Greek Australian director Ana Kokkinos returned from Spain’s San Sebastian Film Festival on October 11 with a Best Screenplay prize for her new film Blessed.
Kokkinos described the event as one of the most moving moments in her life, as the festival audience formed a guard of honour for her once the screening of Blessed had concluded.
The emotional film focuses on the universal and primal relationship between mothers and their children, and has undoubtedly stricken a deeply resonant chord with its audiences.
Viewers have come out of the cinema with tears in their eyes.
A daughter of Greek migrants, Kokkinos was born in Melbourne and worked as an industrial lawyer prior to starting her career in the film industry. In 1991, she was accepted into the Victorian College of the Arts’ graduate film and television programme.
Now at age 51, Kokkinos’ impressive folio of work includes the 50-minute drama Only the Brave and feature films Head On and The Book of Revelation.