ELIAS GIANNAKAKIS

Born in Athens, Greece, in 1968, he is a screenwriter, director, producer and camera operator of documentary and fiction films.

In total, he has written and directed almost 400 documentaries and 3 fiction films, while in numerous instances he acted as the producer as well.

His documentaries and fiction films have earned him more the twenty awards in international and Greek festivals. Many of his documentaries have been shown in special screenings in Greece and abroad, and have been selected by many international festivals.

From 2000 to 2013 he was one of the regular directors working in the famous TV documentary program “Paraskinio”, produced by Cinetic for ERT (Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation).

He is specialized in the arts-related (theatre, literature, cinema etc), historical and sports documentary.

In the season 2002- 2003 he co-hosted together with poet Sotiris Kakisis a radio program for ERA SPORTS, titled “Mythomania”, interviewing major sports personalities in Greece.

His preoccupation with the subject of sports within a broad historical and the social context led to the publication of a collection of essays in a book, entitled “The Football Novel”, in 2005.

In the season 2009-2010, he directed a 15-episode documentary series for SKAI television, titled “Forever Champions” and in the season 2013-2014, he made a documentary series for ERT, titled “In the Fever of the World Cup”. He has developed a specialty in the field of the sports documentary, since his relationship with football, basketball and athletics has long grown far beyond that of the average sports fan.

Theatre documentaries hold a considerable part in his filmography, as he has directed over thirty films spanning the entire spectrum of Greek theatre, and dedicating many months of filming to each of his subjects, in most cases handling the camera himself, in order for his work to have a more personal character.

Next to all these he has worked extensively in history documentaries, dealing with periods of controversy, such as the German occupation or the Greek Civil War, in a spirit devoid of the bias of the past, highlighting different aspects and opposite sides equally and considering facts and events through the human dimension.

For a period of five years he was involved in planning and organizing major retrospectives in cinema clubs and special tribute screenings. Furthermore, he has been writing articles on the history of cinema for over 15 years.

In the last twenty-five years, he has gathered together a rich and expanding collection, audiovisual (of films, documentaries, newsreel, television programs, substantial unseen footage shot for his documentaries in the last twentyfive years) as well as printed material (books, rare magazines and newspapers, documents and photographs of historical value).

FILMOGRAPHY

1996 “The last act” (12 min). Award for Best Fantasy Film from the Kotronis Foundation.

1999 “Patagonia” (30 min). Merit Distinction from the Greek Ministry of Culture and the Greek Film Centre. Best Sccreenplay Award from the Kotronis Foundation.

2000 “The kids at the traffic lights” (15 min). For the educational section of ERT (Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation).

2000-2013 A number of 35 50-minute documentaries, for the famous television program "Paraskinio".

2004-2011 Thirty 50-minute documentaries for ERT and ERT Digital (“The Antennas of our times”, “Mathimata - Pathimata”, “Portraits and paths of Greek architects”, "Landscapes of silence", "New insights into the Greek cinema", "12 women monologues", “Docville", etc)

2004 “Yannis Kouros – Forever running” (73 min). A documentary for the legendary ultra-marathon runner and world record holder Yannis Kouros. (Second Prize at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival in 2004) (His own production)

2004 “Alemaya”, (100 min). Fiction film co-produced with the Greek Film Centre. It premiered at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, in 2004. (His own production)

2005 «Walter the Greek» (65 min). A documentary about the world famous director of photography Walter Lassally, who won the Academy Award for “Zorba the Greek” by Michalis Kakogiannis. (Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival 2005).

2006 “What is our country?” (50 min). A television documentary tackling the sensitive subject of the relation of the Greek Church and the educational process, as expressed though the History teaching curriculum.

2008 “Makronissos – Exile Island” (90 min). A documentary feature, co-directed with Evi Karabatsou, about the Greek island of exile, Makronissos. Co-produced by ERT and the Greek Film Centre. (Audience Award at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in 2008). (His own production).

2009 “A belated thank-you” (65 min). A documentary about women prisoners on death row at the Averof Prison and the people who put their own lives at risk in order to save them.

