Maria Plyta

Maria Plyta (November 26, 1915 - March 4, 2006) was a Greek film director, novelist, playwright, songwriter, and journalist. She was the first female director in Greece and is known for The Engagement (1950), The Godson (1952), Jeep Kiosk and Love (1957), The Shoe-Shine Boy (1962), and The Poor Merchant (1967), unforgettable films that enjoyed great critical and commercial success. Maria Plyta was born on November 26, 1915, in Thessaloniki, and she is considered one of the most influential personalities of the Greek early-post-war cinema, as, along with other directors, she defined the cinematic language of the time. Maria Plyta worked for several years in newspapers and magazines, and she also wrote various novels and plays for the radio. Shortly after the German Occupation of Greece, she managed to publish two of her novels, Demena Ftera (1944), and Alysides (1946). However, Maria Plyta decided to pursue a career in the male-dominated world of cinema and filmmaking, and in 1947 she participated as artistic director in Giorgos Tzavellas' adventure movie, Marinos Kontaras (1948). She made her debut as director with The Engagement (1950), starring Aimilios Veakis and Dinos Iliopoulos. In the late 1970s, Maria Plyta was a founding member of the Greek Directors Society, and in 1986, she was named an honorary member in recognition of her achievements and her unique contributions to the film industry.