The Scent of Time (1997)

In search of inspiration, and to trace the history of the Greek Cinema through rare books and fragmented pieces of information, the young, up-and-coming theatre actress, Iro, has made a habit of visiting the out-of-the-way antique shops of Monastiraki: the lively flea market neighbourhood of Athens. One day, at a dusty book store, Iro unearths an intriguing packet of late-1920s postcards bound together by a scarlet silk ribbon, and not knowing what to expect, she buys it and returns home. Filled with excitement, Iro is surprised to discover that she has found a small part of the lost romantic love letters of the handsome musician, Ioulios Dafermos, to the then-famous thespian, Sofia Zikou, who made her cinematic debut in Golfo (1915), the first full-length film by Konstadinos Bahatoris. Will Iro pick up the delicate scent of time, and relive the joys, the aspirations, and the disappointments of those who sacrificed everything for the birth of Greek Cinema?