Cinema of Greece
Encyclopedia
Greece
has a long and rich cinematic history. Greek films dominate the domestic market, for example Safe Sex
had more box office receipts than Titanic. Characteristics of Greek cinema include a dynamic plot, strong character development and erotic themes. Greek cinema has produced the first nudist scene in European cinema in 1931, notable dramas (film noirs) and comedies during the next decades and erotic comedies in the 1990s and 2000s .
watched the first cinematic ventures (short movies in 'journal'). In 1906 Greek Cinema was born when Manakis brothers
started recording in Macedonia
, and the French filmmaker Leons produced the first 'Newscast' from the midi-Olympic games
of Athens (the unofficial Olympic games of 1906).
The first cine-theater of Athens opened about a year later and other special 'projection rooms' begun their activity. In 1910-11 the first short comic movies were produced by director Spiros Dimitrakopoulos, who also starred in most of his movies. In 1911 Kostas Bahatoris presented Golfo , a well known traditional love story, the first Greek movie of feature length.
In 1912 was founded the first film company (Athina Film) and in 1916 the Asty Film.
During the First World War, production was limited to documentaries and newscasts only. Directors like George Prokopiou and Dimitris Gaziadis are distinguished for filming scenes from the battlefield and later during the Greco-Turkish war the burning of Smyrna (1922).
The first commercial success came in 1920 with Villar in the women's baths of Faliro (), written, directed by and starring comedian Villar (Nikolaos Sfakianakis) and Nitsa Philosofou.
In 1927 Dag Films presented its first movie Eros kai kymata. During 1928–1931 Dag Films was successful. The company mainly produced historical movies, usually adaptations of novels. In 1930 with Dimitris Gaziadis produced another movie: Oi Apahides ton Athinon (a version of a Greek operetta
by Nikos Hatziapostolou).
In 1931 Astra Film with Orestis Laskos presented Daphnis and Chloe (Δάφνις και Χλόη), contained the first nude scene in the history of European cinema. In 1932 Olympia Films tried to make the first speaking movie (Αγαπητικός της Βοσκοπούλας).
Philopemen Finos appeared actively in the production, and was a co-founder of Greek Cinematic Studios (1939). During World War II, Finos founded Finos Films
(1942), a company that sealed the fate of commercial Greek cinema. During 1940-44, the most prominent films were: Voice of Heart () (1943, directed by Dimitris Ioannopoulos) and Applause () (1944, directed by George Tzavellas
).
In 1944 Katina Paxinou
was honoured with the Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award
for For Whom the Bell Tolls
.
, Melina Mercouri
, Nikos Tsiforos
, Iakovos Kambanelis
, Katina Paxinou
, Nikos Koundouros
, Ellie Lambeti
, Irene Papas
etc. More than sixty films per year were made, with the majority having film noir elements. Notable films were (1955 directed by George Tzavellas
), (1951, directed by Grigoris Grigoriou), (O Drakos
, 1956, directed by Nikos Koundouros
), Stella (1955, directed by Michael Cacoyannis and written by Iakovos Kambanelis
).
Cacoyannis also directed Zorba the Greek with Anthony Quinn which received Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film nominations. Finos Film contributed to this period with movies such as , , , and many more.
Melina Mercouri
became also well-known to international audiences when she starred in the 1960 film Never on Sunday
, directed by Jules Dassin
. (The couple collaborated on its 1967 musical stage adaptation, Illya Darling
, for which she received a Tony Award nomination, as well.) Nominated for an Academy Award for Never on Sunday
, she went on to star in such films as Topkapi
, Phaedra
and Gaily, Gaily
.
directed a series of notable and appreciated movies. His film Eternity and a Day
won the Palme d'Or
and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival
.
In 1999, TV series writers Michalis Reppas and Thanasis Papathanasiou, collaborating with contemporary famous actors made the sex taboo comedy Safe Sex
, which was the most successful movie of the decade.
In 2003 another big-budget Greek film named Politiki kouzina (A Touch of Spice
), by director Tasos Boulmetis, was the most successful film of the year at the Greek box office
, making over 12 million euros. 2004 was also a good year for Greek films with Nyfes
gathering more than a million spectators and over 7 million in box office. In 2007 the most successful film was El Greco (2007 film), directed by Yannis Smaragdis
.
In 2009 Dogtooth
by Yorgos Lanthimos
won the Prix Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival and in 2011 was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards
. In 2010 Attenberg
won the Coppa Volpi Award for Best Actress (Ariane Labed
) at the Venice Film Festival. In 2011 Alps (film)
won the Osella Award for Best Screenplay (Yorgos Lanthimos
and Efthimiοs Filippou) at the 68th Venice Film Festival.
Notable Musicals
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
has a long and rich cinematic history. Greek films dominate the domestic market, for example Safe Sex
Safe Sex (film)
Safe Sex is a 1999 comedy film by Michalis Reppas and Thanasis Papathanasiou. It was a blockbuster in Greece.-Plot:A satire of life in modern Greece, presented through a series of different stories about sex...
had more box office receipts than Titanic. Characteristics of Greek cinema include a dynamic plot, strong character development and erotic themes. Greek cinema has produced the first nudist scene in European cinema in 1931, notable dramas (film noirs) and comedies during the next decades and erotic comedies in the 1990s and 2000s .
Origins
In the spring of 1897, the Greeks of AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
watched the first cinematic ventures (short movies in 'journal'). In 1906 Greek Cinema was born when Manakis brothers
Manakis brothers
The brothers Ianachia and Milton Manachia were pioneering photographers and filmmakers in the Balkans. In 1905 they filmed the first motion pictures in the Balkans in Ottoman Monastir...
started recording in Macedonia
Macedonia (Greece)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of Greece in Southern Europe. Macedonia is the largest and second most populous Greek region...
, and the French filmmaker Leons produced the first 'Newscast' from the midi-Olympic games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
of Athens (the unofficial Olympic games of 1906).
The first cine-theater of Athens opened about a year later and other special 'projection rooms' begun their activity. In 1910-11 the first short comic movies were produced by director Spiros Dimitrakopoulos, who also starred in most of his movies. In 1911 Kostas Bahatoris presented Golfo , a well known traditional love story, the first Greek movie of feature length.
In 1912 was founded the first film company (Athina Film) and in 1916 the Asty Film.
During the First World War, production was limited to documentaries and newscasts only. Directors like George Prokopiou and Dimitris Gaziadis are distinguished for filming scenes from the battlefield and later during the Greco-Turkish war the burning of Smyrna (1922).
The first commercial success came in 1920 with Villar in the women's baths of Faliro (), written, directed by and starring comedian Villar (Nikolaos Sfakianakis) and Nitsa Philosofou.
In 1927 Dag Films presented its first movie Eros kai kymata. During 1928–1931 Dag Films was successful. The company mainly produced historical movies, usually adaptations of novels. In 1930 with Dimitris Gaziadis produced another movie: Oi Apahides ton Athinon (a version of a Greek operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
by Nikos Hatziapostolou).
In 1931 Astra Film with Orestis Laskos presented Daphnis and Chloe (Δάφνις και Χλόη), contained the first nude scene in the history of European cinema. In 1932 Olympia Films tried to make the first speaking movie (Αγαπητικός της Βοσκοπούλας).
Philopemen Finos appeared actively in the production, and was a co-founder of Greek Cinematic Studios (1939). During World War II, Finos founded Finos Films
Finos Films
Finos Film is a film production company that dominated the Greek film industry from 1943 to 1977. It was founded by Philopemen Finos in 1942 during World War II. It was the biggest film production company in Greece at the time and one of the biggest, in terms of productivity, in south east Europe...
