Takis Spyridakis
Biography
Takis (Panagiotis) Spyridakis (Greek: Τάκης (Παναγιώτης) Σπυριδάκης, Aegina, 4 February 1958 - Athens, 14 September 2019) was a Greek film, theatre and television actor, director and screenwriter. Takis Spyridakis was born in Aegina and grew up in Piraeus, where he also went to school. He worked in various jobs from a young age (he went to night school). He often watched films, but without initially being oriented towards the acting profession. He studied at the Drama School of the National Theatre, which he abandoned shortly before the end. He has participated in 13 films while his directorial debut was in 1994 with the film The Garden of God, for which he also wrote the screenplay. The film was awarded 7 state quality awards at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. Spyridakis first appeared on the big screen playing one of the protagonists in the film Sweet Gang, directed by Nikos Nikolaidis (1983). For his performance, he won the special performance award at the Thessaloniki Film Festival that same year. His second participation was also noteworthy, in Nikos Perakis's Loufa and Variation (1984). This was followed by Morning Patrol (Nikos Nikolaidis, 1986), Family Protector (Nikos Perakis, 1997), This Night Stays (Nikos Panagiotopoulos, 1999), Black Milk (Nikos Triantafyllidis, 1999), No One Loses in Everything (Dionysis Grigoratos, 2000), Cheap Cigarettes (Renos Charalambidis, 2000), I'm Tired of Killing Your Loved Ones (Nikos Panagiotopoulos, 2002), Loofah and Disguise: Sirens in the Aegean (Nikos Perakis, 2005), Isovites (Theodoros Maragos, 2008) and 4 Black Suits (Renos Charalambidis, 2009). In 1989, Spyridakis wrote and directed the short film Vera Cruz, which won the 1st prize for best film at the corresponding Festival, was honored by the Ministry of Culture and was awarded by the National Film Center of France in 1990. For the last four years, he has starred in the theater, in the play "Agrios Sporos" by Yannis Tsiros, at the Epi Kolono theater, directed by Eleni Skoti. He also participated in commercials for a mobile phone company, in which he played the president of a football team.
Known for
What If...
Athens, the age of economic crisis. Demetris is a highly independent man who lives a normal life. A confirmed bachelor at the age of 33! When a moment arrives, his choice at that point in time will change everything. His roommate is a female German Shepherd called Lonesome. One night, after supper, Lonesome wants to be taken out. Demetris tries to change her mind, but Lonesome insists. It’s at this moment that he comes to a decision. This decision will change his entire life. If Demetris goes out, he will meet Christina, the love of his life. If he stays in, he will not meet her. Does true love exist? What is the impact of a severe economic crisis on people, and how can the crisis destroy a couple? One story shown from two different angles.
Loafing and Camouflage
A group of Greek soldiers are assigned to run the Cinematographic Unit of the army in the midst of political unrest.
The Limousine
Three friends from 60s Paris attempt a road trip to modern-day Greece, looping in and out of fantasy and questioning absolutely everything. A situation comedy and a coming-of-age fairy tale or, according to the director himself, "a film that can be heard". Starring Nikos Kouris, Doukissa Nomikou, Dimitris Katalifos and Pavlos Haikalis. Lifetime Achievement Award to Nikos Panagiotopoulos
Fading Light
Twelve year old Christos Myrisiotis lives with his mother Eleni on a remote picturesque Aegean island. The boy has been doubly singled out by fate. He has a remarkable musical talent but at the same time is condemned to going blind as a result of a rare disease. Now an eccentric loner, Christos finds an outlet in nature and the dream world of a cave where his heightened hearing enables him to collect natural sounds which he then turns to musical compositions for his violin. His only friends are his classmate Angeliki and the old lighthouse keeper Soursoumis who teaches him not only the violin but also about life in general. Everything changes when the new schoolteacher Maria arrives on the island. She develops a great interest in Christos’ exceptional abilities even though he keeps on being indifferent to school. On her own initiative Maria ensures his participation in a music contest. Christos’ traumatic family and personal experiences cause him to mature as an artist.
Tonight We Dine at Iokastis
When one fine morning a peaceful neighborhoods disrupted by the unexpected disappearance of a Latvian manicurist, Iocasti Papadamou joins forces with ingenious, albeit completely naive, neighbor in order to shed light on the bizarre case.
Edge of Night
Stella is a beautiful young girl who dreams of becoming one day a famous singer. Her boyfriend Andreas leads a quiet life working at his small store, and doesn't approve Stella's quest for fame. When she decides to leave Athens for a singing job offered to her somewhere in north Greece, Andreas sets off on a quest to find her again and convince her to come back to him
Sirens in the Aegean
A group of Greek solders, who serve their military service in Kos, is sent to guard the skerry of Pitta. Everything looked normal until a Turkish boat disembarks 4 castaways on Pitta.
Morning Patrol
In a deserted city, a woman walks alone trying to approach and enter the forbidden zone. Traps and the morning patrol lurk everywhere. Electronic voices summon the (non-existent) people to abandon the city. Can a love affair survive?
Utopia
In an unspecified near future, humanity seems to have turned into a fishbowl: everything is transparent, monitored by an all-powerful central authority, while people are trapped and suffer from almost complete amnesia—just like goldfish.
Gagnant
Two students who work at the horse racing, try to understand each other.