Maria Drandaki

After hustling for years in the trenches as a producer and development manager, Maria Drandaki kicked off Homemade Films in 2009—her own playground for bold, offbeat cinema. She’s got a knack for sniffing out directors who color way outside the lines, and honestly, her track record’s wild. We’re talking powerhouse collaborations with Syllas Tzoumerkas—think “Homeland,” “A Blast,” “The Miracle of the Sargasso Sea”—and Yorgos Zois with “Interruption.” Those films? Not your run-of-the-mill festival fare. Maria’s also behind short films that hit that sweet spot between weird and genius—like Konstantina Kotzamani’s “Limbo” and “Electric Swan,” both snagging awards left and right, plus Mahdi Fleifel’s “A Drowning Man.” She doesn’t just stick to established names either. Her label’s a launchpad for fresh voices: “Her Job” by Nikos Labôt, “The Gulf” by Emre Yeksan, “Quicksand” by Margot Schaap—all strong debut features that got critics talking. And she’s not slowing down. “The City and the City,” directed by Christos Passalis and Syllas Tzoumerkas, made waves at Berlinale 2022 (Encounters competition) and crossed the Atlantic to New Directors / New Films. Then there’s Passalis’ solo gig, “Silence 6-9,” snagging a spot in the Official Competition at Karlovy Vary IFF 2022. Maria’s slate? Never boring, always gutsy. She’s basically redefining Greek cinema’s global rep—one risk at a time.