(1942), a company that sealed the fate of commercial Greek cinema. During 1940-44, the most prominent films were: Voice of Heart () (1943, directed by Dimitris Ioannopoulos) and Applause () (1944, directed by George Tzavellas
George Tzavellas
George Tzavellas, also rendered Giorgos Tzavellas, Yiorgos Tzavellas, or Yorgos Javellas , was a Greek film director, screenwriter, and playwright, considered "a key figure in Greek cinema after WWII". In 1964 he was a member of the jury at the 14th Berlin International Film Festival.-External...
).
In 1944 Katina Paxinou
Katina Paxinou
Katina Paxinou was a Greek film and theatre actress.-Early life:Born Aikaterini Konstantopoulou in Piraeus, Greece, she trained as an opera singer, and appeared in the operatic version of Maeterlinck's "Sister Beatrice," with a score by Dimitri Mitropoulos, but changed career and joined the Greek...
was honoured with the Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for For Whom the Bell Tolls
For Whom the Bell Tolls (film)
For Whom the Bell Tolls is a 1943 film in Technicolor based on the novel of the same name by Ernest Hemingway. It stars Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, Akim Tamiroff and Katina Paxinou. This was Ingrid Bergman's first technicolor film. Hemingway handpicked Cooper and Bergman for their roles. The film...
.
The Golden Age
The 1950s and 1960s are considered by many as the Greek Golden age. Directors and actors of this era were recognized as important historical figures in Greece and some gained international acclaim: Mihalis Kakogiannis, Alekos SakellariosAlekos Sakellarios
Alekos Sakellarios was a Greek writer and a director.He was born in Athens and began to learn journalism and acting at a young age. He wrote his first theatrical play in 1935 called The King of Halva...
, Melina Mercouri
Melina Mercouri
Melina Mercouri , born as Maria Amalia Mercouri was a Greek actress, singer and politician.As an actress she made her film debut in Stella and met international success with her performances in Never on Sunday, Phaedra, Topkapi and Promise at Dawn...
, Nikos Tsiforos
Nikos Tsiforos
Nikos Tsiforos was a Greek screenwriter and film director. He wrote 64 films between 1948 and 1970. He also directed 17 films between 1948 and 1961.-Biography:...
, Iakovos Kambanelis
Iakovos Kambanelis
Iakovos Kambanelis or Kampanellis was a Greek poet, playwright, lyricist, and novelist. Born 2 December 1922 in Hora in the island of Naxos, Kambanelis appears as one of the most prominent Greek artists of the 20th century...
, Katina Paxinou
Katina Paxinou
Katina Paxinou was a Greek film and theatre actress.-Early life:Born Aikaterini Konstantopoulou in Piraeus, Greece, she trained as an opera singer, and appeared in the operatic version of Maeterlinck's "Sister Beatrice," with a score by Dimitri Mitropoulos, but changed career and joined the Greek...
, Nikos Koundouros
Nikos Koundouros
Nikos Koundouros , is a Greek film director, born in Agios Nikolaos, Crete in 1926.He studied painting and sculpture at the Athens School of Fine Arts, and was later exiled because of his political beliefs to the Makronissos island. At the age of 28 he decided to follow a career in cinematography...
, Ellie Lambeti
Ellie Lambeti
Ellie Lambeti was a Greek actress.-Family:Born in 1926 in Greece,her father owned a Greek tavern in the village of Vilia Attikis. She had six siblings. Her maternal grandfather was a Captain Stamatis who fought together with Kolokotronis against the Turks in 1821, when the modern Greek democracy...
, Irene Papas
Irene Papas
Irene Papas is a Greek actress and occasional singer, who has starred in over seventy films in a career spanning more than fifty years.-Life:...
etc. More than sixty films per year were made, with the majority having film noir elements. Notable films were (1955 directed by George Tzavellas
George Tzavellas
George Tzavellas, also rendered Giorgos Tzavellas, Yiorgos Tzavellas, or Yorgos Javellas , was a Greek film director, screenwriter, and playwright, considered "a key figure in Greek cinema after WWII". In 1964 he was a member of the jury at the 14th Berlin International Film Festival.-External...
), (1951, directed by Grigoris Grigoriou), (O Drakos
O Drakos
O Drakos is a Greek black-and-white film directed by Nikos Koundouros. It won the award for best movie 1955-1959 in the first Thessaloniki Film Festival...
, 1956, directed by Nikos Koundouros
Nikos Koundouros
Nikos Koundouros , is a Greek film director, born in Agios Nikolaos, Crete in 1926.He studied painting and sculpture at the Athens School of Fine Arts, and was later exiled because of his political beliefs to the Makronissos island. At the age of 28 he decided to follow a career in cinematography...
), Stella (1955, directed by Michael Cacoyannis and written by Iakovos Kambanelis
Iakovos Kambanelis
Iakovos Kambanelis or Kampanellis was a Greek poet, playwright, lyricist, and novelist. Born 2 December 1922 in Hora in the island of Naxos, Kambanelis appears as one of the most prominent Greek artists of the 20th century...
).
Cacoyannis also directed Zorba the Greek with Anthony Quinn which received Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film nominations. Finos Film contributed to this period with movies such as , , , and many more.
Melina Mercouri
Melina Mercouri
Melina Mercouri , born as Maria Amalia Mercouri was a Greek actress, singer and politician.As an actress she made her film debut in Stella and met international success with her performances in Never on Sunday, Phaedra, Topkapi and Promise at Dawn...
became also well-known to international audiences when she starred in the 1960 film Never on Sunday
Never on Sunday
Never on Sunday is a 1960 Greek black-and-white film which tells the story of Ilya, a prostitute who lives in the port of Piraeus in Greece, and Homer, an American tourist from Middletown, Connecticut — a classical scholar enamored with all things Greek. Ilya is a character close to the...
, directed by Jules Dassin
Jules Dassin
Julius "Jules" Dassin , was an American film director, with Jewish-Russian origins. He was a subject of the Hollywood blacklist in the McCarthy era, and subsequently moved to France where he revived his career.-Early life:...
. (The couple collaborated on its 1967 musical stage adaptation, Illya Darling
Illya Darling
Illya Darling is a musical with a book by Jules Dassin, music by Manos Hadjidakis, and lyrics by Joe Darion, based on Dassin's 1960 film Never on Sunday.-Production:The show previewed in a tour of Philadelphia, Toronto and Detroit for nine weeks...
, for which she received a Tony Award nomination, as well.) Nominated for an Academy Award for Never on Sunday
Never on Sunday
Never on Sunday is a 1960 Greek black-and-white film which tells the story of Ilya, a prostitute who lives in the port of Piraeus in Greece, and Homer, an American tourist from Middletown, Connecticut — a classical scholar enamored with all things Greek. Ilya is a character close to the...
, she went on to star in such films as Topkapi
Topkapi (film)
Topkapi is a heist film made by Filmways Pictures and distributed by United Artists. It was produced and directed by the emigre American film director, Jules Dassin...
, Phaedra
Phaedra (film)
Phaedra was a 1962 motion picture directed by Jules Dassin as a vehicle for his wife Melina Mercouri, after her world-wide hit Never on Sunday.The film was the fourth collaboration between Dassin and Mercouri, who took the title role...
and Gaily, Gaily
Gaily, Gaily
Gaily, Gaily is a 1969 comedy film directed by Norman Jewison. It is based on the Autobiographical novel by Ben Hecht and stars Beau Bridges, Melina Mercouri, Brian Keith, and George Kennedy....
.
