Ana Kokkinos

Ana Kokkinos is an Australian film and television director and screenwriter of Greek descent. She is known for her breakthrough feature film Head On, and has directed television shows such as The Secret Life of Us, The Time of Our Lives and Ten Pound Poms.

The Guardian wrote: "Kokkinos's cinematic oeuvre is among the most hard-hitting bodies of work in Australian cinema."

Early life and education Kokkinos was born in Melbourne and before her career in film, she worked as an industrial lawyer. Career

Early work Kokkinos' career began with Antamosi (1992), a short film she directed while in her first year of film school, which examines a migrant family's relationship told from the perspective of three generations of women.

Her next film was the 50-minute short feature Only the Brave (1994)s.

1998 to 1999: Breakthrough with Head On In Head On (1998), Kokkinos explores the relationship between the city and the individual.

Head On divided the Greek community in Australia. Kokkinos said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. Kokkinos said "what it did is that it opened up a dialogue between younger Greeks and their parents. What the film has done is that it has broken down barriers."

Blessed (2009) deals with the relationship between mother and child, occurring during the span of 24 hours. Blessed was nominated by the Australian Film Institute for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2009.

In May 2022, the BBC and Stan commissioned Kokkinos to direct Ten Pound Poms (2023-2025), a drama about the British citizens who migrated to Australia after the Second World War.

Personal life Kokkinos is openly lesbian. She realised she was gay at the age of 15. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, she said "I went through a very long process of having to come to terms with that, and that wasn't easy, but I don't think it's easy for anyone". However, she rejects the tag "lesbian filmmaker", saying that she is able to represent all kinds of characters on screen.

Selected filmography Anatamosi (1992) Only the Brave (1994) Head On (1998) The Book of Revelation (2006) Blessed (2009) The Hunting (2019, TV mini-series) Here Out West (2021, co-director, with Leah Purcell and others)