The Years of the Big Heat

Born in Messene in Peloponese in 1948, Frieda Liappa studied literature at the Athens University. Because of her involvement in the movement against the military dictatorship she was forced to give up her studies. In 1972 she directs her first short film Forty Days After, a production of the cinema review Sigxronos Kinimatografos (Contemporary Cinema). Spending some months in jail, and after succeeding to get a passport, she decided to settle in London where she attended the London Film School. To her return in Greece, she became a member of the Contemporary Cinema editorial team and published articles in different film magazines. She has also published three collections of poetry and one collection of short stories. She has also directed documentaries for the television and particularly for the Backstage series. Frieda Liappa directed three short films and three feature films, all of them awarded in National and International Film Festivals. She also directed a TV film. Considered to be one of the most eminent Greek women auteurs filmmakers, her career will be suddenly interrupted in her 46 years, defeated by her serious health problem. —tainiothiki.gr