Yiannis Economides
Yannis Economides was born in Cyprus in 1967. In 1987 he moved to Athens, Greece, to pursue studies in law, but almost immediately quit law school to study filmmaking instead. After making several documentaries and short films, in 2003 he wrote and directed his first feature film, the iconic "Matchbox". His second feature, "Soul Kicking", premiered at the International Critics' Week at Cannes Film Festival in 2006. His third feature, "Knifer", premiered at Busan International Film Festival in 2010 and went on to win seven Greek Film Academy Awards including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay. His fourth feature, "Stratos (To Mikro Psari)”, had its world premiere in the Official Competition of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival in 2014. In 2016 Yannis Economides wrote and directed his first play, "Sleep, Stella, Sleep" for the New Stage of the National Theatre in Athens, which became a huge critical and commercial hit. His fifth feature, "Ballad for a pierced heart", premiered in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic and managed to become a box office hit in Greece. The film received 15 Greek Film Academy nominations, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay. In November 2022, "Matchbox - The Musical", premiered at the main stage of Onassis Stegi, in libretto and artistic direction by Yannis Economides. His sixth and most recent feature film, titled “Broken Vein,” was released in Greek theaters on November 27, 2025, to great commercial and critical success. All six of his feature films have been honored with the Greek Film Critics Association Award for Best Greek Feature Film of the Year. In 2026, he was conferred an honorary doctorate by the Hellenic Open University. All of his films have screened at several prestigious international film festivals
Olympia Mytilinaiou
Olympia Mytilinaiou is a cinematographer based in Athens, Greece. She is a member of the Greek Society of Cinematographers (GSC), IMAGO, the ICF+C, WIC. She is also a member of both the European and Hellenic Film Academies. Born in 1967, she grew up in Litochoro, at the foot of Mount Olympus in Central Macedonia. She studied Cinematography at the Lykourgos Stavrakos Film and TV School, starting her career as a camera assistant, focus puller, and camera operator in film, documentaries, and commercials. She made her debut as Director of Photography in 1999 with the feature film ’17 sta 18′ directed by Mimi Kougioumtzis. Olympia gained international attention with ‘Strella (A Woman’s Way) ’(2009), directed by Panos H. Koutras, which premiered in the Panorama section of the Berlinale ,in 2023, she returned to Cannes with Panos.H.Koutras’s ‘DODO’. She has collaborated on numerous award-winning productions, including ‘Miss Violence ’(2013) by Alexandros Avranas,winner of multiple awards at the Venice Film Festival. Also come back to Venice with the film Quiet life director Alexandros Avranas. At 46 Manaki Brothers film festival she won the silver camera 300 award for the same film. London Rocks film festival Best Cinematography for the short film Elpida by Billy Soulis. At Hollywood Bood Horror film festival Best Cinematography for the short film After Party by Alexandros Zarbis. She has received awards including the International Gianni Di Venanzo Cinematography Prize in Italy. At 2025 won the Silver camera award at International cinematographer's film festival Manaki brothers. Her work spans feature and short films, documentary, and video art, recognized for its emotional depth and visual precision
Athena Xenidou
Athena Xenidou is an accomplished director, producer, and screenwriter working across film, television, and theatre. She has served as the President of the Director's Guild of Cyprus from 2023-2025, a member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Emmy), and has served on the International Emmy Awards Jury since 2001. She also serves as the artistic director of the Children and Youth section in the International Festival Cyprus Film Day. A core member of the European Manifesto, she advocates for cultural sovereignty and the recognition of cinema under the Cultural Exception principle, endorsed by 24 European Ministers of Culture. Athena studied Music and English Literature in Switzerland before earning her BA in Film from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an MA in Politics and Media from the University of Nicosia. She also completed producer training at the American Film Institute (AFI). Her film portfolio includes award-winning shorts Dead End, The Made Guy, Tripwire, Saving Joy, and Insidious Invisible. In 2001, she wrote and directed the feature documentary Unwitnessed Memories, which received national theatrical and television distribution, screened at IDFA, and won the Gold Jury Award at Worldfest Houston. In Greek television, Athena directed Survivor (Seasons 1 & 2), The Farm (Seasons 1 & 2), and 48 episodes across three drama series Ρουα Ματ, Όσα Δεν Ξέρεις, and Κρυφός Καιάδας featuring prominent actors including Nikos Poursanidis, Giannis Vouros, Petros Lagoutis, and Katerina Didaskalou. Athena's theatre directing credits include Pulitzer Prize-winner The Shadow Box by Michael Cristofer, Miss Julie by August Strindberg, The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler, and I Hate Hamlet by Paul Rudnick. At the Cyprus National Theatre, she directed Marius Von Mayenburg's The Stone and Nachtland, the latter achieving a sold-out 2024 run. In 2023, she co-founded Ray Talent Agency with partner Ronan Le Du, representing global talent and creatives. Their production company, Ray Films, focuses on producing feature films and series for international distribution. Passionate about nurturing talent, Athena founded The Film and Stage Studio and has lectured in Producing and Directing at the University of Central Lancashire. She recently served as Executive Producer on The Invincibles and is currently attached as producer, writer, and director on multiple feature and series projects, including Laskarina, selected for The Owl 2023 by Athens Film Office.
Kostas Raftopoulos
Kostas Raftopoulos is a Greece-based Line Producer and UPM, active in international film and TV since 2000. He worked as a freelancer for over two decades, primarily on international TV commercials, film and TV series, before joining Faliro House Productions in 2021, where he focuses on international productions filming in Greece. His recent credits include The Odyssey by Christopher Nolan, Amazon Prime series The Assassin, BBC series Prisoner 951, Killer Heat by Philippe Lacôte, Disney+ Rise by Akin Omotoso, alongside titles such as In the Fade by Fatih Akin, ITV series The Durrells (S2–S4), Little England by Pandelis Voulgaris. In addition to his film and television work, Kostas also served as Line Producer for Onassis Stegi under Fast Forward Festival 3, on Thomas Bellinck’s Domo de Eŭropa Historio en ekzilo (House of European History in Exile). The Instalation was first presented in Athens in 2016 and later showcased at Festival de Marseille & Mucem in 2018.
Dimitra Dimou
Dimitra Dimou is a member of Laboratory Teaching Staff (EDIP) in the Department of Digital Arts and Cinema at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. After completing her undergraduate studies in the Department of Communication and Mass Media, at NKUA, she pursued a specialization in Cultural and Film Studies within the Department’s graduate program titled “Communication and Mass Media”. Upon completing her dissertation at the Department of Philosophy at the University of Athens in 2021, she earned the title of Doctor of Philosophy in Film. Her first book on the philosophical interpretation of cinema was published in 2023 under the title: Kantian Ethics in Contemporary Cinema / Highlighting Examples of Categorical Imperatives in Contemporary Cinematic Representations. Her research interests focus on of film interpretation, and also include communication theory and academic writing.
