Yannis Economides ( el, Γιάννης Οικονομίδης; born in

Limassol Limassol (; el, Λεμεσός, Lemesós ; tr, Limasol or ) is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the district with the same name. Limassol is the second largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population ...

, Cyprus), is a

Greek Cypriot Greek Cypriots or Cypriot Greeks ( el, Ελληνοκύπριοι, Ellinokýprioi, tr, Kıbrıs Rumları) are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community. According to the 2011 census, 659,115 r ...

screenwriter and filmmaker, who is considered to be one of the leading creators of modern Greek cinema. His films explore themes of emotional and physical violence, alongside the collapse of petty-bourgeois society and the pathologies of today's families. They are characterized by their extreme use of profanity and depiction of graphic violence. Economides has cited fellow Greek filmmakers like

Kostas Manoussakis Kostas Manoussakis ( el, Κώστας Μανουσάκης; January 1929 – 26 August 2005) was a Greek film director and screenwriter. His 1964 film ''Treason'' was entered into the 1965 Cannes Film Festival and his 1966 film '' The Fear' ...

Alexis Damianos Alexis Damianos ( el, Αλέξης Δαμιανός; 1921–2006) was a Greek, film/theatre and television director. Biography Damianos was born in Athens on January 21, 1921. He studied at the National Theatre of Greece and the philosophy departme ...

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among others, as well as directors from the international scene such as the

Coen Brothers Joel Daniel Coen (born November 29, 1954) and Ethan Jesse Coen (born September 21, 1957),State of Minnesota. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002''. Minnesota Department of Health. collectively known as the Coen brothers (), are American film ...

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...

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Gaspar Noé Gaspar Noé (, ; born 27 December 1963) is an Argentine filmmaker based in Paris, France. He is the son of Argentine painter, writer, and intellectual Luis Felipe Noé. In the early 1990s, Noé along with his wife Lucile Hadžihalilović were ...

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and

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as influences on his work.

Early life

Yannis Economides was born in

in 1967, the eldest of three siblings. According to him, even though he was young when the

1974 Cypriot coup d'état The 1974 Cypriot coup d'état was a military coup d'état sponsored by the Greek Army in Cyprus, the Cypriot National Guard and the Greek junta, Greek military junta. On 15 July 1974 the coup plotters removed the sitting President of Cyprus, Arch ...

took place, this experience has left an impression on him and later influenced his work. After finishing school, he moved to

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

in 1986 and attended courses at the cinema school of Eugenia Hadjikou. Economides' career began with short films and documentaries. The ''Gradual Improvement of the Weather'' and ''Only Smelling Jasmine'' were honored, in 1992 and 1994 respectively, at the

Drama International Short Film Festival Drama International Short Film Festival is Greece's leading short film festival, and the annual meeting place for filmmakers and industry professionals. Based in Drama, Greece the festival runs a six-day schedule in September and its main venues ...

Career

After short films and documentaries, he wrote and directed his first feature film ''

Matchbox Phillumeny (also known as phillumenism) is the hobby of collecting different match-related items: matchboxes, matchbox labels, matchbooks, matchcovers, matchsafes, etc. Matchbox A matchbox is a box made of cardboard or thin wood and designe ...

'' in 2002. His second feature film, '' Soul Kicking'', premiered in the

International Critics' Week The International Critics' Week (french: Semaine de la Critique) was founded in 1962 and is organized by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics. It was created following the showing of '' The Connection'' directed by Shirley Clarke which had been ...

section at

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

in 2006. His third film ''Knifer'', which released in 2010 has won seven awards from the Hellenic Film Academy, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay. His fourth feature film, ''Stratos'', premiered in the Competition Programme of the 64th

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

in 2014. Each of his four feature films has been honored with the Greek Film Critics Association Award for Best Greek Feature Film. In October 2016, his first theatrical production premiered at the New Stage of the National Theatre in Athens, with Economides directing his own play ''Sleep, Stella, Sleep''. He performed as a supporting actor in several Greek films. In 2017 he had a part in

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’s latest film, ''In the Fade''.

Filmography

* ''Ballad for a Pierced Heart'' (2020) * ''Stratos'' (2014), Color, 137’ 64th Berlin International Film Festival 2014 – Competition Programme LAGFF 2015: Best Feature Film Award (Orpheus Award) Cyprus Film Days 2014: Best Feature Film Award Hellenic Film Academy Awards: Best Sound, Best Original Music Score, Best Leading Actor, Best Supporting Actress Greek Association of Film Critics Award: Best Greek Film of the Year 2014 Med Film Fest in Rome 2014: Amore e Psiche (Grand Prize) European Film Awards 2014: Pre-nomination * ''Knifer'' (2010), Black&White, 108’ LAGFF 2011: Best Feature Film Award (Orpheus Award) Cyprus Film Days 2011: Best Feature Film Award Hellenic Film Academy Awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Sound Greek Association of Film Critics Award: Best Greek Film of the Year 2010 PUSAN international Film Festival 2010 11th Kaohsiung Film Festival New York Greek Film Festival 2011 Haifa IFF 2011 Eskisehir IFF 2011 Bildrausch Film Fest Basel 2011 Black Movie Festival 2012 * '' Soul Kicking'' (2006), Color, 117’ Official section of the Cannes International Film Festival 2006, “The International Critics’ Week" Chicago International Film Festival 2006, Pusan International Film Festival 2006, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2006, Cyprus Film Days 2007, Festival Del Cinema Europeo 2007 (Lecce-Italy), Eurocine 27 2007 (Madrid) * ''

'' (2002), Color, 81’ Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2002, Montreal World Film Festival, 2003 Pusan International Film Festival, 2003 International Film Festival of India 2003, New Delhi * ''The Life You Hoped For'' (1995), documentary * ''Smelling the Jasmine'' (1994), documentary * ''Gradual Improvement in the Weather'' (1992), short * ''Welcome, Night'' (1990), documentary * ''Episode'' (1989), short

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Economides, Yannis Cypriot film directors People from Limassol Living people 1967 births