Modern period
During the 1970s and 1980s Theo AngelopoulosTheo Angelopoulos
Theodoros Angelopoulos is a Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer.-Life:Angelopoulos studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, but after his military service went to Paris to attend the Sorbonne. He soon dropped out to study film at the IDHEC before returning...
directed a series of notable and appreciated movies. His film Eternity and a Day
Eternity and a Day
Eternity and a Day is a 1998 Greek film starring Bruno Ganz, and directed by Theo Angelopoulos. The film won the Palme d'Or and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:...
won the Palme d'Or
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
Prize of the Ecumenical Jury
The Prize of the Ecumenical Jury is an independent film award for feature films at the Cannes Film Festival since 1974. The Ecumenical Jury is one of three juries at the Cannes Film Festival, along with the official jury and the FIPRESCI jury. The award was created by Christian film makers, film...
at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival
1998 Cannes Film Festival
The 51st Cannes Film Festival was held on May 13-24, 1998. The Palme d'Or went to the Greek film Mia aioniotita kai mia mera by Theo Angelopoulos.- Jury :*Martin Scorsese *Alain Corneau *Chiara Mastroianni...
.
In 1999, TV series writers Michalis Reppas and Thanasis Papathanasiou, collaborating with contemporary famous actors made the sex taboo comedy Safe Sex
Safe Sex (film)
Safe Sex is a 1999 comedy film by Michalis Reppas and Thanasis Papathanasiou. It was a blockbuster in Greece.-Plot:A satire of life in modern Greece, presented through a series of different stories about sex...
, which was the most successful movie of the decade.
In 2003 another big-budget Greek film named Politiki kouzina (A Touch of Spice
A Touch of Spice
A Touch of Spice is a Greek movie released in 2003 directed by Tassos Boulmetis and starring Georges Corraface as the character of the adult Fanis Iakovides....
), by director Tasos Boulmetis, was the most successful film of the year at the Greek box office
Box office
A box office is a place where tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through an unblocked hole through a wall or window, or at a wicket....
, making over 12 million euros. 2004 was also a good year for Greek films with Nyfes
Nyfes
Nyfes is a 2004 Greek film directed by Pantelis Voulgaris. The film stars Victoria Haralabidou and Damian Lewis, and the photography is by Giorgos Arvanitis. Set in 1922, is the story of a mail order bride, one of 700, aboard the SS King Alexander, who falls in love with an American photographer...
gathering more than a million spectators and over 7 million in box office. In 2007 the most successful film was El Greco (2007 film), directed by Yannis Smaragdis
Yannis Smaragdis
Yannis Smaragdis is a Greek film director.He was born in Crete in 1946 and studied film in Greece and Paris, France. He appeared in 1972 with his short film Two Three Things... which received the first prize in the Athens Festival as well as a Special Mention in the Montreal Film Festival...
.
In 2009 Dogtooth
Dogtooth (film)
Dogtooth is a 2009 film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos about a husband and wife who keep their children imprisoned on their property into adulthood. The Greek drama stars Christos Stergioglou, Michelle Valley, Aggeliki Papoulia, Mary Tsoni and Christos Passalis. Dogtooth is Lanthimos' second feature...
by Yorgos Lanthimos
Yorgos Lanthimos
Yorgos Lanthimos is a Greek filmmaker and theatre director.Yorgos Lanthimos was born in Athens. He studied directing for Film and Television at the Stavrakos Film School in Athens. Through the 90’s he directed a series of videos for Greek dance-theater companies...
won the Prix Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival and in 2011 was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards
83rd Academy Awards
The 83rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences , honored the best films of 2010 and took place February 27, 2011, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, Academy Awards ...
. In 2010 Attenberg
Attenberg
Attenberg is a Greek drama film directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari. The film was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 67th Venice International Film Festival and Ariane Labed won the Coppa Volpi for the Best Actress. It was filmed in the Aspra Spitia village of Boeotia...
won the Coppa Volpi Award for Best Actress (Ariane Labed
Ariane Labed
Ariane Labed is a French actress.She has played in Attenberg and was awarded the Coppa Volpi for the Best Actress at the 67th Venice International Film Festival.-Biography:...
) at the Venice Film Festival. In 2011 Alps (film)
Alps (film)
Alps is a 2011 Greek drama film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. It stars Aggeliki Papoulia and Ariane Labed, and was co-written by Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou...
won the Osella Award for Best Screenplay (Yorgos Lanthimos
Yorgos Lanthimos
Yorgos Lanthimos is a Greek filmmaker and theatre director.Yorgos Lanthimos was born in Athens. He studied directing for Film and Television at the Stavrakos Film School in Athens. Through the 90’s he directed a series of videos for Greek dance-theater companies...
and Efthimiοs Filippou) at the 68th Venice Film Festival.
Notable Greek movies
- 1927 Eros kai kymata, Dimitris Gaziadis
- 1929 Astero, Dimitris Gaziadis
- 1929 Maria Pentagiotissa, Ahilleas Madras
- 1930 Oi Apahides ton Athinon, Dimitris Gaziadis
- 1931 Daphnis and Chloe, Orestis Laskos
- 1944 Hirokrotimata, George TzavellasGeorge TzavellasGeorge Tzavellas, also rendered Giorgos Tzavellas, Yiorgos Tzavellas, or Yorgos Javellas , was a Greek film director, screenwriter, and playwright, considered "a key figure in Greek cinema after WWII". In 1964 he was a member of the jury at the 14th Berlin International Film Festival.-External...
- 1948 The Germans Strike Again, Alekos SakellariosAlekos SakellariosAlekos Sakellarios was a Greek writer and a director.He was born in Athens and began to learn journalism and acting at a young age. He wrote his first theatrical play in 1935 called The King of Halva...
, starring Vassilis LogothetidisVassilis LogothetidisVassilis Logothetidis was a Greek comedian.Logothetidis was born in 1897 in Myriofito, a village in Eastern Thrace close to Istanbul. One year after graduating from high school, in 1916, he started to participate as an amateur actor in local shows... - 1950 Ο methistakas (The Drunkard), George TzavellasGeorge TzavellasGeorge Tzavellas, also rendered Giorgos Tzavellas, Yiorgos Tzavellas, or Yorgos Javellas , was a Greek film director, screenwriter, and playwright, considered "a key figure in Greek cinema after WWII". In 1964 he was a member of the jury at the 14th Berlin International Film Festival.-External...
, starring Orestis MakrisOrestis MakrisOrestis Makris was a Greek actor and tenor.He graduated from the Greek Odeum of Athens and first entered the scene as a tenor in the troupe of Rosalia Nika in 1925. He later joined the Papaioannou troupe, before moving to more humoristic roles. Makris excelled in the portrayal of folk characters,... - 1955 Ena votsalo sti limniEna votsalo sti limniEna votsalo sti limni is a 1955 Greek comedy film directed by Giorgos Tzavelas and stars Vassilis Logothetidis and Ilya Livykou-Plot:A miserly man cheats his wife one night...
, Alekos SakellariosAlekos SakellariosAlekos Sakellarios was a Greek writer and a director.He was born in Athens and began to learn journalism and acting at a young age. He wrote his first theatrical play in 1935 called The King of Halva... - 1955 The Counterfeit CoinThe Counterfeit CoinΚάλπικη λίρα is a Greek comedy film produced in 1955, written and directed by Giorgos Tzavellas and starring Dimitris Horn, Ilya Livikou and Vassilis Logothetidis...
