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Ana Kokkinos (born 3 August 1958) is an Australian film director. Kokkinos was born in Melbourne and prior to her career in film, she worked as an industrial lawyer. In 1991 she was accepted into the Victorian College of the Arts' graduate film and television programme.[1] Kokkinos realized she was gay at age 15 and said she "went through a very long process of having to come to terms with that, and that wasn't easy, but I don't think it's easy for anyone."[2] Although Kokkinos identifies as a lesbian, she rejects the tag "lesbian film maker".[2] She said that "I have the capacity to represent all kinds of characters on screen and tell a variety of stories with all kinds of characters in a compelling and interesting way for the broadest possible audience."[2] Kokkinos has directed three feature length films, one short feature and one short film. She has won numerous awards for her films. Kokkinos has also directed television shows such as The Secret Life of Us and The Time of Our Lives.[3]
Career
[edit]Kokkinos's career began with a short film she directed while in her first year of film school. Antamosi (1992) examines a migrant family's relationship which is told from the perspective of three generation of women.[3] Coming from an immigrant family herself, Kokkinos's work often deals with themes of identity and family.
In her feature length work Kokkinos explores the relationship between the city and the individual. Similar to a "road movie" (ie Mad Max 1979) where the narrative follows the protagonists journey to their destination, a "street movie" follows the protagonist as they wander urban streets.[4] Kokkinos's first street movie was Head On (1998) which follows Greek - Australian teenager Ari as he wanders the street of Melbourne. Ari is struggling with his identity as a gay male and the identity his family thrusts upon him. Head On divided the Greek community in Australia Kokkinos said in an interview with the LA Times.[2] Kokkinos also said "what it did is that it opened up a dialogue between younger Greeks and their parents. What the film has done is that it has broken down barriers."[2] Head On was adapted from the novel Loaded which was written by Christos Tsiolkas. Head On received numerous awards from around the globe including best first feature in the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival as well as best film at the Milan International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.[5]
Her next film The Book of Revelation (2006) was also adapted from a novel of the same name written by Rupert Thomson. This film continues the street movie theme developed in Head On. In The Book of Revelation Daniel leaves his house to buy his girlfriend cigarettes but is abducted by three masked women who subject him to physical and emotional abuse.[6] The women also repeatedly rape Daniel. The Book of Revelation was nominated for best screenplay from Australian Film Institute.[5]
Kokkinos's most recent film was Blessed (2009). This film deals with the complex relationship between mother and child and occurs during the span of 24 hours.[7] Blessed was nominated for the Australian Film Institute for best adapted screenplay in 2009.[5]
Awards
[edit]| Film | Year | Award | Institution | Won/Nominated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head On | 1998
1998 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 2000 |
Best Achievement in Direction
Best Screenplay Adapted from Another Source Feature Film - Adaption Grand Prix Asturias Best Director Best Screenplay - Adapted Readers' Award for Favourite Australian Film Outstanding Foreign Narrative Feature Best First Feature Best Film Best Film |
Australian Film Institute
Australian Film Institute Australian Writers' Guild Gijon International Film Festival Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards L.A. Outfest San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival Verzaubert - International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival Milan International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival |
Nominated
Nominated Won Nominated Nominated Nominated Won Won Won Nominated Won |
| The Book of Revealation | 2006 | Best Screenplay | Australian Film Institute | Nominated |
Filmography
[edit]Antamosi (1992)
Only The Brave (1994)
Head On (1998)
The Book of Revelation (2006)
Blessed (2009)
References
[edit]- ^ "Interview Ana Kokkinos", Signet, 8 July 1999 accessed 19 November 2012
- ^ a b c d e THOMAS, KEVIN (1999-09-02). "MOVIES : Collision With Life : Director looks at what it means to be Greek and Australian, gay and conflicted". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
- ^ a b "Ana Kokkinos". Senses of Cinema. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
- ^ Hardwick, Joe (2009-01-01). "Wander Lust: Genre, Sexuality and Identity in Ana Kokkinos's Head On". Cultural Studies Review. 15 (1): 33–42. ISSN 1837-8692.
- ^ a b c "Blessed(2009) Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 2015-10-05.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhPydnoD4d4, retrieved 2015-10-05
{{citation}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Film review - Blessed (2009)". Cinema Autopsy. Retrieved 2015-10-05.