The “oldest” person caught on film was born in the 18th century: Despa of Avdela
The “oldest” person caught on film was born in the 18th century: Despa of Avdela

Summary/Abstract: This article presents a few known hypotheses on the earliest birthdate of a person whose face has been kept in the memory of the motion-picture until present days. The names usually connected to this subject matter are briefly listed. The history of the first film is then presented, from its beginnings in 1906, owing its existence to the Manakia brothers, who became the pioneers of Balkan cinematography from their very home village, Avdela (currently in Greece, at that time still part of the Ottoman Empire). The film features the face of the grandmother of the two brothers, Despa, who, according to the testimonies in Milton Manakia’s memoirs, was 114 years old at that time, having been born at the end of the 18th century.

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