Famous Greek Directors

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 1 
Yorgos Lanthimos
(Greek Filmmaker and Screenwriter)
Yorgos Lanthimos
4
Birthdate: September 23, 1973
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Athens, Greece

Greek filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter Yorgos Lanthimos initially studied business and was also part of the Greek national basketball team before stepping into films. A prominent figure of the Greek Weird Wave movement, he is known for his Academy Award-nominated screenwriting in The Lobster and direction in The Favourite.

 2 
Costa Gavras
(Film Director)
Costa Gavras
2
Birthdate: February 12, 1933
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Iraia, Greece

Costa Gavras is a Greek-French screenwriter and filmmaker best known for making movies with social and political themes. His 1969 political thriller film Z, which earned him an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, was the first movie to receive nominations for both the Best Foreign Language Film and Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

 3 
Romain Gavras
(French Filmmaker Who Has Directed Many Iconic Music Videos)
Romain Gavras
2
Birthdate: July 4, 1981
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Athens

Born to French producer Michèle Ray-Gavras and Greek-French director Costa-Gavras, French filmmaker Romain Gavras was no stranger to films as a child. Apart from making films such as The World Is Yours and countless ads, he has also directed iconic music videos such as Jamie xx’s Gosh and M.I.A.’s Bad Girls.

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 4 
Alexi Pappas
(Greek-American Track and Field Athlete)
Alexi Pappas
3
Birthdate: March 28, 1990
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Berkeley, California, United States

Alexi Pappas is a Greek-American runner, actor, writer, and filmmaker. In 2016, she set the national record for 10,000m at the Rio Olympics where she represented Greece. As a filmmaker, Alexi Pappas is credited with bankrolling and writing Olympic Dreams, the first fictional film to be shot in an Olympic village. 

 5 
Theo Angelopoulos
(Greek Filmmaker, Producer, and Screenwriter)
Theo Angelopoulos
2
Birthdate: April 27, 1935
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Athens, Greece
Died: January 24, 2012

Greek filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter Theo Angelopoulos is remembered for his Palme d'Or-winning film Eternity and a Day. He dropped out of law school to study film and later became known for his signature slow narratives and long takes. He died after being hit by a motorcycle while shooting the film The Other Sea.

 6 
Andreas Voutsinas
(Sudanese-Greek Theater Director and Actor)
Andreas Voutsinas
2
Birthdate: August 22, 1930
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Khartoum, Sudan
Died: June 8, 2010

Andreas Voutsinas was a Sudanese-Greek theater director and actor. He is remembered for playing important roles in films like The Producers, The Twelve Chairs, and History of the World, Part I. From 2002 to 2009, he worked as an acting teacher in Northern Greece’s State Theatre. Andreas Voutsinas is also credited with founding a drama school called Superior Drama School.

 7 
Michael Cacoyannis
(Film Director)
Michael Cacoyannis
1
Birthdate: June 11, 1921
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Limassol, Cyprus
Died: July 25, 2011

Greek filmmaker Michael Cacoyannis is best remembered for his Academy Award-nominated film Zorba the Greek. Born to a public servant father who was knighted for his work, in Cyprus, he initially studied law and then joined the BBC World Service. He had also performed on stage as Michael Yannis.

 8 
Athina Rachel Tsangari
(Greek Filmmaker Who Has Directed Short Films, Feature Films, and Series)
Athina Rachel Tsangari
2
Birthdate: 1966 AD
Birthplace: Athens, Greece
Greek filmmaker Athina Rachel Tsangari is best known for films such as Attenberg and Chevalier. She has also co-produced pathbreaking films such as Dogtooth and Alps and has directed the series Trigonometry and a number of shorts. In 2014-2015, she was invited by Harvard to be a visiting lecturer on film and art.