, George TzavellasGeorge TzavellasGeorge Tzavellas, also rendered Giorgos Tzavellas, Yiorgos Tzavellas, or Yorgos Javellas , was a Greek film director, screenwriter, and playwright, considered "a key figure in Greek cinema after WWII". In 1964 he was a member of the jury at the 14th Berlin International Film Festival.-External... - 1955 Stella, Michael Cacoyannis, starring Melina MercouriMelina MercouriMelina Mercouri , born as Maria Amalia Mercouri was a Greek actress, singer and politician.As an actress she made her film debut in Stella and met international success with her performances in Never on Sunday, Phaedra, Topkapi and Promise at Dawn...
- 1956 A Girl in Black, Michael Cacoyannis, starring Ellie LambetiEllie LambetiEllie Lambeti was a Greek actress.-Family:Born in 1926 in Greece,her father owned a Greek tavern in the village of Vilia Attikis. She had six siblings. Her maternal grandfather was a Captain Stamatis who fought together with Kolokotronis against the Turks in 1821, when the modern Greek democracy...
- 1956 O DrakosO DrakosO Drakos is a Greek black-and-white film directed by Nikos Koundouros. It won the award for best movie 1955-1959 in the first Thessaloniki Film Festival...
, Nikos KoundourosNikos KoundourosNikos Koundouros , is a Greek film director, born in Agios Nikolaos, Crete in 1926.He studied painting and sculpture at the Athens School of Fine Arts, and was later exiled because of his political beliefs to the Makronissos island. At the age of 28 he decided to follow a career in cinematography...
, starring Dinos Iliopoulos - 1957 I theia ap' to Chicago, Alekos SakellariosAlekos SakellariosAlekos Sakellarios was a Greek writer and a director.He was born in Athens and began to learn journalism and acting at a young age. He wrote his first theatrical play in 1935 called The King of Halva...
- 1960 Ta kitrina gantiaTa kitrina gantiaTa Kitrina Gantia is a 1960 Greek comedy film made by Finos Films. It was directed by Giorgos Tzavelas and stars Nikos Stavridis, Mimis Fotopoulos, Maro Kontou and Martha Vourtsi. It had an idea of a pathologic husbandly jealousy.-Plot:Orestis is a pathologic jealous husband and always appeared...
, Alekos SakellariosAlekos SakellariosAlekos Sakellarios was a Greek writer and a director.He was born in Athens and began to learn journalism and acting at a young age. He wrote his first theatrical play in 1935 called The King of Halva... - 1960 MadalenaMadalena (film)Madalena is a 1960 Greek comedy film directed by Dinos Dimopoulos. It was entered into the 1961 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Aliki Vougiouklaki - Madalena* Dimitris Papamichael - Labis* Pantelis Zervos - Preast...
, Dinos DimopoulosDinos DimopoulosDinos Dimopoulos was a Greek film director and screenwriter. He directed 47 films between 1953 and 1993.His 1959 film Astero was entered into the 9th Berlin International Film Festival...
, starring Aliki VougiouklakiAliki VougiouklakiAliki Vougiouklaki was a Greek actress. She is considered as one of the most popular and successful actresses of Greek cinema.-Biography:... - 1960 Never on SundayNever on SundayNever on Sunday is a 1960 Greek black-and-white film which tells the story of Ilya, a prostitute who lives in the port of Piraeus in Greece, and Homer, an American tourist from Middletown, Connecticut — a classical scholar enamored with all things Greek. Ilya is a character close to the...
, Jules DassinJules DassinJulius "Jules" Dassin , was an American film director, with Jewish-Russian origins. He was a subject of the Hollywood blacklist in the McCarthy era, and subsequently moved to France where he revived his career.-Early life:... - 1961 AntigoneAntigone (film)Antigone is a 1961 Greek film adaptation of the Ancient Greek tragedy Antigone by Sophocles. It stars Irene Papas in the title role.The film follows the story of the play closely but cuts the chorus...
, George TzavellasGeorge TzavellasGeorge Tzavellas, also rendered Giorgos Tzavellas, Yiorgos Tzavellas, or Yorgos Javellas , was a Greek film director, screenwriter, and playwright, considered "a key figure in Greek cinema after WWII". In 1964 he was a member of the jury at the 14th Berlin International Film Festival.-External... - 1961 Alimono stous neous (Woe to the Young), Alekos SakellariosAlekos SakellariosAlekos Sakellarios was a Greek writer and a director.He was born in Athens and began to learn journalism and acting at a young age. He wrote his first theatrical play in 1935 called The King of Halva...
, starring Dimitris HornDimitris HornDimitris Horn was a Greek theatrical and film performer. He is regarded probably as the greatest Greek actor of modern times.-Biography:... - 1961 The DownhillThe DownhillThe Downhill is a 1961 Greek drama film made by Finos Films. It was directed by Giannis Dalianidis and starring Zoi Laskari, Nikos Kourkoulos, Vangelis Voulgaridis and Pantelis Zervos....
, Giannis DalianidisGiannis DalianidisGiannis Dalianidis was a Greek director.His first film was Mousitsa, released in 1959, which was followed by a series of musicals. Between 1974 and 1981, he produced the television series Luna Park. In 2002, he was dubbed a "national film hero" at the International Thessaloniki Film... - 1962 Electra, Michael Cacoyannis
- 1963 Young Aphrodites, Nikos KoundourosNikos KoundourosNikos Koundouros , is a Greek film director, born in Agios Nikolaos, Crete in 1926.He studied painting and sculpture at the Athens School of Fine Arts, and was later exiled because of his political beliefs to the Makronissos island. At the age of 28 he decided to follow a career in cinematography...
- 1963 The Red LanternsThe Red LanternsThe Red Lanterns is a 1963 Greek drama film directed by Vasilis Georgiadis and based on a play by Alekos Galanos. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also entered into the 1964 Cannes Film Festival...
, Vasilis Georgiadis - 1964 Zorba the Greek (film), Michael Cacoyannis
- 1965 I de gyni na fovitai ton andra, George TzavellasGeorge TzavellasGeorge Tzavellas, also rendered Giorgos Tzavellas, Yiorgos Tzavellas, or Yorgos Javellas , was a Greek film director, screenwriter, and playwright, considered "a key figure in Greek cinema after WWII". In 1964 he was a member of the jury at the 14th Berlin International Film Festival.-External...
- 1966 Blood on the LandBlood on the LandBlood on the Land is a 1966 Greek drama film directed by Vasilis Georgiadis. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.-Cast:* Nikos Kourkoulos as Odysseas Hormovas* Mairi Hronopoulou as Eirini...
, Vasilis Georgiadis - 1970 Ipolochagos NatassaIpolochagos NatassaIpolochagos Natassa is a 1970 Greek film. It starred Aliki Vougiouklaki as Natassa, Dimitris Papamichael as Orestis, and Costas Carras as Max. The story about the German occupation of Greece and the resistance by the Greeks...
, Nikos Foscolos - 1971 Evdokia (film), Alexis Damianos
- 1975 The Travelling PlayersThe Travelling PlayersThe Travelling Players is a 1975 Greek film directed by Theo Angelopoulos that traces the history of mid-20th century Greece from 1939 to 1952.-Plot:...
, Theo AngelopoulosTheo AngelopoulosTheodoros Angelopoulos is a Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer.-Life:Angelopoulos studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, but after his military service went to Paris to attend the Sorbonne. He soon dropped out to study film at the IDHEC before returning... - 1983 Rembetiko (film), Costas Ferris
- 1988 Landscape in the MistLandscape in the Mist-Plot:The movie portrays the journey of two children in search of their father, whom they believe lives in Germany. On the way they meet many people, including a troupe of actors , and encounter dangers...
