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Michael Cacoyannis
 
 
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Michael Cacoyannis (born June 11, 1922) is a prominent Greek Cypriot filmmaker
Cinema of Greece

Greece has a long and rich cinematic history. The country has produced many famous film actors and directors....
 best-known for his 1964 film Zorba the Greek . (He also directed the 1983 Broadway revival of the musical based on the film.) Much of his work is rooted in classical texts, especially those of the Greek tragedian
Tragedy

Tragedy is a form of The arts based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific Poetic tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of Western culture....
 Euripides
Euripides

Euripides was the last of the three great tragedy of classical Athens . Ancient scholars thought that Euripides had written ninety-five plays, although four of those were probably written by Critias....
. Cacoyannis has been nominated for an Academy Award
Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers....
 5 times, a record for any Greek artist. He received Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film nominations for Zorba the Greek, and two nominations in the Foreign Language Film category for Electra and Iphigenia
Iphigenia (film)

Iphigenia is a 1977 Cinema of Greece directed by Michael Cacoyannis, based on the Greek mythology myth of Iphigeneia, the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra who was ordered by the goddess Artemis to be human sacrifice....
.

in Limassol
Limassol

Limassol or Lemesos is the second-largest city on Cyprus, with a population of 176,900 , the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island....
, Cyprus
Cyprus

Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is an island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, east of Greece, west of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, south of Turkey and north of Egypt....
 under the name ??????? ?a????????? (Mikhalis Kakogiannis), as a young man, Cacoyannis was sent by his family to England to become a lawyer.






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Michael Cacoyannis (born June 11, 1922) is a prominent Greek Cypriot filmmaker
Cinema of Greece

Greece has a long and rich cinematic history. The country has produced many famous film actors and directors....
 best-known for his 1964 film Zorba the Greek . (He also directed the 1983 Broadway revival of the musical based on the film.) Much of his work is rooted in classical texts, especially those of the Greek tragedian
Tragedy

Tragedy is a form of The arts based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific Poetic tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of Western culture....
 Euripides
Euripides

Euripides was the last of the three great tragedy of classical Athens . Ancient scholars thought that Euripides had written ninety-five plays, although four of those were probably written by Critias....
. Cacoyannis has been nominated for an Academy Award
Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers....
 5 times, a record for any Greek artist. He received Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film nominations for Zorba the Greek, and two nominations in the Foreign Language Film category for Electra and Iphigenia
Iphigenia (film)

Iphigenia is a 1977 Cinema of Greece directed by Michael Cacoyannis, based on the Greek mythology myth of Iphigeneia, the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra who was ordered by the goddess Artemis to be human sacrifice....
.

Life

Born in Limassol
Limassol

Limassol or Lemesos is the second-largest city on Cyprus, with a population of 176,900 , the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island....
, Cyprus
Cyprus

Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is an island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, east of Greece, west of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, south of Turkey and north of Egypt....
 under the name ??????? ?a????????? (Mikhalis Kakogiannis), as a young man, Cacoyannis was sent by his family to England to become a lawyer. However, after producing Greek-language programs for the BBC during World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
, Cacoyannis found an interest in film instead. He ended up at the Old Vic
Old Vic

The Old Vic is a theatre located just south-east of Waterloo Station in London on the corner of The Cut and Waterloo Road, London. It became a Grade II* listed building in 1951....
 school, and enjoyed a brief stage career there under the name "Michael Yannis" before he began working on films. After having trouble finding a directing job in the British film industry
Cinema of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has had a profound impact on modern cinema and has one the most respected film industries in the world. Despite a history of successful productions, the industry is characterised by an ongoing debate about its identity and the influences of Cinema of the United States and European cinema, although it is fair to say a brief 'gol...
, Cacoyannis returned to Greece, and in 1953 he made his first film, Windfall in Athens. He was offered the chance to direct Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor

Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor, Order of the British Empire , also known as Liz Taylor, is an England-born American actress.Known for her acting skills and beauty, as well as her Cinema of the United States lifestyle, including many marriages, Taylor is considered one of the great actresses of Hollywood's golden years, as well as a la...
 and Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando, Jr. was an Academy Award-winning American actor whose body of work spanned over half a century. He is widely considered one of the greatest actors of all time, and was named the fourth AFI's 100 Years......
 in the film Reflections in a Golden Eye, but declined.

