Nikos Tzimas is a renowned film director and producer with an impressive body of work. He has directed six feature-length films and two short films, three of which have historical content, and have enjoyed widespread popularity and commercial success. His films have participated in numerous international film festivals, including Cannes, Moscow, and Thessaloniki, and have won several awards, including six Best Film awards.
Born in Zalongo, southwest Epirus, Greece, Tzimas studied film direction and began his career by directing short and feature-length films during his student years. His early works, including "For These Heroines" and "The Girl with the Radio", won awards at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
Tzimas' first feature-length film, "The Young Want to Live", represented Greece at the Moscow International Film Festival and received the award for Best Debut Director. However, the film was prohibited by the Greek military junta due to its association with composer Mikis Theodorakis, who was imprisoned and exiled at the time. The film tells the story of a young man from Epirus who comes to Athens to pursue his dream of becoming a mathematician, but is instead forced to migrate to Germany to find work.
Tzimas' subsequent films, including "The Lovers' Tomb" and "Thunderjohn", were also met with critical acclaim and commercial success. "The Lovers' Tomb" was the Greek entry in the Cannes Film Festival, but was eventually canceled due to the May 1968 events in France. The film was prohibited by the Greek military junta, and Tzimas was arrested, tortured, and sent to jail for five years before being released due to a general amnesty act.
Tzimas' high-cost film "Thunderjohn" received numerous awards, including Best Film, Best Production, and Best Actor at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The film is set against the backdrop of the agricultural uprisings in Greece in 1912.
Tzimas' most notable film, "The Man with the Carnation", was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the Moscow International Film Festival, and received several other awards, including the Best Film award at FIPRESI and the Best Film award at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The film was also nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and achieved worldwide distribution, setting a box office record in the US.
Tzimas' other notable films include "The Years of the Tempest", which received the Best Film award at the Festival of Valencia and the Best Screenplay award at the Festival of Corfu, and "The Flight of the Swan", a drama about a Greek-American professor who returns to his village in Epirus and must confront the consequences of his past choices.
