Award-winning Greek director Theodoros Angelopoulos died late on Tuesday several hours after being involved in an accident while shooting his latest film in Athens.

The respected filmmaker had been with his crew in the area of Drapetsona, near Piraeus when he was hit by a motorcycle on Tuesday evening.

The accident occurred when Angelopoulos, 76, attempted to cross a busy road. Initial reports suggested that a policeman was riding the motorbike but this has not been confirmed.

He was taken to the hospital, where he was treated in an intensive care unit but succumbed to his serious injuries several hours later.

The director is best known for his 1998 drama ?Eternity and a Day,? which received a Palme d'Or, among other critically acclaimed films.

Angelopoulos shot his first film in 1968 and subsequently won numerous awards for his movies, which included «The Travelling Players», «Voyage to Cythera», «Landscape in the Mist» and «Ulysses' Gaze». The latter won the Grand Jury Prize and International Critics' Prize at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival.

Angelopoulos's filmmaking was characterized by the slow narrative pace and long takes, which earned him the praise of many critics but did not always draw big audiences.