, Theo AngelopoulosTheo AngelopoulosTheodoros Angelopoulos is a Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer.-Life:Angelopoulos studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, but after his military service went to Paris to attend the Sorbonne. He soon dropped out to study film at the IDHEC before returning... - 1991 The Suspended Step of the StorkThe Suspended Step of the StorkThe Suspended Step of the Stork is a 1991 Greek film directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos. It was entered into the 1991 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Marcello Mastroianni as Missing Politician* Jeanne Moreau as The Woman...
, Theo AngelopoulosTheo AngelopoulosTheodoros Angelopoulos is a Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer.-Life:Angelopoulos studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, but after his military service went to Paris to attend the Sorbonne. He soon dropped out to study film at the IDHEC before returning...
, starring Marcello MastroianniMarcello MastroianniMarcello Vincenzo Domenico Mastroianni, Knight Grand Cross was an Italian film actor. His honours included British Film Academy Awards, Best Actor awards at the Cannes Film Festival and two Golden Globe Awards.- Personal life :... - 1995 Ulysses' GazeUlysses' GazeUlysses' Gaze is a 1995 Greek film directed by Theo Angelopoulos. The actor Gian Maria Volonté died during the filming. He was replaced by Erland Josephson.-Plot:...
, Theo AngelopoulosTheo AngelopoulosTheodoros Angelopoulos is a Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer.-Life:Angelopoulos studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, but after his military service went to Paris to attend the Sorbonne. He soon dropped out to study film at the IDHEC before returning... - 1998 Eternity and a DayEternity and a DayEternity and a Day is a 1998 Greek film starring Bruno Ganz, and directed by Theo Angelopoulos. The film won the Palme d'Or and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.-Plot:...
, Theo AngelopoulosTheo AngelopoulosTheodoros Angelopoulos is a Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer.-Life:Angelopoulos studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, but after his military service went to Paris to attend the Sorbonne. He soon dropped out to study film at the IDHEC before returning... - 1999 Safe Sex (film)Safe Sex (film)Safe Sex is a 1999 comedy film by Michalis Reppas and Thanasis Papathanasiou. It was a blockbuster in Greece.-Plot:A satire of life in modern Greece, presented through a series of different stories about sex...
, Michalis Reppas - Thanassis Papathanasiou - 2003 A Touch of SpiceA Touch of SpiceA Touch of Spice is a Greek movie released in 2003 directed by Tassos Boulmetis and starring Georges Corraface as the character of the adult Fanis Iakovides....
, Tasos Boulmetis - 2004 NyfesNyfesNyfes is a 2004 Greek film directed by Pantelis Voulgaris. The film stars Victoria Haralabidou and Damian Lewis, and the photography is by Giorgos Arvanitis. Set in 1922, is the story of a mail order bride, one of 700, aboard the SS King Alexander, who falls in love with an American photographer...
, Pantelis VoulgarisPantelis VoulgarisPantelis Voulgaris is a Greek film director and screenwriter. His 1989 film The Striker with Number 9 was entered into the 39th Berlin International Film Festival... - 2007 El Greco (2007 film), Yannis SmaragdisYannis SmaragdisYannis Smaragdis is a Greek film director.He was born in Crete in 1946 and studied film in Greece and Paris, France. He appeared in 1972 with his short film Two Three Things... which received the first prize in the Athens Festival as well as a Special Mention in the Montreal Film Festival...
- 2009 Dogtooth (film)Dogtooth (film)Dogtooth is a 2009 film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos about a husband and wife who keep their children imprisoned on their property into adulthood. The Greek drama stars Christos Stergioglou, Michelle Valley, Aggeliki Papoulia, Mary Tsoni and Christos Passalis. Dogtooth is Lanthimos' second feature...
, Yorgos LanthimosYorgos LanthimosYorgos Lanthimos is a Greek filmmaker and theatre director.Yorgos Lanthimos was born in Athens. He studied directing for Film and Television at the Stavrakos Film School in Athens. Through the 90’s he directed a series of videos for Greek dance-theater companies... - 2010 AttenbergAttenbergAttenberg is a Greek drama film directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari. The film was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 67th Venice International Film Festival and Ariane Labed won the Coppa Volpi for the Best Actress. It was filmed in the Aspra Spitia village of Boeotia...
, Athina Rachel Tsangari - 2011 Alps (film)Alps (film)Alps is a 2011 Greek drama film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. It stars Aggeliki Papoulia and Ariane Labed, and was co-written by Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou...
, Yorgos LanthimosYorgos LanthimosYorgos Lanthimos is a Greek filmmaker and theatre director.Yorgos Lanthimos was born in Athens. He studied directing for Film and Television at the Stavrakos Film School in Athens. Through the 90’s he directed a series of videos for Greek dance-theater companies...
Notable MusicalsMusical filmThe musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
- 1963 Merikoi to protimoun kryoMerikoi to protimoun kryoMerikoi to protimoun kryo translations: Some Like it Cold is a 1963 Greek comedy film directed by Giannis Dalianidis. Lakis , Rena , Eva and Mary are four cousins that were secretly with standards with Lela , Thodoros , Giorgis and Kleopa...
(Some Like it Cold), Giannis DalianidisGiannis DalianidisGiannis Dalianidis was a Greek director.His first film was Mousitsa, released in 1959, which was followed by a series of musicals. Between 1974 and 1981, he produced the television series Luna Park. In 2002, he was dubbed a "national film hero" at the International Thessaloniki Film... - 1965 Kiss the Girls (1965 film)Kiss the Girls (1965 film)For another film, see Kiss the Girls Kiss the Girls , a manager at a Greek touristic office in New York arrives in Greece along with her cousin Jeny , in which they knew their rest of their leading actresses....
, Giannis DalianidisGiannis DalianidisGiannis Dalianidis was a Greek director.His first film was Mousitsa, released in 1959, which was followed by a series of musicals. Between 1974 and 1981, he produced the television series Luna Park. In 2002, he was dubbed a "national film hero" at the International Thessaloniki Film... - 1967 Oi Thalassies oi HadresOi Thalassies oi HadresOi Thalassies oi Hadres is a 1967 Greek musical film, directed by Giannis Dalianidis and starring Zoe Laskari, Kostas Voutsas, Martha Karagianni, Faidon Georgitsis, Giannis Vogiatzis and Mary Chronopoulou...
, Giannis DalianidisGiannis DalianidisGiannis Dalianidis was a Greek director.His first film was Mousitsa, released in 1959, which was followed by a series of musicals. Between 1974 and 1981, he produced the television series Luna Park. In 2002, he was dubbed a "national film hero" at the International Thessaloniki Film...
Former
- Athina Film
- Asty Films
- Dag Films
- Astra Film
- Hero Films (Greek: Ἡρώ)
- Acropolis Films
- Olympia Films
- Anzervos
- Parthenon Film
- Klak Film
Current
- Finos FilmsFinos FilmsFinos Film is a film production company that dominated the Greek film industry from 1943 to 1977. It was founded by Philopemen Finos in 1942 during World War II. It was the biggest film production company in Greece at the time and one of the biggest, in terms of productivity, in south east Europe...
(operates its own studios), founded by the major figure of Philopemen Finos - Karagiannis Karatzopoulos
- Novak Films (operates own studios)
- Madbox Entertainment (operates its own studios)
- Village Films Hellas (Greek branch of Village Roadshow)
- Cinegram
- Odeon Hellas
- Make a Movie in Greece - Media Productions
- CL productions
- Audiovisual (biggest distributor)
- Karamanos Studios (biggest studios in Greece)
Directors
- Theo AngelopoulosTheo AngelopoulosTheodoros Angelopoulos is a Greek filmmaker, screenwriter and film producer.-Life:Angelopoulos studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, but after his military service went to Paris to attend the Sorbonne. He soon dropped out to study film at the IDHEC before returning...