Cacoyannis has worked on many occasions with the Greek actress Irene Papas
Irene Papas

Irene Papas is a Greece Actor and occasional singer, who has starred in over seventy films in a career spanning more than fifty years....
. In 1971, he teamed up once more with Papas to the film The Trojan Women
The Trojan Women

'The Trojan Women' is a tragedy by the Ancient Greece playwright Euripides. Produced during the Peloponnesian War, it is often considered a commentary on the capture of the Aegean Sea island of Melos and the subsequent slaughter and subjugation of its populace by the Athens earlier in 415 BC , the same year the play premiered....
, starring Hollywood legend Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn

Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an United States actress of film, television and stage.Acclaimed throughout her 73-year career, Hepburn holds the record for the most Academy Award for Best Actress Academy Awards wins with four, from 12 nominations....
. He was a close friend to Darryl F. Zanuck
Darryl F. Zanuck

Darryl Francis Zanuck was an Academy Award-winning Film producer, writer, actor, Film director, and studio executive who played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of its longest survivors ....
 and George Cukor
George Cukor

'George Cukor' was an Academy Award-winning United States film director. His career flourished at RKO and later MGM, where he directed a string of impressive films including What Price Hollywood? , A Bill of Divorcement , Dinner at Eight , Little Women , Personal History, Adventures, Experience, and Observation of David Copp...
.

Filmography

  • The Cherry Orchard
    The Cherry Orchard

    The Cherry Orchard is Russian playwright Anton Chekhov's last Play . It premiered at the Moscow Art Theatre 17 January 1904 in a production directed by Constantin Stanislavski....
     (1999): director, screenwriter, producer
  • Pano kato ke plagios ("Up, Down and Sideways") (1993): director, screenwriter, producer
  • Glykeia patrida ("Sweet Country") (1986): director, screenwriter, producer
  • Iphigenia
    Iphigenia (film)

    Iphigenia is a 1977 Cinema of Greece directed by Michael Cacoyannis, based on the Greek mythology myth of Iphigeneia, the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra who was ordered by the goddess Artemis to be human sacrifice....
     (1977): director, screenwriter
  • Attilas '74
    Attilas '74

    Attila '74: The Rape of Cyprus is an award-winning 1974 documentary film by Michael Cacoyannis about the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 It was filmed on location in Cyprus and Greece in the immediate aftermath of the two Turkish invasions and subsequent occupation of approximately the northern third of the island....
     (1975): director, producer
  • The Trojan Women
    The Trojan Women

    'The Trojan Women' is a tragedy by the Ancient Greece playwright Euripides. Produced during the Peloponnesian War, it is often considered a commentary on the capture of the Aegean Sea island of Melos and the subsequent slaughter and subjugation of its populace by the Athens earlier in 415 BC , the same year the play premiered....
     (1971): director, screenwriter, producer
  • Otan ta psaria vgikan sti steria ("The Day the Fish Came Out
    The Day the Fish Came Out

    The Day the Fish Came Out is a 1967 Greece- UK comedy film directed and written by Michael Cacoyannis who also designed the film's costumes....
    ") (1967): director, screenwriter, producer
  • Alexis Zorbas ("Zorba the Greek") (1964): director, screenwriter, producer
  • Electra (1962): director, screenwriter, producer
  • Il Relitto ("The Wastrel") (1961): director, screenwriter
  • Eroica ("Our Last Spring") (1960): director, screenwriter, producer
  • To telefteo psemma
    A Matter of Dignity

