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DIMITRI ATHANITIS    a cinematic world

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Dimitri Athanitis is an outstanding Greek film director, member of the European Film Academy, founding member and first secretary of the Greek Film Academy. Born in Athens, he studied cinema and architecture.

His last film Medea (2022) gained 21 awards and was characterised as an "opti and sound ecstasy, rare in cinema today".

Invisible (2016) with 16 Awards at more than 40 festivals, playing for 17 weeks at Athens theaters and in more than 35 Greek cities, making an incredible record.

"For innovating Greek cinema" with his debut Addio Berlin (1994) he gained the Jury’s Special Prize at Thessaloniki IFF. This low budget indepedent film became cult at once, while Athinorama noticed "maybe the next big name in Greek cinema".

His second feature, the provocative and classic now, No Sympathy For The Devil (1997), shot also in black and white, created a scandal in TIFF and gained the Best Actress Award, representing Greece at the International Competition, honored also by a Ministry of Culture Distinction.

2000+1 Shots (2001), Athanitis's film on millenium,  combining fiction and documents, creats the mosaic of a city and the stigma of the whole world at a specific moment. It gained international recognition and in the cine bible Senses of Cinema, Bill Mousoulis chose it among  the 10 best films in the world for 2001.


An Athens Summer Night’s Dream (1999), a modern adaptation of the theatrical play, was included in Oxford's Shakespeare and World Cinema by Mark Burnette, while Planet Athens (2005), on the Athens Olympics, is the one and only fiction ever shot in real time during the Games.

Three Days Happiness (2012) gained 4 awards, had a high critical perception was presented in more than 30 festivals and was selected by the TIFF among the 100 all time top Greek films. His first documentary Labyrinth (2019) on Athens galleries, gained 5 awards.

Athanitis's short films are also extraordinary; Philosophy (1993) prophets the Greek bail out and gained the Phantasy Award at Drama IFF, Mister X (1994) is a silent story about a clerk living in his suitcase while Madonna Calls Fassbinder (2008) is actually what the title promises.

Athens Underground (2011-2018), a completely original reconstruction of the city's image based on 6+1 films of his, is a mega video installation in continuous progress. It was included in the world review for visual arts by the Italian Cultura Universale, 2/2012, the only Greek reference.


His first book Secret Encounters (2017), a cinematic voyage through meetings with stars, directors, writers and even underground figures, had a special first presentation at the Athens Book Festival and later in Thessaloniki Film Festival, Drama FF and many Greek cities. His second book Scripts (2020) contains the scripts of his first two films, Addio Berlin and No Sympathy for the Devil.
Hiw third book The Seventh Continet / 60 Films For Ever (2022) is an anthology of 60 films from 120 years of cinema.


In December 2022, a seat was named Athanitis at the historic Studio art cinema at Athens, besides Theo Aggelopoulos seat.

A trully indepedent filmmaker, Dimitri Athanitis is also writer and producer of his films and allways the sound and music designer. As an actor he has appeared in Radio Moscow, Strangers in a Strangeland, A Man for all Seasons, Addio Berlin, No Sympathy For The Devil, Vox, a.o.

His work is analyzed in many books like  Poetics of Cinema, D. Bordwell, Mise en Scene and Film Style, A. Martin,  Shakespeare and World Cinema, M. Burnette, Ethnic Cinematographies, T. Soumas and others.


As an architect, Dimitri Athanitis has gained three awards (1986-1990), with more important that (in collaboration) for "The third square of Athens".

filmography
2022    Medea
2019    Labyrinth (documentary)
2016    Invisible   
2012    Three Days Happiness
2011    Athens Underground (short)
2009    Madonna calls Fassbinder (short)
2005     Planet Athens                          
2000     2000+1 Shots                                                   
1999     An Athens Summer Night’s Dream                    
1997     No Sympathy for the Devil
1996     Vox (telefilm)
1994     Addio Berlin
1994     Mister X (short)
1993     Philosopphy (short)
more issues
  • MEDEA, A Rare Cinematic Ecstasy

    MEDEA, A Rare Cinematic Ecstasy

    CRITICS
    23/02/2022
  • "Labyrinth" London Award premier, 5/19

    NEWS
    17/04/2019
  • Devil in MUBI, 5/2018

    Devil in MUBI, 5/2018

    NEWS
    30/09/2018
  • BOURGOIS NIGHTMARES, Invisible

    BOURGOIS NIGHTMARES, Invisible

    CRITICS
    16/09/2018
  • Athanitis speaker at Architecture Film Festival, 4/2018

    Athanitis speaker at Architecture Film Festival, 4/2018

    NEWS
    15/09/2018
  • In the heart of darkness

    In the heart of darkness

    ESSAYS
    13/09/2018
  • 3 Athanitis Films in Berlin, Jan 2018

    3 Athanitis Films in Berlin, Jan 2018

    NEWS
    09/09/2018
  • GREECE, PALE MOTHER, Invisible

    GREECE, PALE MOTHER, Invisible

    CRITICS
    09/09/2018
  • THE ENIGMA OF A FILM

    THE ENIGMA OF A FILM

    ESSAYS
    09/09/2018
  • Invisible in 35 Greek cities,June 2018

    Invisible in 35 Greek cities,June 2018

    NEWS
    31/08/2018
  • Torn Screen

    Torn Screen

    ESSAYS
    30/08/2018
  • Six Athanitis Films

    Six Athanitis Films

    ESSAYS
    27/08/2018
  • FROM THE TRENCES

    FROM THE TRENCES

    ESSAYS
    27/08/2018
  • MADONNA CALLS FASSBINDER (short)

    MADONNA CALLS FASSBINDER (short)

    FILMS
    26/08/2018
  • THREE DAYS HAPPINESS

    THREE DAYS HAPPINESS

    INTERVIEWS
    23/08/2018
  • ADDIO BERLIN

    ADDIO BERLIN

    INTERVIEWS
    23/08/2018
  •  Shakespeare and World Cinema, M. Burnette

    Shakespeare and World Cinema, M. Burnette

    BOOKS
    23/08/2018
  • URBAN IMAGERY

    URBAN IMAGERY

    ESSAYS
    23/08/2018
  • THE RISK OF INERTIA, Three Days Happiness

    THE RISK OF INERTIA, Three Days Happiness

    CRITICS
    23/08/2018
  • 100+1 FILMS, C. Blathras

    100+1 FILMS, C. Blathras

    BOOKS
    21/08/2018
  • ADDIO BERLIN

    ADDIO BERLIN

    FILMS
    20/08/2018
  • NO SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL

    NO SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL

    FILMS
    20/08/2018
  • ATHENS UNDERGROUND

    ATHENS UNDERGROUND

    ART
    20/08/2018
  • SECRET ENCOUNTERS, D. Athanitis

    SECRET ENCOUNTERS, D. Athanitis

    BOOKS
    20/08/2018
  • 2000+1 SHOTS

    2000+1 SHOTS

    FILMS
    05/07/2018

CONTACT SITEMAP

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