Intention throughout the whole process sets my works apart from other videographers. I want to understand the couple before filming them, then shape the edit with the care I would give a short film. Each story is built individually. I want the finished film to bring back how the wedding felt, and something of why those two people chose each other. Fast social content has changed the way weddings are documented, with growing pressure to publish immediately; I believe a wedding film should outlive that cycle. A social media reel can be beautiful and immediate, but a carefully constructed film preserves the couple’s voices, relationships, and the way the day actually felt. I want to create something they can return to years later and still recognise themselves in it…”
Kostas Petsas, Founder & Filmmaker, Cinema of Poetry
Kostas Petsas is founder and filmmaker behind Cinema of Poetry, based in Athens, Greece, where he creates destination wedding films and photography for couples celebrating across Europe and internationally. Cinema of Poetry works throughout Greece and Italy, across Europe, and internationally. Here we discuss favourite locations, icy challenges, and dream projects…
C&B: “Kostas, what first inspired you to pursue a career in videography?”
KP: “I was drawn to the freedom of starting with a blank canvas and the couple’s trust. A wedding is unscripted: you rarely control the light, timing, or people in front of you. Combining instinctive documentation with cinematic methods inside a live event is still the most exciting part of the work…”
Projects have taken me from Tuscany, Lake Como and the Amalfi Coast to France, Iceland, Morocco, Mexico, Canada and the United States…”
Kostas Petsas, Founder & Filmmaker, Cinema of Poetry
C&B: “In your opinion, what are the essential elements that contribute to successful wedding imagery?”
KP: “A beautiful venue and thoughtful design matter, but emotion gives wedding imagery its lasting value. I want a film to hold the attention of someone who wasn’t there, to make them laugh, feel something, or recognise part of themselves in the story. Simple human moments often carry the most weight…”
My style is documentary-led, cinematic and personal to each couple. Over the years, relationships, voices, atmosphere and small human moments have become increasingly important in my films. The visual side still matters enormously, but I want the images to come from what is genuinely happening around me. I spend time understanding my couples – who they are before the wedding: how they met, what matters to them, what they enjoy, and what makes them uncomfortable. On the day, I avoid over-directing. Trust usually creates better images than constant instruction…”
Kostas Petsas, Founder & Filmmaker, Cinema of Poetry
C&B: “Out of all the special occasions you have filmed, what is the most memorable wedding, and why?”
KP: “An Iceland elopement on 22/2/22 stays with me. A severe snowstorm closed roads and made the planned glacier-lagoon ceremony impossible. After several backup plans, the couple completed their pagan ceremony in Reykjavík before we spent three days travelling through South Iceland together. Between snow, rain and wind, we found brief windows to film, and even caught the northern lights for fifteen minutes. By the end, we had become friends…”
My favourite venues are Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in the South of France for its Mediterranean setting and history; Villa Medici in Rome for its extraordinary architecture and cultural character; Villa Monastero on Lake Como for its intimacy and lakeside gardens; La Rondinaia in Ravello for its literary history and Amalfi views; and Gather Greene in Upstate New York for its connection to nature and thoughtful approach to events…”
Kostas Petsas, Founder & Filmmaker, Cinema of Poetry
C&B: “Can you discuss the importance of details and how you incorporate them into your work?”
KP: “Details help describe the setting and often reveal something about the couple’s taste, culture, and priorities. I include them naturally, usually with people, light, or movement in the frame rather than as isolated product shots. I am equally interested in smaller human details: a glance, a gesture, a hand held during a speech. Those moments often carry the greatest emotional weight…”
C&B: “Final question, Kostas: what would be your dream project?”
KP: “I would love to film full wedding celebrations in India, China, and Japan, following the traditions and rituals over several days through the eyes of a European filmmaker. Arriving somewhere with genuine curiosity changes the way you see and film an event…”
CONTACT: http://www.cinemaofpoetry.com
