Professor in Film Production
courses:
Despina Mouzaki is a Professor in Film Production at School of Film. She served as the Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Head of the School of Film.
HIGHLIGHTED ACHIEVEMENTS
- Spearheaded the creation of Agora Film Market bringing together sales agents, buyers and filmmakers to network and participate in the Balkan Script Development Fund and Crossroads Co-production Forum.
- Succeeded in doubling Thessaloniki International Film Festival’s funding streams sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Finance.
- Secured funding from the European Union MEDIA program, the Third Community Support Framework and the National Strategic Reference Framework.
- Digitized the Thessaloniki Film Festival archive supported by EU and upgraded the Festival infrastructure.
- Established Salonica Studio Educational program within the framework Four Corners, which accepts film students from European countries supported by the European Union MEDIA program.
- Since 2005, under her leadership several film programs created by the Festival have been presented around the world, indicatively at York, Yale and Oxford University.
- Created the Greek Films Digital Wave competition, which embraces digital technologies and, Balkan Works in Progress, a promotional program for unfinished films to secure co-producers.
- Curated the Official Program of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, including International Competition.
- Founded and led the Cinegram Group comprised of 250 professionals, which is now the leader in the Greek advertising market.
- Produced numerous award winning films, documentaries and publications and received numerous honors in Greece and abroad for the production of feature films, TV series, commercials and shorts including awards from New York Film Festival, Moscow IFF, Fort Lauderdale Film Festival, Montpellier Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, and Cannes Lions for TV commercials.
- Received the New England Film/Video Fellowship, MIT Council For The Arts, Academy Of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences-Grants for DARIO FO IN AMERICA.
- Received awards from the Organization of Professional Education and Expertise (Ο.Ε.Ε.Κ.), 2007, from the Thessaloniki Cultural Development Association, 2009, and from the Thessaloniki Rotary Club Anatolia, 2010.
- Recipient of Gold Medal Panhellenic Shooting Competition 1980 and recipient of gold, silver and bronze medals in interclub and interuniversity contests, 1978 to 1982.
SELECTED ARTISTIC WORKS
As Producer / Co-producer
Feature Film Productions including EURIMAGES supported co-productions
- Magic Hour by Costas Kapakas produced by Avion Films LTD & Kapa Films 2010-2011
- My Only Sunshine (Hyat Var) by Reha Erdem International Co-production Cinegram S.A. supported by EURIMAGES 2008
- Fugitive Pieces a co-production Greece-Canada by Jeremy Podeswa 2007
- Uranya by Costas Kapakas International Co-production, 5 State Quality Awards 2007
- Archangel’s Journey by Athanasia Drakopoulou Co-production Greek Film Center-ERT S.A.-Cinegram S.A.-Mirabello (CY) supported by EURIMAGES 2007
- Borrowed Bride by Atif Yilmaz International Co-production Greece-Turkey Yesilcam Filmsilic Cinegram S.A. supported by EURIMAGES 2007
- O Jerusalem by Elie Chouraqui Co-production between Greece-Italy England-Israel-France 2006
- Ikarus Dream by Costas Natsis Greek/French Co-production 2004
- Is God A Cook? By Stergios Niziris 2004
- A Tout De Suite by Βenoit Jacquot International Co-production 2004
- The Brides by Pantelis Voulgaris International Co-production Alco Films-Film Production Company / Cinegram S.A. / KG Productions & Distribution supported by EURIMAGES 2003
- A Touch Of Spice by Tasos Boulmetis International Co-production, 8 State Quality Awards 2003
- I Am Tired Of Killing Your Lovers by Nikos Panayotopoulos 2002
- Peppermint by Costas Kapakas, Cinegram S.A. 1999 supported by EURIMAGES
- Touch Me Not by Dimitris Giatzoutzakis, 1995
Producer/Director
- <10> TV series for national broadcaster ERT SA, based on Karagatsis novel, 2007
- Dario Fo In America
- Documentary based on DARIO FO’s first tour in America
- Broadcasted in the PBS network and cable ΤV, 1987
- Dans Le Quartier St. Gervais
- Interactive documentary on videodisk, filmed in Paris, 1987
As Editor
- Why Cinema Now?, bilingual, published by: Oxy, Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Pages: 324, 2009
- Jean Pierre & Luc Dardenne, bilingual, published by: Oxy, Thessaloniki International Film Festival, pages: 216, 2008
