STAFF
PROFILE

Special Teaching Staff

Ms. Ioanna Amerikanou

Short CV

Yianna Americanou received her MA in Film and Television Production from the University of Bristol, UK in 2000 and her BA (with High Honours) in Communication Studies with an emphasis on Experimental Filmmaking from the University of Iowa, USA in 1996 under the guidance of the experimental filmmaker Leighton Pierce. She was the Head of MEDIA (Creative Europe Programme) in Cyprus for over ten years but her true passion for filmmaking and directing won her over, pushing her to make challenging decisions in following her dreams. Her short films have been screened at many important International Film Festivals such as Rotterdam International Film Festival, Oberhausen International Short Film Festival and has received prestigious awards from Hamburg IFF, Drama IFF, and Cyprus International Short Film Festival. Her short film titled Lullaby received the prestigious award Tonia Marketaki for Best Directing in Drama International Short Film Festival in 2009 while it was taken by STOP International in Geneva and Anti Human Trafficking Organizations in Cyprus in order to promote anti-trafficking legislations throughout the island and awareness through various screenings and discussions, while it was screened in all major military camps in Cyprus. Yianna’s debut feature film, .dog has received funding for Script Development and Production by the Cyprus Cinema Advisory Committee, ERT, SEE Cinema Network and the Greek Film Centre. .dog has secured International Distribution by the French based Arthouse distribution company URBAN INTERNATIONAL. .dog is currently distributed in various prestigious video on demand platforms such as HBO Max, ARTE France, Emirates, Aeroflot, Qatar Airways, MUBI to name a few. Yianna is currently working on the development of her second feature My Name is Lily which has been developed through MIDPOINT Feature Launch Workshop 2022. The project was also part of Eastern Promises at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival and has received funding for development and production by the Cypriot Cinema Advisory Committee and SEE CINEMA NETWORK. Yianna has also been a member of the International Jury of Cyprus Film Days International Film Festival and an active Member of the Cypriot Director’s Guild