Maria Plyta

Maria Plyta (27 November 1915 – 4 March 2006) was a Greek screenwriter and film director. She was known for her work with the melodramatic and her capacity to convey a distinctly feminine sense of culture, civilization and identity. Through her work, she managed to create the space that is necessary for a female voice to speak in the first person and be heard.

Early life Not much is available regarding Plyta’s personal life as she maintained a relatively quiet life and spent much of her time away from the spotlight. She was born in Thessaloniki on November 26, 1915, and became a single mother in adulthood, it is not known what happened to her partner, only that her last name was hyphenated until 1954. She stated once that she never pictured herself working in film until she found herself "alone and with little money", presumably after becoming a single woman. She worked as a novelist and playwright prior to stepping into the film industry. Following the German occupation, she released her first novels, Bound Wings in 1944 and Chains in 1946. Her first role in the film industry was that of artistic director and producer for the films Marinos Kontaras and Marina. was released in 1950, and it marked the first time a woman in Greece was credited as the director.

Plyta was known for her use of the melodramatic as a genre. Her work is characterized by dark atmospheres depicting trauma and loss through her interior settings, lighting, and effective camera shots. When asked what she thought the melodramatic consisted of, she replied: “The melodramatic was not only in the whole of the story but also in the direction. For example, if someone was stubborn, we took it out through a close-up of the clenched fist." She was consistently meticulous with regards to the designs of her work despite budget restrictions, prejudice, and rejection based on her gender and lack of experience.

Plyta worked over the span of two decades to provide a unique perspective into the lives of societies marginalized outcast individuals. From her first film to her last she presented strong-willed, individual women, disrupting the societal expectations of the viewers.

Complete filmography please note that translations vary regarding the film titles

Selected filmography The She-Wolf (1951) Eva (1953) The Duchess of Plakendia (1956)