2009 Six 50-minute documentaries for ERT on six well-known Greek cinematographers.

2009-2010 A 15-episode documentary series of of 45 and 90 min. each (short and extended versions) for SKAI television, entitled “Forever Champions”, on the history of football and basketball in Greece.

2011 “Μedusa” Four short videos that were part of a theatrical performance directed by Thomas Moschopoulos, as part of the Athens Festival.

2011 “St George – Lycabettus” (45 min). An observational documentary film recording the every day life on the historic athenian hill, Lycabettus. It was part of the television program Docville, on ERT.

2012 “Hara” (Joy) (80 min). Fiction, black&white. Co-produced by ERT, the Greek Film Centre and NOVA. The film premiered at the International section of the Thessaloniki Film Festival and went on to screen at 12 international festivals (Karlovy Vary, Edinburgh, Shanghai, New York, etc).It has won Special mention at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, an Award for
best actress (for Amalia Moutoussi) by the Hellenic Film Academy and a best actress Award (Amalia Moutoussi) at the Alexandria Film Festival.

2013-14 “Kalavryta – People and Shadows” (110 min). A documentary about the Kalavryta Massacre. It won the FIPRESCI Award at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival (2014), an award for Best Historical Documentary at the International Film Festival Aegean Docs, in Mytilene and screened at the Greek Film Festivals of Los Angeles and New York and at the London Greek Film Festival.

2014 “In the fever of the World Cup” A television documentary series for ERT, comprising of four episodes on the history of the Greek national football team and another four about the history of the World Cup. (His own production).

2014 “Golfo in Epidaurus” (78 min). A documentary on the staging process of the renowned production of Nikos Karathanos at the Epidaurus Ancient Theatre, made for the Athens Festival.

2014 Two short documentaries dedicated to the famous theatre actor and director Lefteris Vogiatzis.
The first one, of 15 minutes in duration, titled “Lefteris Voyatzis discusses light” was shot in 2005 and completed in 2014.
The second, a 10-minute short film, entitled “Last time on stage” features Voyatzis in his very last performance in Pinter’s “Hothouse”, in May 2011. It is an assortment of highlights from the play and Voyatzis’ private moments of preparation before the performance.

2014-15 Aristeia Program of the Hellenic University of Peloponnese. 30 filmed interviews of the most accomplished Greek historians made in association with Antonis Liakos and Vangelis Karamanolakis destined for the University’s web platform.

2013-2016 “Michael Marmarinos in Faust's workshop”, 87 min.
         “Hamlet in the mind of Yannis Houvardas”, 88 min.
         “The cherry orchard, Mickey Mouse and Nikos Karathanos”, 110 min.
         “Akyllas Karazisis meets Horvath with Faith, Hope, Charity”, 65 min. (co-directed with Apostolia Papaioannou)
Four documentary feature films, for the Onassis Cultural Centre, that chronicle the staging process of four productions, from the fist day of rehearsals until the premiere.

2016-2018 “A Wake for Shakespeare”, (72 min). On the  400th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, a single overnight event is held, where leading figures of the Greek theatre scene perform excerpts from works by the great playwright. The film was first presented in 2018, at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.

2018 “Stavros Zoumboulakis”. An episode of the TV documentary program MONOGRAMMA, for ERT

2018-19 Two 48-minute episodes for the documentary program of CosmoteTV, “Mirror of time”, on the great technical works that defined the face of Greece,“Pireaus: A seaport of democracy” and “Miracles and Wounds of the road network in Attica”

2016-2020 “Transfer”, 115 min. A cross between an observational documentary and a historical essay, the film revolves around the relocation of the National Library into a new facility whie examining the maladies that have plagued modern Greece throughout its history. It is scheduled to premiere in the spring of 2020.

2020-2022: “Ysterografo” – Eight documentary episodes, in two seasons, as part of ERT’s cultural series, serving as the continuation of the historic “Paraskinio.”

2020: “Returning to Pigi” – A 40-minute historical documentary about the small village of Pigi in Crete and the events in the Monastery of Arkadi.

2021-2022: “The Years of Innocence” – An eight-episode, hour-long documentary series for ERT, exploring the history of early Greek football from 1920 to 1979, before the advent of professionalism, featuring rich and rare archival material as well as numerous significant testimonies.