    A Matter of Dignity is a 1957 in film cinema of Greece drama film directed by Michael Cacoyannis. It was entered into the 1958 Cannes Film Festival....
     ("A Matter of Dignity") (1957): director, screenwriter, producer
  • To koritsi me ta mavra
    The Girl in Black

    The Girl in Black is a 1956 cinema of Greece dramatic film by Cypriot director Michael Cacoyannis starting Dimitris Horn and the hauntingly lovely Greek actress Ellie Lambeti....
     ("A Girl in Black") (1956): director, screenwriter
  • Stella
    Stella (film)

    Stella, a 1955 Greece film featuring Melina Mercouri, is a retelling of Carmen, and is considered by many to be the most important title in Greek cinema....
     (1955): director, screenwriter, producer
  • Kyriakatiko xypnima ("Windfall in Athens
    Windfall in Athens

    Windfall in Athens is a 1954 in film cinema of Greece comedy film directed by Michael Cacoyannis. It was entered into the 1954 Cannes Film Festival....
    ") (1954): director, screenwriter


Awards and nominations

Cannes Film Festival
  • 1954 : Golden Palm for "Windfall in Athens" - nominated
  • 1955 : Golden Palm for "Stella" - nominated
  • 1956 : Golden Palm for "A Girl in Black" - nominated
  • 1957 : Golden Palm for "A Matter of Dignity" - nominated
  • 1961 : Golden Palm for "The Wastrel" - nominated
  • 1962 : Golden Palm for "Elektra" - nominated
  • 1962 : Grand Jury Prize for "Elektra" - won
  • 1962 : Technical Award for "Elektra" - won
  • 1977 : Golden Palm for "Iphigenia" - nominated


Berlin International Film Festival
  • 1960 : Golden Berlin Bear for "Our Last Spring" - nominated
  • 1963 : David O. Selznick Award for "Elektra" - won


Academy Awards(OSCARS)
  • 1963 : Best Foreign Language Film for "Elektra" - nominated
  • 1964 : Best Picture for "Zorba the Greek" - nominated
  • 1964 : Best Director for "Zorba the Greek" - nominated
  • 1964 : Best Adapted Screenplay for "Zorba the Greek" - nominated
  • 1977 : Best Foreign Language Film for "Iphigenia" - nominated


Golden Globes
  • 1956 : Best Foreign Language Film for "Stella" - won
  • 1957 : Best Foreign Language Film for "A Girl in Black" - won
  • 1965 : Best Director for "Zorba the Greek - nominated


British Academy Awards(BAFTA)
  • 1966 : Best Film for "Zorba the Greek" - nominated
  • 1966 : UN Award for "Zorba the Greek" - nominated


New York Film Critics
  • 1964 : Best Film for "Zorba the Greek" - nominated
  • 1964 : Best Director for "Zorba the Greek" - nominated
  • 1964 : Best Screenplay for "Zorba the Greek" - nominated


David di Donatello Awards
  • 1964 : Special Plaque for "Zorba the Greek" - won


Thessaloniki Film Festival
  • 1960 : Special Contribution Award - won
  • 1961 : Best Director for "Our Last Spring" - won
  • 1962 : Best Film for "Elektra" - won
  • 1962 : Best Director for "Elektra" - won
  • 1977 : Best Film for "Iphigenia" - won
  • 1999 : Union of Film and Television Technicians Award for "The Cherry Orchard" - won


Moscow Film Festival
  • 1956 : Silver Medal for "A Girl in Black" - Won


Edinburgh Film Festival
  • 1954 : Diploma of Merit for "Windfall in Athens" - won
  • 1962 : Diploma of Merit for "Elektra" - won


Montreal World Film Festival
  • 1999 : Special Contribution Award - won


Jerusalem Film Festival
  • 1999 : Lifetime Achievement Award - won


Cairo International Film Festival
  • 2001 : Lifetime Achievement Award - won


External links