- Angeliki AntoniouAngeliki AntoniouAngeliki Antoniou is a Greek film director and screenwriter. She studied architecture in Greece and film direction at the DFFB . She works as scriptwriter and director in Greece and in Germany. In 2006 she taught film direction at the Film School of University in Thessaloniki. She lives between...
- Tasos Boulmetis
- Michael Cacoyannis
- George Pan CosmatosGeorge Pan CosmatosGeorge Pan Cosmatos was a Greek/Italian film director. After studying film in London, he became assistant director to Otto Preminger on Exodus , Leon Uris's epic about the birth of Israel. Thereafter he worked on Zorba the Greek , in which Cosmatos had a small part as Boy with Acne...
- Giannis DalianidisGiannis DalianidisGiannis Dalianidis was a Greek director.His first film was Mousitsa, released in 1959, which was followed by a series of musicals. Between 1974 and 1981, he produced the television series Luna Park. In 2002, he was dubbed a "national film hero" at the International Thessaloniki Film...
- Alexis Damianos
- Nikos Foscolos
- Costa Gavras
- Vasilis Georgiadis
- Constantine Giannaris
- Grigoris Grigoriou
- Takis KanellopoulosTakis Kanellopoulos (director)Takis Kanellopoulos was a Greek film director and screenwriter. He directed ten films between 1960 and 1980.-Filmography:* Sonia * Romantiko simeioma * To hroniko mias Kyriakis...
- Costas Ferris
- Kostas Karagiannis
- Nikos KoundourosNikos KoundourosNikos Koundouros , is a Greek film director, born in Agios Nikolaos, Crete in 1926.He studied painting and sculpture at the Athens School of Fine Arts, and was later exiled because of his political beliefs to the Makronissos island. At the age of 28 he decided to follow a career in cinematography...
- Giorgos Lanthimos
- Orestis Laskos
- Dinos DimopoulosDinos DimopoulosDinos Dimopoulos was a Greek film director and screenwriter. He directed 47 films between 1953 and 1993.His 1959 film Astero was entered into the 9th Berlin International Film Festival...
- Prodromos MeravidisProdromos Meravidis-Biography:He shot the first Greek movie with sound and established the first color film development lab. In 1933, Meravidis filmed Volos and Pelion, while in 1936 he presented the first talkie newsreels in the Cineak theatre....
- Nikos NikolaidisNikos NikolaidisNikos Nikolaidis was a Greek film director and a writer.Nikolaidis was born in 1939 in Athens, where he lived and worked all his life. He was also script writer and producer of movies which he directed. For a part of his time he produced television commercials...
- Nikos Panagiotopoulos
- Vassilis PhotopoulosVassilis PhotopoulosVassilis Photopoulos was an influential Greek painter, film director, art director and set designer.He was an Academy Award winner for the film Zorba the Greek for art direction....
- Alekos SakellariosAlekos SakellariosAlekos Sakellarios was a Greek writer and a director.He was born in Athens and began to learn journalism and acting at a young age. He wrote his first theatrical play in 1935 called The King of Halva...
- Yannis SmaragdisYannis SmaragdisYannis Smaragdis is a Greek film director.He was born in Crete in 1946 and studied film in Greece and Paris, France. He appeared in 1972 with his short film Two Three Things... which received the first prize in the Athens Festival as well as a Special Mention in the Montreal Film Festival...
- Giorgos Tzavellas
- Thanasis Veggos
- Takis VougiouklakisTakis VougiouklakisTakis Vougiouklakis is a Greek director and producer.- Biography :He was born in Athens and is the relative of the former prefectural leader of Arcadia, judge Ioannis Vougiouklakis and Aimilis Koumoundourou.Brother of Aliki Vougiouklaki....
- Nikos PerakisNikos PerakisNikos Perakis is a Greek writer and film director. He has studied at the Fine Arts Academy of Munich. At that time he worked as a set and costume designer...
- Pantelis VoulgarisPantelis VoulgarisPantelis Voulgaris is a Greek film director and screenwriter. His 1989 film The Striker with Number 9 was entered into the 39th Berlin International Film Festival...
Screenwriters
- Nikos TsiforosNikos TsiforosNikos Tsiforos was a Greek screenwriter and film director. He wrote 64 films between 1948 and 1970. He also directed 17 films between 1948 and 1961.-Biography:...
- Iakovos KambanelisIakovos KambanelisIakovos Kambanelis or Kampanellis was a Greek poet, playwright, lyricist, and novelist. Born 2 December 1922 in Hora in the island of Naxos, Kambanelis appears as one of the most prominent Greek artists of the 20th century...
- Alekos SakellariosAlekos SakellariosAlekos Sakellarios was a Greek writer and a director.He was born in Athens and began to learn journalism and acting at a young age. He wrote his first theatrical play in 1935 called The King of Halva...
- Dimitris PsathasDimitris PsathasDimitris Psathas was a famous modern Greek satirist and playwright. He was born in Trabzon of Pontos in 1907 and died in Athens in 1979.He went to Athens in 1923 and finished his studies whereby he devoted himself to both journalism and the theatre. In 1937, he published his first book Justice is...
- Mimis Traiforos
- Thanos LeivaditisThanos LeivaditisThanos Leivaditis was a Greek actor and screenwriter. He studied drawing at the School of Fine Arts of the Athens Polytechnic School ....
- Christos Giannakopoulos
- Petros MarkarisPetros MarkarisPetros Márkaris is a Greek writer of detective novels starring the grumpy Athenian police investigator Costas Haritos.- Biography :...
- Giorgos Oikonomidis
Actors
- Cybele (actress)Cybele (actress)Cybele was the stage name of the famous Greek actress Cybele Andrianou .She was born in 1887 to an unmarried couple in Smyrna and spend the first two years of her life in an Athens orphanage. At the age of two-and-a-half, she was adopted by Anastasis and Maria Andrianou...
- Aimilios VeakisAimilios VeakisAimilios Veakis was one of the greatest Greek actors. He fought in the Balkan Wars and World War II.-Biography:...
- Katina PaxinouKatina PaxinouKatina Paxinou was a Greek film and theatre actress.-Early life:Born Aikaterini Konstantopoulou in Piraeus, Greece, she trained as an opera singer, and appeared in the operatic version of Maeterlinck's "Sister Beatrice," with a score by Dimitri Mitropoulos, but changed career and joined the Greek...
- Manos KatrakisManos KatrakisManos Katrakis was a Greek actor of theater and film.-Biography:Born in Kastelli, Crete, Greece, he was the youngest of five children of Haralambos Katrakis and Irini Katraki. When Manos was 10 years old, his family moved from Crete to Athens, where his father searched for work...
- Alexis MinotisAlexis MinotisAlexis Minotakis, known as Alexis Minotis , was born 8 August 1898 or 1899 in Deliana , Chania, Crete and died on 11 November 1990 in Athens, Greece....
- Vassilis LogothetidisVassilis LogothetidisVassilis Logothetidis was a Greek comedian.Logothetidis was born in 1897 in Myriofito, a village in Eastern Thrace close to Istanbul. One year after graduating from high school, in 1916, he started to participate as an amateur actor in local shows...
- Orestis MakrisOrestis MakrisOrestis Makris was a Greek actor and tenor.He graduated from the Greek Odeum of Athens and first entered the scene as a tenor in the troupe of Rosalia Nika in 1925. He later joined the Papaioannou troupe, before moving to more humoristic roles. Makris excelled in the portrayal of folk characters,...
