Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos had broken through the mainstream thanks in part to his weird but oddly accessible films such as “The Lobster” and “The Favorite,” before the Emma Stone-led mature “Poor Things” (a satirical spin on the “Frankenstein” story and based on the novel by ) trust him back into the awards season and eanred Oscar statues for Best Picture, technical awards (for Prodction Design, Costume Design, and Makeup/Hairstyling) and Stone nabbing the Best Actress win in 2024. However, after following up with “Kind of Kindness” and “Bugonia,” it is starting to sound like the director might be setting his sights on a lengthy break from moviemaking.
An interview about his passion for photography from a couple months ago at the Financial Times features an interesting quote from Lanthimos, which seemingly fell under the radar, as he revealed that he may take time off to focus on photography (a draw being you don’t need to secure financing, unlike with the medium of movies), and wasn’t sure if he would make another film anytime soon.
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In the interview, Lanthimos talked about taking pictures being “freeing,” when directly compared to the stresses of moviemaking. “You can just walk around with a camera, it is a solitary thing, and kind of meditative in a way. You don’t have to have a concept, you don’t have to have an end goal. You don’t have to find financing.” When pressed about his desire to keep making movies, he had a mixed response with, “Yes, I think I will make more films. But at this point, I am saying, ‘I don’t know, we will see.’ I need to find again the joy in making films. I want to let it come naturally, instead of pushing myself.”
This isn’t entirely shocking as Lanthimos has been making a slew of movies and commercial ads (one for luxury fashion brand Prada with Scarlett Johansson, along with Super Bowl 2026 spots for Squarespace and Grubhub) at a breakneck speed compared to his peers, and certainly deserves to have a break, even if that is an extended one. Ultimately, we don’t know if this was simply a case of burnout or something more serious; only time will tell.
Perhaps Yorgos Lanthimos simply needs a creative reset, and a break could help charge his batteries with his photography before finding his next project.
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