- Division & Unity: Cinema in the Middle East, bilingual, Published by: Oxy, Thessaloniki International Film Festival, pages: 88, 2008Landau, Camille & White, Tiare. 161 secrets for a young filmmaker. Published by: Patakis, 2008
- John Sayles, published by: Thessaloniki Int. Film Festival, pages: 208, 2007Carol Reed: Beyond the Third Man, published by: Thessaloniki Int. Film Festival, pages 152, 2007
As Publisher
- Proto Plano magazine, published daily during the Thessaloniki Int. Film Festival each November, as well as during the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival every March
- 50 years Thessaloniki International Film Festival 1960/2009, Thessaloniki, published by: Ianos publications Thessaloniki International Film Festival, pages 370, 2009
- Signs of Life-Werner Herzog and the moving pictures, bilingual, published by: Oxy, Thessaloniki Int. Film Festival, pages: 304, 2009
- Dionyssis Fotopoulos: Cinema, bilingual, published by: Benaki museum Thessaloniki Int. Film Festival, p. 336, 2009
- Terence Davies, bilingual, published by: Oxy, Thessaloniki Int. Film Festival, p. 48, 2008
- Patrice Chereau, published by: Thessaloniki Int. Film Festival, p. 176, 2005
- Wim Wenders, bilingual, published by: Ianos Thessaloniki Int. Film Festival, p. 208, 2006
- Hou Hsiao-Hsien, published by: Ianos Thessaloniki Int. Film Festival, p. 208, 2005
- New Cinema from China, bilingual, published by: Thessaloniki Int. Film Festival, p. 96, 2006
- Nikos Papatakis, published by: Kastaniotis, Thessaloniki Int. Film Festival, Hellenic American Union, p. 248, 2005
- In a Dark passage: Film Noir in Greek Cinema, bilingual, published by: Erodios, Thessaloniki Int. Film Festival, p. 96, 2007
- Immigration in Greek Cinema (1956-2006), bilingual, published by: Aigokeros, Thessaloniki Int, p. 96, 2006
Promotion & Marketing
- American Repertory Theatre, Boston, 1986
Lectures
- Simon Fraser University, Yale University, University of Oxford, Université Sorbonne Paris Xvi, European Parliament.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
ARISTOTLE UNIVERSITY OF THESSALONIKI
2005 to 2014 – Assistant Professor
2009 to 2017 – Associate Professor
2018 to present – Professor
2016 to 2018 – Head of the School of Film
2018 to 2019 – Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts
THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2005 to 2010 Managing Director and Member of the Board of Directors
GREEK FILM CENTER 1998 to 2002 Vice President / Deputy Managing Director and Member of the Board of Directors
CINEGRAM S.A. FILM & TV PRODUCTIONS 1989 Founder
ALIPNOOS S.A. AUDIOVISUAL PRODUCTIONS & SERVICES 2011 President and Founder
EDUCATION AND ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
MSc in Film Production, BOSTON UNIVERSITY, Communications and Cinema Department, Boston, MA, 1986Diploma in Directing, STAVRAKOU FILM AND TELEVISION SCHOOL, 1984BSc in Chemistry, Patras University, 1982
Film Producing, Film Finance and Marketing Strategies, Media Business School, Rhonda Spain, 1998
Media Lab, ΜΙΤ Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Project Athena: Research on high technology cable workstations.
Documentary workshop with Richard Leacock and Frederic Wiseman, 1987 to 1989
Film Workshops Maine with critically acclaimed director of photography and cinematography Oscar winner Walter Lassaly, 1986
LANGUAGES
French, Fluent
English, Fluent
Spanish, Conversational
Italian, Conversational
German, Reading Ability
Greek, Mother Tongue
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- Member of the EFA Board of Directors since 2009
- President of SAPOE, INDEPENDENT AUDIOVISUAL PRODUCERS ASSOCIATION, 2002 to 2005
- European Film Academy elected Board Member, 2009 to present
- Fulbright Selection Committee for the Fulbright Greek Artists and Art scholars Awards, 2010
- Member of the FIAPF (INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF FILM PRODUCERS ASSOCIATIONS) Festivals Committee, 2006 to present
- Member of the plenary session of the Hellenic National Commission for UNESCO, 2006 to present
- Member of the Telloglion Foundation of Art – Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), 2006 to present
- Member of the EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY (EFA), 2002 to present
- National Representative of the EUROPEAN AUDIOVISUAL ENTREPRENEURS (EAVE, Media supported training program), 2002 to 2005. Organised the first EAVE workshop in Athens.
- Founding member of SEE CINEMA NETWORK, South-eastern European Cinema Network, 2000