Ana Kokkinos
| Ana Kokkinos | |
|---|---|
| Born |
3 August 1958 Melbourne, Australia |
| Occupation | Director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
Ana Kokkinos (born 3 August 1958) is an Australian film and television director and screenwriter of Greek descent. Kokkinos was born in Melbourne and prior to her career in film, she worked as an industrial lawyer. Kokkinos has since directed three feature-length films and two short films. 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.
The Guardian wrote, of her work: "Kokkinos’s cinematic oeuvre is among the most hard-hitting bodies of work in Australian cinema."
In 1991, she was accepted into the Victorian College of the Arts' graduate film and television programme.
Kokkinos' career began with a short black and white film she directed while in her first year of film school, Antamosi (1992), which examines a migrant family's relationship which is told from the perspective of three generations of women. Coming from a Greek immigrant family herself, Kokkinos's work often deals with themes of identity and family.
Her next film was the 50 minute short feature Only The Brave (1994), which won several awards. This film follows Alex as he helplessly watches his best friend Vicki fall victim to her self-destructive tendencies.
In her feature length work, Head On (1998), Kokkinos explores the relationship between the city and the individual. Similar to a "road movie" (i.e. Mad Max 1979) where the narrative follows the protagonists journey to their destination, a "street movie" follows the protagonist as they wander urban streets.Head On follows Greek-Australian teenager Ari as he wanders the streets of Melbourne. Ari is struggling with his identity as a gay male and the identity his family wishes to thrust upon him.
Head On divided the Greek community in Australia Kokkinos said in an interview with the LA Times. Kokkinos 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."
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