about | bbln

C/V

Markela Kontaratou is a filmmaker and visual artist based in Athens. She holds a Master’s degree with distinction in Filmmaking from the London Film School and is a Painting graduate of the Athens School of Fine Arts. She has pursued a Minor in Literature at Deree, supported by the SNF parallel studies scholarship. She has worked in various aspects of film production, with extensive experience as a gaffer, and editor.

Her debut short film, Scorched Earth (2023), premiered at the 2023 Locarno Film Festival in the Pardi di Domani section and has been screened at over 10 international festivals, including Aesthetica 2023, Palm Springs ShortFest 2024, and the 2023 Drama International Short Film Festival. In 2024, she served as co-producer and cinematographer for No Future Kids, which won the Best International Student Short Award at the 2024 Drama International Short Film Festival.

Her second directorial short film project, Meridian, was selected for the Midpoint Shorts 2024-2025 programme and won the Development Award at the Athens Pitching Lab 2024.

As a visual artist, she has participated in exhibitions in Greece, as well as internationally.

Education

2019-2023 MA Filmmaking with Distinction, London Film School

2013-2018 BFA Painting, Athens School of Fine Arts

2017-2019 English Minor, Stavros Niarchos Foundation Scholarship, Deree College, Athens, Greece

2019 Bolex camera workshop by Yannis Kolozis, Snehta, Athens, Greece

2016 Erasmus studies at Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam

Film Festivals

76th Locarno International Film Festival, Pardi di Domani 2023 Section

Drama International Short Film Festival 2023, National Student Competition

Manaki Brothers Cinematographers Festival 2023, Official Short Film Selection

Aesthetica 2023, Thriller: Short Film

Zagreb Intertnational Short Film Festival 2023, International Competition

Athens International Film Festival 2023, Official Selection

Poitiers Film Festival 2023, InternationalShort Film Selection

Palm Springs Shortfest 2024, Official Selection

Indie-Lincs Short Film Festival 2024, Best International Short Film Award

Nice Short Film Festival 2024, Greek Panorama Selection

Women In Film and Television Greece Festival 2024, Greek Shorts Selection

Filmmaking

DIRECTOR
Meridian (now in Post-Production), Short Film

Scorched Earth, 2024, 16', 16mm Short Film

PRIDE.GR, video Director, 2023-2024

Auguries of Innocence (now in Post-Production), Short Film

LIGHTING TECHNICIAN

Gaffer:

- Between Water and Roof Black Stories, Short Film, 2024, dir. Efi Spyrou
- The Bull , Short Film, 2024, dir. Victor Nauwynck

- RekhaXWukda “Racing” Music Video, 2022, dir. Wukda

- Bear With Me, 2022, Short Film, dir. Lydia Wei
- Music Theatre Showcase Reels Gaffer, 2022, Royal College of Speech and Drama

- Actors Showreels Gaffer, 2022, Royal College of Speech and Drama

- NFTS Director Series, Workshop Gaffer, 2022.

- Shadow, 2022, NFTS Short Film, dir. Elahe Ismail

- The Eternal Oblivion Problem, 2022, Short Film, dir. Elahe Esmaili

- The Wait, Location Gaffer, 2022, Short Film, dir. Victor Nauwynck

- Blue Dream, 2021, Short Film, dir. Cameron Stewart

- Normal Family, 2021, Short Film, dir. Cassy Sun

- Nine Nights, Location Gaffer, 2021, Short Film, dir. Remi Moses

Spark:

- Timoros, TV series, Spark, 2024

- Sasmos, TV series, Spark, 2023-2024

- SRVC Fashion Reel, Spark, Fashion Film, 2022.

- Messenger, Short Film, 2023, dir. Alix Eve

- HALIFAX “It’s a 7.13 P.M. Thing” Bank Commercial, Spark, 2022
- (WO)men, Short Film, 2022.
- Enter Shikari x Wargasm, 2022, Music Video, Spark, dir. Elliot Gonzo
- McDonald’s “Raise the Arches”, Trainee Spark, 2022, commercial, dir. Edgar Wright
- Just Eat “Global Vignettes”, Trainee Spark, 2022, commercial, dir. Sye Allen
- Checkmyfile “Missing Pieces”, Trainee Spark, 2022, TV Advertising Campaign, dir. Sye Allen

- Broke!, 2022, Short Film, dir. Jay Piong

- What did we Learn Today Georgina?, 2021, Short Film, dir. Franco Volpi

- Hebert and Humphrey, 2021, Short Film, dir. Siddharth Joshi

Director of Photography:

- No Future Kids, 2024, Short Film, dir. Eleni Poulopoulou

- Kelsey, 2024, Short Film, dir. Yorgos Sakarellos

- Oh Lighter, 2025 (in post-production), dir. Alex Sotiropoulos, Katherine Lekka

- Uke, 2020, 16mm Short Film, dir. Blerta Kambo

- Orange Square, Digital Short Film, dir. Raphael Hernandez

EDITOR

Editor

- Pride.GR videos

- News Editor at Action24 Channel, since Jan 2023

- Blue Dream, 2021, Short Film, dir. Cameron Stewart

Selected Shows/Performances

2021 Festival Video-Art Miden, February 2021 Online Screenings

2020 Εις το Όνομα.../In the Name, Apollonos 25, Plaka, Athens

2020 SWITCH Short Film Festival, Roodkapje Rotterdam, Holland

2019 Kypselian Salon, Snehta gallery, Athens, Greece

2019 Curved Arrows, curated by Kostis Velonis, Kunstraum Am Schauplatz, Vienna, Austria

2018 Studios, Metamatic TAF, Athens, Greece

2018 Annual Graduation Show, Athens School of Fine Arts, Athens, Greece

2018 Stopping Point, curated by Kostis Velonis, Daily Lazy, Athens, Greece

2017 ART4MORE, Trii Art Hub, Athens, Greece

2017 Art Residencies in Mental Health Units, Ippokratis 2, Athens, Greece

2017 Rainer Oldendorf “Marco14” workshop and fm shooting for Documenta 14

2017 MINT - CLASH, WORM, Rotterdam, Holland

2016 MINT, WORM, Rotterdam, Holland

2016 Athens Digital Arts Festival, Building Complex Gate, Ermou 117-121, Athens, Greece

2015 Athens Photo Festival, Photography as Performance, Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece

2015 P.A.S. #38 “Places of Duration”, Cheapart, Athens2014 Re_Formance, Booze Cooperativa, Athens

2014 V_ideas, performances, Beton7, Athens

Volunteer Work

2018 Participation in Saeborg's performance "Pigpen", ANTI- Athens Biennial, Greece

2016 Rotterdam Contemporary Art Fair, Rotterdam, Holland