Bellucci returns to Athens to honor Callas

The film, directed by Giannis Dimolitsas and Tom Volf, will be presented at the Pallas Theatre. Ms. Bellucci is scheduled to appear in person, marking her first visit to Greece since she was honored at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in 2023.

“It feels like I’m honoring Callas in a place that truly understands her,” Ms. Bellucci told iefimerida.

The documentary chronicles Ms. Bellucci’s global tour performing “Maria Callas: Letters and Memoirs” between 2019 and 2023.

It explores the legendary soprano’s life by juxtaposing her era with the present, capturing the actress's artistic encounter with Callas’ personal writings.

Mr. Dimolitsas noted that the screening completes a three-year journey that started in 2021, when he filmed Ms. Bellucci’s sold-out performances at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

“Athens is where the film had to return,” Mr. Dimolitsas said. “This is where the idea was born… and where the circle needed to close.”

Ms. Bellucci emphasized the human element of her portrayal.

“Callas was a person before she became a myth,” Ms. Bellucci told iefimerida.gr. “When I read her words, her emotions felt so alive, so vulnerable. I didn’t want to create a version of her. I wanted to meet the woman who wrote them.