Vicky Yiannoutsos

The screen career of Greek-Kiwi Vicky Yiannoutsos has spanned over 40 years. Her Greek heritage is an obvious theme through much  of her work; 1987 documentary Visible Passage was one of Aotearoa's first insider's perspective stories of a migrant community. In the early 90s she played Greek mum Despina in short films A Bitter Song and Revelations. Her 1997 short Melody's Song showed at many festivals, and won the Panorama Section award at the Larissa Film Festival in Greece. Yiannoutsos studied Theatre and Film at Victoria University, and has taught both actors and directors, including Performing Arts students at Unitec.

A migrant carries within them two worlds and they live within the friction and unease of many contradictions. They try to reconcile them. They look for lumber. When they find their lumber, they build a bridge. I build mine by telling stories through the creative arts. Vicky Yiannoutsos on the influence of her Greek heritage, on her website