The history of PAOK FC, from its establishment, in 1926, until 2009.
Featuring:
Lambis Kouiroukidis, Lakis Proyos, Leandros Symeonidis, Andreas Tyros, Koulis Apostolidis, Giorgos Koudas, Dimitris Paridis, Christos Terzanidis, Yannis Gounaris, Kostas Orfanos, Christos Sotirakopoulos, Giorgos Skartados and G.Ch Georgiadis.
Cinematography:
Claudio Bolivar
Sound:
Dimitris Kanellopoulos
Associate producer:
Yannis Vikias
Archivist:
Akis Papadopoulos
Scripts/Narration:
Konstantinos Kamaras
Screenplay/Historical Documentation/Directed by
Elias Giannakakis
The documentary focuses on five important periods of PAOK:
On the first post-war squad, which in the 1950s swept all the championships in Thessaloniki and nearly won the National Championship.
On the Koudas affair that divided Greece, in the years 1966 -1968 and sparked the hatred between PAOK and Olympiacos.
For the biggest part of the episode, on the formidable squad of the 70s, that won only one championship and two cups in Greece and on the terrible injustice against them.
Then, on the great squad, which won the championship in 1985.
And finally, on the squad of the years between 1997 and 2003, that won two Greek Cups..
For the last part, about the history of the team, starting in 1985, I would have liked to have had more interviews. We made a big effort but Giorgos Kostikos, Christos Dimopoulos, Nikos Alavantas and Angelos Anastassiadis were unable to talk, for reasons beyond their control, even though they wanted to, very much.
Also, although we tried very hard, we could not get Thodoris Zagorakis and Zissis Vryzas.
This film attempts to capture the small and the big moments of the team. The well-known and the less-known.
Special focus is put on the 70s generation, as such a team has never existed since in Greece, and we are trying to discover its anatomy.
In the extended version, in particular, one can find stories and footage, such as that of the great 4-0 victory over Lyon, which had never been presented in the past..
We are trying to pinpoint the true spirit of PAOK and to focus, in the greatest detail, on the times of great glory or of prolonged and deliberate injustice
I will never forget Koudas story about the last superb goal he scored during the 4-0 match against Olympiacos in Serres, in 1983. There was no TV coverage then and Koudas describes to us the most beautiful goal he ever scored, so beautiful, but as fate had it, it was not captured on film and became legendary.
The testimonies of the players were exceptional. The unforgettable Paridis, Kouiroukidis, by all means Leandros, but also Apostolidis and Orfanos were magnificent.
The film was full of emotion.
The input of friends and journalists was also very valuable: of the PAOK fan, film critic Andreas Tyros as well as of Christos Sotirakopoulos.
I believe that the picture encompasses a long period in the history of the team and achieves to detect its pulse.
At this point, I would like to mention that I saw the film Nikos Triantafyllidis made for PAOK, sadly the last one in his life, and I think that it is a real masterpiece.
“90 year PAOK-Nostalgia for the future” is a great film. I am happy I could help Nikos, providing him with footage as well as with this entire documentary as a reference guide that helped him produce such great result.
If there is something I regret about this documentary on PAOK, is not having the great Giorgos Pantelakis. He was killed in a horrible car crash, only two days before our scheduled shooting (by a driver who was a PAOK supporter)...