- Sofia VemboSofia VemboSofia Vembo was a leading Greek singer and actress active from the interwar period to the early postwar years and the 50s. She became best known for her performance of patriotic songs during the Greco-Italian War, when she was dubbed the "Songstress of Victory".Her real name was Efi Bebo...
- Dimitris HornDimitris HornDimitris Horn was a Greek theatrical and film performer. He is regarded probably as the greatest Greek actor of modern times.-Biography:...
- Melina MercouriMelina MercouriMelina Mercouri , born as Maria Amalia Mercouri was a Greek actress, singer and politician.As an actress she made her film debut in Stella and met international success with her performances in Never on Sunday, Phaedra, Topkapi and Promise at Dawn...
- Ellie LambetiEllie LambetiEllie Lambeti was a Greek actress.-Family:Born in 1926 in Greece,her father owned a Greek tavern in the village of Vilia Attikis. She had six siblings. Her maternal grandfather was a Captain Stamatis who fought together with Kolokotronis against the Turks in 1821, when the modern Greek democracy...
- Dinos Iliopoulos
- Marika NezerMarika NezerMarika Nezer was a Greek actress. She was the daughter of Konstantinos Nezer, brother of Christoforos Nezer and cousin of Christoforos Nezer and granddaughter of Christoforos Nezer, fort chief of Athens and an aide-de-camp of King Otto of Greece.-Early...
- Ilya LivykouIlya LivykouIlya Livykou or Ilia Livykou was a Greek actress, a partner with Vassilis Logothetidis.Her real name was Amalia Hatzaki or Hadjaki , later Kozyri. She began her education in javelin throwing and studied law in Athens. She brought her tests and marked excellently at the Dramatic School of the...
- Vasilis AvlonitisVasilis AvlonitisVasilis Avlonitis was one of the most famous old-school Greek comedians. He performed in numerous films and stage productions in the mid to late 1900s....
- Tasso KavadiaTasso Kavadia-Biography:Kavadia was born on 10 January 1921 in Patras. She studied piano in Athens, writing and decoration in Paris, scenario and clothing with Giannis Tsarouchis, and acting at the Drama School at the Art School with Karolos Coon....
- Georgia Vasiliadou
- Eleni ZafeiriouEleni ZafeiriouEleni Zafeiriou was a Greek film actress. She appeared in 108 films between 1951 and 1996.She was born in Larissa, Greece, and died in Athens.-In film:* Bitter Bread * Dead City * I Agni tou limaniou...
- Alekos AlexandrakisAlekos AlexandrakisAlekos Alexandrakis was a famous Greek actor. He was known for his theatrical work as well as work in film and television. He died of lung cancer....
- Rena VlahopoulouRena VlahopoulouIrene "Rena" Vlachopoulou was a famous Greek actress and singer. She starred in theatre, musical and Greek cinema productions, including The Gambler and The Countess of Corfu....
- Christos TsaganeasChristos TsaganeasHristos Tsaganeas was a Greek actor and a cinematographer.-Biography:Tsaganeas was born in Brăila, Romania on July 2, 1906 and died on July 2, 1976. He starred in several movies, his most famous role being the college headmaster in To xylo vgike ap' ton paradeiso...
- Costas HajihristosCostas Hajihristos-Biography:He was born in Thessaloniki to a large family, which later moved to Pagkrati.The young Kostas studied mainly at the Military School in Syros and finished his studies in Kavala. He worked in a variety at the Missouri Theatre in Piraeus and at the Nitsa Gaitanaki company where he plauyed...
- Nikos StavridisNikos Stavridis-Biography:He started his career at a musical theatre, he participated in shows, operettas and varieties. In the 1940s, he began to made his own company and combined with famous stars especially Rena Vlachopoulou, the Kalouta sisters, Kaiti Diridaoua and Marika Nezer, also Kaiti Belinda and Marika...
- Sapfo NotaraSapfo NotaraSapfo Notara, was a Greek actress, known for supporting capabilities in acting. In Greek movies, she acted in comedies as an aunt or a housewife. Notara had a radio programme called I Kiria Kiriaki. One of her last theatre appearances was in the play Pornography .Notara never married...
- Lambros KonstantarasLambros KonstantarasLambros Konstantaras was a Greek stage and screen actor, one of the best actors in Greece. Konstantaras was born in Athens on March 13, 1913. He studied acting in Paris and graduated in 1933, making his theatre debut in France in 1937. He debuted in Greece the following year...
- Mimis FotopoulosMimis FotopoulosDimitris "Mimis" Fotopoulos was a Greek actor, writer, poet and academic....
- Dionyssis PapayannopoulosDionyssis PapayannopoulosDionyssis Papagiannopoulos was a Greek actorHe was born in Diakopto in the northeastern part of the Achaea prefecture in 1912. He studied in Athens at the dramatic school of the national theatre. For the first time, his emphasis in the stage in which he did roles of the knight of King Lear...
- Vasilis DiamantopoulosVasilis DiamantopoulosVasilis Diamamtopoulos was a Greek actor. He was one of the founders of the Modern Theatre and was the first actor to appear live on Greek television in a single act that with his pants of Iakovos Kambanellis in 1966...
- Nikos RizosNikos RizosNikos Rizos was a Greek actor. He took part in many Greek comedies in cinema. He married Elsa Rizou and raised a son.-Career:He began his career with the classic film Anthropoi, anthropoiPeople, People in 1948 at the Metropolitan Theatre, made his own company in 1959 which he co-ran from 1961 as...
- Aliki VougiouklakiAliki VougiouklakiAliki Vougiouklaki was a Greek actress. She is considered as one of the most popular and successful actresses of Greek cinema.-Biography:...
- Thanasis Veggos
- Irene PapasIrene PapasIrene Papas is a Greek actress and occasional singer, who has starred in over seventy films in a career spanning more than fifty years.-Life:...
- Spiros Kalogirou
- Giorgos FountasGiorgos FountasGiorgos Fountas was a Greek actor in film and television.He attended the Dramatic School at the Athens Odeum. He played football for some years for AEK Athens FC. He appeared for the first time in the theatre in Nyfiatiko tragoudi and his first film in 1944...
- Nikos KourkoulosNikos KourkoulosNikos Kourkoulos was a highly respected Greek theatrical and film performer, one of the most talented and recognizable actors in Greece of modern times...
- Spiros Focás
- Andreas Barkoulis
- Martha Karagianni
- Maro Kontou
- Giorgos Konstantinou (actor)Giorgos Konstantinou (actor)Giorgos Konstantinou is a Greek actor in film and television. He is the son of the actress Nitsa Filosofou.-Films:-Television:the good friends-External links:...
- Xenia Kalogeropoulou
- Tzeni KareziTzeni KareziTzeni Karezi was a Greek film and theatre actress. She was considered one of the most popular and successful actresses of the cinema of Greece.-Early life:...
- Kostas KazakosKostas KazakosKostas Kazakos is a Greek actor, director, and politician.He was married to the famous actress Tzeni Karezi with whom he has a son...
- Dimitris PapamichaelDimitris PapamichaelDimitris Papamichael born 1934 in Athens; died 8 August 2004 in Athens 12pm at his house) was a famous Greek actor and director. He married Aliki Vougiouklaki, the national star of Greece for a decade,in 1965 and co-starred with her in films that marked the "golden era" of Greek cinema.-External...
- Sotiris MoustakasSotiris MoustakasSotiris Moustakas was a Greek/Cypriot comedy actor.- Career :One of the most significant comic actors of Greece and Cyprus, Moustakas graduated from the National Theater of Greece and was known for his portrayal of offbeat, neurotic yet likable characters. In many of his movies he portrayed...