2021-2022: “1821 – Before and After” – A 75-minute documentary on the eponymous exhibition at the Benaki Museum, commemorating the 200th anniversary of Greek Independence.

2021-2023: “Stadium Memories” – A series of 100 short documentaries (in two seasons), each lasting seven to ten minutes, for ERT3. Through rare archival footage and voice-over narration, the series highlights unforgettable figures, as well as small, significant, and lesser-known moments in Greek and European sports history.

2022-2023: “The Aura of the Presidential Guard” – A four-episodes documentary series (45 minutes per episode) for COSMOTE TV, covering the history of the Evzones and the Presidential Guard.

2024: “For Crete and freedom - The road to Union” – A 45-minute historical documentary on the unification of Crete with Greece.

2025: Lakis Papastathis at the Benaki Museum
Co-curator, together with Giorgos Skevas and Katerina Evangelakou, of the exhibition on Lakis Papastathis, which opened in April 2025 and ran for four months.

A. Lakis Papastathis in Benaki Museum or The Utopia of Cinetic
Feature-length documentary, 118 min.
A journey through the multifaceted work of Lakis Papastathis, both fiction and documentary, as well as through the history of Cinetic company, which he founded together with Takis Chatzopoulos, transforming the cultural landscape of Greece. More than thirty speakers appear in the documentary, which brings an entire golden age back to life through the use of exceptionally rare and valuable archival material. The documentary premiered at the Benaki Museum on June 4th in 2025.
B. Yvonne Maltezou: A Lifetime with Lakis
25 min,
Yvonne Maltezou, an exceptional actress and Lakis Papastathis's wife for more than fifty years, recalls small and great moments, attempting to revisit a fascinating emotional and artistic journey.
C. Lakis and Zevelakis
30 min.
Giorgos Zevelakis and Lakis Papastathis were close friends, fellow travelers and collaborators for almost half a century. They were united by their shared passion for old literary magazines, poetry, the artistic process, and the human being.

2026: 2005 - 2015 The years of Loukos
Feature-length documentary, 135 min., produced by the Athens Epidaurus Festival, about the golden decade of Giorgos Loukos as artistic director of the Festival.
Featuring 45 speakers from Greece and abroad, along with a wealth of previously unseen material in which Giorgos Loukos was systematically filmed by Elias Giannakakis from 2007 for one whole year. The documentary premiered, in an especially moving atmosphere and in the presence of Giorgos Loukos, on June 13th, 2026 at Piraeus 260, Venue D.
The repeat screening, featuring a new edit that also includes the evening of the premiere, and constituting the film's final version, will take place on November 28th, 2026, again at Piraeus 260, which is the main venue of the Athens Epidaurus Festival.

2026: Lefteris Voyatzis and his Andros
45-min documentary, produced by the International Festival of Andros, where it premiered in July 2026.
A film that attempts to explore the person Lefteris Voyatzis alongside his artistic personality, and Andros island as his Paradise. The only person to appear in the film is Lefteris Voyatzis's partner, Eirini Levidi.

2026: One Hundred Years Benakeio Children Foundation
A 62-min documentary about a century of operation of the historic nursery school founded by Emmanouil Benakis shortly after the Asia Minor Catastrophe.
The film had its first screening in the courtyard of the Benakeio Children Foundation in Kifissia on September 17th, 2026, in the presence of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas.

2026: Eva Stefani - The World Underneath
An 85-min documentary filmed over eight years, between 2018 and 2026, approaching Eva Stefani and her work through, among other things, the intimacy of her close friendship with Elias Giannakakis. Premiere on October 5th, 2026, in Athens International Film Festival Opening Nights.

2026: MAHI
Feature-length fiction film, 120 min., produced by Apostolia Papaioannou, with co-producers EKKOMED, ERT, the Athens Epidaurus Festival and Elias Giannakakis. Starring Betty Vakalidou and Elena Topalidou.
The film premiered at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in November 2025, followed by its international premiere at the Istanbul International Film Festival in April 2026.
Its theatrical release follows on November 5th, 2026, distributed by TANWEER.