Yannis Smaragdis
Yannis Smaragdis was born on April 25, 1946, in Gonia Maleviziou, near Heraklion, Crete. He grew up in Heraklion and studied film directing first at the Stavrakos School in Athens, and later continued his studies in Audiovisual Media at Paris VIII University in France.
His first cinematic work was the short film Two or Three Things... (1972, 12 minutes), which won first prize at the Greek Festival in Athens and received an honorary distinction at the Montreal Festival in Canada.
His first feature-length film was The Cell (1975), which received an award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival and was screened in the official program of the Karlovy Vary Festival. In 1983, he followed up with The Song of the Return, which was included in the official program of the Moscow Festival and was honored with the State Quality Award by the Ministry of Culture.
Since 1978, he has also been active in television, starting as one of the main directors of the series ERT in Northern Greece. In 1980, he directed the TV film Goodnight, Mr. Alexander, based on the work of Papadiamantis, which aired with great success on ET1. In 1985 came the series Hatzimanouil, co-written with Michalis Ganas. The series was successful both in Greece and abroad, broadcast by foreign networks. In 1986, he directed Hail, Tasso Karatasos (13 episodes), with a script by Giorgos Armenis, for which he won the award for television directing.
In 1987, he presented the documentary series We Smile Along the Way (13 episodes), and in 1989, Shh... The Homeland is Sleeping (13 episodes), which was also sold abroad. In 1990, he created 16 cinematic essays titled And the City Spoke, dedicated to Greek poets and the places that inspired them. The series was successful internationally and was acquired by universities such as Harvard and Boston College.
In 1995, he presented Cavafy, a feature film that won significant awards in Greece and was screened at international festivals, including Berlin and Toronto. The film remained in theaters in France for years.
His international recognition was solidified with the film El Greco (2007), which achieved both commercial and artistic success. It won 8 awards at the Thessaloniki Film Festival and ranks fifth in the Greek box office of all time with over 760,000 tickets sold.
Yannis Smaragdis has taught Media at Panteion University, screenwriting and directing at film schools, as well as in the Free Studies Department of the University of Athens and at the Stavrakos School.
He has published the books Geography of the Invisible (1995), Cavafy – Literary Form of the Cavafy Script (1996), and the short story The Doe of Halandri Square (2006).
On October 21, 2024, he was elected a full member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, making him the first Greek director to receive this academic honor.
He was married to philologist Eleni Smaragdis, who has passed away.
His only son is Alexandros Smaragdis.
Awards and Honors
2012 – Voted the most popular artist in Greece in an online poll.
2013 – Honored by the students of the 1st Vocational High School of Argos, who named their new studio “Yannis Smaragdis Image and Sound Studio.”
2010 – Award of Excellence from the European Council for Youth Mobility in Research and Technology, at the “Excellence Awards – Greek Role Models for the New Generation.”
2012 – Named Honorary Member of the International Giuseppe Sciacca Awards Committee.
2013 – Appointed Director of Film and Theatre and Head of Scientific Research in the respective department at ISGESI (International Institute of Legal, Economic, and Social Studies).
Summer 2008 – "Sofia" Award from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens for El Greco, in Delphi.
2008 – International Best Director Award “GIUSEPPE SCIACCA” in Rome, Italy.
2008 – Award from the Euro-American Women’s Council in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
2008 – International Artemis Award from the Euro-American Women’s Council.
2008 – Honorary Distinction at the Maremetraggio Festival in Trieste, Italy.
2008 – Voted Director of the Year by STATUS magazine.
Filmography
Cinema
Kapodistrias (The Governor), 2025 – A film in preparation about the life and work of the great Greek statesman Ioannis Kapodistrias. Prior to filming, Smaragdis was awarded the 1st International Ioannis Kapodistrias Prize by the Hellenic Art Awards Academy.
Kazantzakis, 2017
God Loves Caviar, 2012
El Greco, 2007
Cavafy, 1996
The Song of the Return, 1983
The Cell, 1975
Television & Documentaries
A Tribute to Kapodistrias (documentary), 2021
In Search of Ioannis Varvakis (documentary), 2009
Spyros Louis (docudrama), 2004
Christian Monuments (documentary), 2004
The Spoiled Children (TV series), 2001
And the City Spoke (series of 32 documentaries), 1993
We Smile Along the Way (series), 1989
Hail, Tasso Karatasos (13-episode TV series), 1987
Hatzimanouil (13-episode TV series), 1985
Goodnight, Mr. Alexander (TV film), 1981
Two or Three Things (short film), 1972
Screenplays
Two or Three Things..., 1972 – Short film, original script and direction by Smaragdis. Won First Prize at the Drama Festival and an honorary distinction at Montreal.
The Cell, 1975 – Feature film with an original script combining existential and political elements. Awarded at Thessaloniki Festival.
Goodnight, Mr. Alexander, 1981 – Biographical-literary TV film based on Alexandros Papadiamantis. Successful both on ERT and internationally.
The Song of the Return, 1983 – Feature film with an original script about alienation and return to one's roots.
Cavafy, 1996 – Biographical feature film based on the life and work of poet Constantine Cavafy. Gained international recognition.
Spyros Louis, 2004 – TV documentary about the first Greek Olympic marathon winner in 1896.
El Greco, 2007 – Biographical feature based on the life of Dominikos Theotokopoulos (El Greco), inspired by Dimitris Siameris’ book. Huge commercial success.
God Loves Caviar, 2012 – Biographical film on the life of Ioannis Varvakis, a Greek pirate, benefactor, and businessman.
Kazantzakis, 2017 – Biographical film inspired by the autobiography Report to Greco by Nikos Kazantzakis.
Documentaries
Vergina 1978 A.D., 1978 – For Greek Public Television (ERT)
Christmas in Voio, 1979 – For ERT
Builders and Stonemasons, 1980 – For ERT
A Wedding in Velventos, 1980 – For ERT
The Cyclops’ Cave, 1981 – For ERT
People Beneath the Walls, 1981 – For ERT
The Aegean: From Homer to Elytis, 1984 – A documentary about the Greek landscape and literature
We Smile Along the Way, 1986 – Eight 30-minute documentaries for ERT; won Best Cinematography (Nikos Smaragdis)
And the City Spoke, 1990–1993 – Thirteen 30-minute cinematic essays on Poets and Cities, for ERT
Traditional Tanneries of Amfissa (30’), 1996
I Brought It to Art (1998) – Forty 5-minute cultural episodes for ERT
Christian Monuments of Greece (50’), 2004 – Official selection at Jihlava International Documentary Festival (2010) & 12th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (2010)
In Search of Ioannis Varvakis (45’), 2009 – About the Greco-Russian benefactor, for ERT
Opera
Opera of Shadows, 1997 – Directed by Yannis Smaragdis, presented at the Greek National Opera.
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