fruits of new commissions, each artist engages in a dialogue with works of classic composers, free from the usual operatic conventions and narratives, opening up to an audience that might have not been involved in opera before.

Yorgos Lanthimos enthusiastically accepted the proposal of Giorgos Koumendakis, Artistic Director of the GNO, and Elina Kountouri, Director of NEON, who will jointly curate the programme, to create a short film which will be projected at the Stavros Niarchos Hall accompanied by music ensembles.

The multi-awarded Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos is considered today as one of the most sought-after creators in the world cinema with a recognizable style and an absolutely personal writing. His first full-length film Kineta was presented at the Toronto and Berlin film festivals. With his Dogtooth he conquered Cannes, where he won the “Un certain regard” prize and received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. The Alps won the best screenplay award in Venice, and the Lobster was presented in Cannes and was nominated for an Academy award for best original screenplay. His next movie The Killing of the Sacred Deer won the best screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival. His last film, The Favourite, brought him to the centre of global attention: it started its breathtaking course at the Venice Festival, received 10 Academy Award nominations, 12 BAFTA award nominations, won the Golden Globe and its box office revenues reached 100.000.000 dollars at a worldwide scale.

The precise dates of the programme presentation will be announced shortly, as well as the details related to the making of the film and the musicians accompanying it.