Born in Greece in 1977, Elina studied filmmaking and sociology in Athens. She continued her studies in cultural history in Paris and participated in the 2007 Berlinale Talent Campus. Her first feature, The Eternal Return of Antonis Paraskevas, won the Works in Progress Award at the Karlovy Vary IFF in 2012, premiered at the Berlinale Forum in 2013 and participated in more than 40 international film festivals. During that same year, trade publication Variety singled her out as one of the “10 European Directors to Watch” and in 2014, she won the first-time director award from the Hellenic Film Academy. Her second feature, Son of Sofia, was selected to participate in the 2013 Berlinale Residency program, as well as the 2014 Berlinale co-production market, won the Works in Progress Award at the Les Arcs EFF in 2015, premiered in competition at the Tribeca FF in 2017 and won the Best International Narrative Feature Award. Son of Sofia also won 5 awards from the Hellenic Film Academy, including the best feature film, best director and best screenplay. Both her films were part of European Film Awards’ selection list in 2013 and 2017 accordingly. Her feature film documentary Stray Bodies had its world premiere at the 2024 CPH:DOX and is currently screening in theatres and festivals around the world. She is developing her fourth feature Patrimonial Fears and Other Illusions (Berlinale Co-production Market 2019). [ • 2025 ]