- Zoe LaskariZoe LaskariZoe Laskari , is a Greek film and theatre actress, one of the most popular in Greece.-Life:Zoe Laskari was born Zoe Kouroukli in Thessaloniki, from a middle class family which had a long tradition of service to the Hellenic Army. At an early age she lost both her parents and was raised by her...
- Alekos Tzanetakos
- Elena Nathanael
- Nora ValsamiNora Valsami-Life and career:Nora Valsami was born in Cairo, Egypt. Her first stage appearance was in a 1965 production of Aristophanes' tragedy Ecclesiazusae while still a student at the Athens Drama School. Her film acting debut was in Tzeni Tzeni, a 1966 film. Even though she played a minor role in the film...
- Kostas VoutsasKostas VoutsasKostas Voutsas is a famous Greek actor, director and writer.-Biography:Voutsas was born in Thessaloniki, in 1931. He studied drama at the Drama School of the Macedonian Conservatory of Thessaloniki and made his stage and screen debut in 1953...
- Harry Klynn
- Yannis BezosYannis BezosIoannis 'Yannis' Bezos is a Greek actor, best known from the television series "Oi Aparadektoi". He is currently married to Natalia Tsaliki, his co star in "Akros Oikogeneiakon"....
- Petros FilipidisPetros FilipidisPetros Filipidis ; also written as Petros Philippidis, born in 1966 in Athens, Greece, is one of the most popular Greek actors of modern times, who has appeared in many successful television series during the last two decades. In 1986 he graduated from the Karolos Koun School of Theatre...
- Haris RomasHaris RomasCharis Romas or Haris Romas is a Greek actor, screenwriter, lyricist and cinematographist. His real name is Haralambos Rassias and he was born in Piraeus in 23 March 1960.-Filmography:-Movies made for television:-Television:...
- Georges CorrafaceGeorges CorrafaceGeorges Corraface is a Franco-Greek actor who has had an international career in film and television, following many years in French theatre, notably as a member of the famed Peter Brook Company. His film credits include To Tama, Escape from L.A., La Pasión Turca, Vive La Mariée, Impromptu,...
- Giorgos Kimoulis
- Lakis LazopoulosLakis LazopoulosLakis Lazopoulos is a Greek playwright, actor and songwriter. His birth name is Apostolos Lazopoulos , Lakis being a diminutive. Lazopoulos was ranked 83rd by the public in Skai TV's Great Greeks in 2009...
Scenographers
- Vassilis PhotopoulosVassilis PhotopoulosVassilis Photopoulos was an influential Greek painter, film director, art director and set designer.He was an Academy Award winner for the film Zorba the Greek for art direction....
- Marios Angelopoulos
- Yannis TsarouchisYannis Tsarouchis-Early life:Born in Piraeus, he studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts . He was also a student of Photios Kontoglou, who introduced him to Byzantine iconography, while he also studied popular architecture and dressing customs...
- Giorgos Anemogiannis
Film score composers
- Michalis SouyioulMichalis SouyioulMichalis Souyioul was a significant Greek composer in the early and middle 20th century.He was born in Aydın, in the Ottoman Empire, but his family came to Athens in 1920. He was playing piano and later went to Marseille for musical studies...
- Manos Hatzidakis
- Kostas KapnisisKostas KapnisisKostas Kapnisis was a Greek composer. He was born in Athens and studied piano at the Hellenic Conservatory. He was also teached by Nikos Skalkottas.He wrote music and soundtracks for over than 100 Greek movies, documentaries and theatre....
- Giorgos MouzakisGiorgos MouzakisGiorgos Muzakis was a prominent Greek composer and musician of light popular music.-Career:Born in Metaxourgeio, Mouzakis performed first as a trumpeter in 1938, recording his first album in 1946. He studied at the Athens Conservatoire and continued his education in Austria and Germany...
- Takis Morakis
- Mikis TheodorakisMikis TheodorakisMikis Theodorakis is one of the most renowned Greek songwriters and composers. Internationally, he is probably best known for his songs and for his scores for the films Zorba the Greek , Z , and Serpico .Politically, he identified with the left until the late 1980s; in 1989, he ran as an...
- Giorgos KatsarosGiorgos KatsarosGiorgos Katsaros is a famous Greek musician and songwriter. He plays the alto saxophone. He has made a variety of recordings, collaborating amongst others with Greek musical composers, such as Yannis Theodoridis and Mimis Plessas.In 1972 he wrote the music for Alekos Sakellarios' I Komissa tis...
- Mimis PlessasMimis PlessasMimis Plessas is one of the most significant modern Greek composers. He was born in Athens. In 1952 he started composing music and since then he has written music for over 100 Greek movies, Greek radio, theatre and TV...
- Yannis MarkopoulosYannis Markopoulos-Early life and education:Yannis Markopoulos was born in 1939 in Heraklion, Crete. From one of the old families of the island—his father was an attorney and later the Prefect—he spent his childhood in the seaside town of Ierapetra...
- Stavros Xarchakos
- Eleni KaraindrouEleni KaraindrouEleni Karaindrou is a Greek composer, born in Teichio. She studied piano and theory at the Hellenikon Odion in Athens. She is best known for scoring the films of Theo Angelopoulos...
- Vangelis Papathanassiou
- Stamatis SpanoudakisStamatis SpanoudakisStamatis Spanoudakis - Σταμάτης Σπανουδάκης is a Greek classical and new age composer. Early on he studied classical guitar. He went through a pop music phase, but then continued classical studies at the Würzburg State Conservatory with Bertold Hummel and later in Athens with Konstantinos Kydoniatis...
See also
- Cinema of the world
- World cinemaWorld cinemaWorld cinema is a term used primarily in English language speaking countries to refer to the films and film industries of non-English speaking countries. It is therefore often used interchangeably with the term foreign film...
- European cinema
- List of Greek films
- List of Greek actors
- Thessaloniki International Film FestivalThessaloniki International Film FestivalThe Thessaloniki International Film Festival has become one of the Balkans' primary showcases for the work of new and emerging filmmakers...
- Theatre of ancient GreeceTheatre of Ancient GreeceThe theatre of Ancient Greece, or ancient Greek drama, is a theatrical culture that flourished in ancient Greece between c. 550 and c. 220 BC. The city-state of Athens, which became a significant cultural, political and military power during this period, was its centre, where it was...
- Cinema of CyprusCinema of Cyprus-See also:* Cinema of the world* World cinema* Cyprus International Film Festival* Culture of Cyprus* Culture of Greece* Culture of Turkey* List of Greek actors* List of Turkish actors* Film* Cinema of Greece* Cinema of Turkey* List of Cypriot films...
- Culture of GreeceCulture of GreeceThe culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years, beginning in Mycenaean Greece, continuing most notably into Classical Greece, through the influence of the Roman Empire and its Greek Eastern successor the Byzantine Empire...
External links
- Alekos Sakellarios talks about the first movies of Greek cinema at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Daphnis et Chloe (1931) at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Hirokrotimata (1944) at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- The Drunkard (1950) at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- The Counterfeit Coin (1955) at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- I theia ap' to Chicago (1957) at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Woe to the Young (1961) at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Madbox Entertainment - Film production company and studios and postproduction
- myFILM.gr - Entertainment news and movie reviews (Greek)
- Modern Hellenic (Greek) film (cinema), theater and film directors, Actors
- Database of Greek films
- greek-movies.com
- Greek movies, tv series and shows database.
- Extensive history of cinema in Greece.
- Make a Movie in Greece - media productions in Greece
- Various movie theatres in Greece