Giannis Smaragdis has just become the first Greek director to be elected as a full member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. “I consider it a great honor to be elected by the European Academy of Sciences and Arts as a member in the field of Arts and Culture. I perceive this distinction as a triple duty,” said the director among other remarks.
As a representative of contemporary Greek culture, the European Academy of Sciences and Arts has unanimously elected the award-winning director Giannis Smaragdis as a full member. Founded in 1990 and based in Salzburg, Austria—the birthplace of Mozart—the academy operates under the auspices of the presidency of 12 European states and is affiliated with numerous distinguished universities and research centers. Its members include 38 Nobel laureates and many others with remarkable international distinctions.
Giannis Smaragdis will be officially welcomed as a new academic in the Arts at a special event at the Academy’s headquarters in Salzburg on March 9. This is a prestigious recognition of significant value and simultaneously a reward for the Greek director, whose profound Greek imprint is evident in his work over the past 40 years. His films pay homage to great figures and values of universal Hellenism, from Homer and the classics to the major civilizations (Minoan, Ancient, Byzantine) and the succession of great scientists, including Pre-Socratic philosophers, as well as contemporary poets like Cavafy, Seferis, Elytis, and the writer Kazantzakis.
Statement from the Director:
“I consider it a great honor to be elected by the European Academy of Sciences and Arts as a member in the field of Arts and Culture. I perceive this distinction as a triple duty: a duty of honor and memory for the Greek film and theater directors who have written a brilliant history in their field with global successes through their films and theatrical performances. A duty to strive to enrich the Academy with representatives of modern Greece in the fields of Spirit and Fine Arts. There are significant Greeks who deserve recognition in music, painting, literature, and theater. A duty to particularly address the creators of cinema and television, where several Greek directors with international horizons already excel, to remind not of my success and recognition, but of the rule that all the great creators of our nation in recent centuries, the Fathers of modern Greek culture, in all arts, have fertilized the great Greek values with contemporary international movements and creative inquiries. This combination has allowed their works to be integrated into our national and simultaneously European, universal, and global traditions. Only this combination, with deep national roots and contemporary quests, has led every creator from every country to personal recognition and acknowledgment of great scope and timeless value.”
Biography:
Giannis Smaragdis, now an academic in a European Academy, has received multiple awards both within and outside Greece. His films have achieved great success and are beloved by audiences, making him particularly popular, as he has been voted twice as the most popular Greek artist.
He has received great affection as a teacher and professor at Panteion University and at drama and film schools.
Giannis Smaragdis was born in 1946 in Heraklion, Crete. He studied directing in Greece and Paris. He debuted in 1972 with the short film Dyo tria pragmata… (Twelve Minutes), winning the first award in Greece and a distinction at the Montreal Festival in Canada.
Key Films:
- 2024:Kapodistrias – Preparation for the completion of the film about the life and work of the great Greek politician and visionary Ioannis Kapodistrias.
- Before filming even began, Giannis Smaragdis received the first International Award for Ioannis Kapodistrias from the Greek Academy of Arts.
- 2017:Kazantzakis – A film based on the autobiographical work of the author Nikos Kazantzakis, Report to Greco. The film was released on November 23, 2017, and reached first place at the Greek Box Office.
- Official selection at the 51st Worldfest Houston International Film Festival, USA, where it won four awards, including Best Film and Best Music.
- 2012:God Loves Caviar – An international co-production that reached No. 2 in the Greek box office.
- Official selection at the Toronto International Film Festival 2012.
- 2007: El Greco – An international co-production that broke box office records in Greece (1.2 million viewers) and received eight state awards at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, among others.
- 1996: Cavafy – A film that was screened for twelve consecutive years in Paris, setting a record for Greek films, and winning five state awards.
- 1981: Good Night Mr. Alexandros – An excellent one-hour television film that was very well received by viewers.
Smaragdis has also directed for the Concert Hall the Opera of Shadows, as well as numerous documentaries primarily focusing on poets and writers, including From Homer to Elytis and two recent works: Report on Ioannis Kapodistrias and Kolokotronis, generously sponsored by the KIKPE Foundation.
He authored the book Geography of the Invisible, published by Kedros Editions (now sold out). Three books have been written about his three films, highlighting his significant contributions to cinema.
