Maria Leonida

BA, History; MA, Art History; PhD Candidate, University of Athens

Maria Leonida, MA, is a documentary film director, co-founder and Director of Karpos, Center for Media Education, running Greek and European film education projects since 2008. Her documentary work has been screened in Film Festivals and TV channels around Europe with subjects on art and society. Maria’ first short film was selected at the New Talents section of the International Documentary Film Fest Amsterdam. She was twice awarded at Greek Festivals and the State Quality Awards. She has directed co-productions with the Greek Film Center, ERT SA, ZDF 3SAT, E.B.U. videos for NGOs and civil society. Her latest documentary is The Bet, a portrait of a whole High School during the quarantine. Senior trainer and curriculum designer for more than 12 media literacy-related EU projects. Her Film Education work has been awarded in European competitions (Evens foundation, Medea Awards) and presented in several Conferences. She has extensive experience working in participatory projects with vulnerable groups using photography and video as an expressive medium. Board member of the International Association for Media Education and ex-board member of the Greek Documentary Association. PhD candidate at the University of Athens. Her research interests lie in methodologies of teaching media language in a variety of learning environments. Maria trained in filmmaking in London and Denmark. She holds a BA in History and an MA in Art History.