
Maria Plyta
Directing
Biography
Maria Plyta (Greek: Μαρία Πλυτά, 26 November 1915 - 4 March 2006) was a Greek film director, prose writer, playwright and journalist. She was the first female director in Greece and is known for the films The Engagements (1950), The Baptist (1952) and The Lustrakos (1962), which achieved great commercial success. Plyta is considered one of the most important personalities of early post-war cinema, as, along with other directors, she defined the cinematic language of the time. She also wrote novels and plays, and worked for several years in newspapers and magazines. Αlthough Plyta was the first Greek woman director, with a filmography of 17 films in 20 years (1950 – 1970), to this day, she remains underrated, despite the fact that her films were an important part of the history of Greek cinema in the 1950s and 1960s.
Known For

Two childhood friends are steered apart by their parents
The Winner

A young lady, Maria, is hired at Mrs Elsa's house to watch her mother-in-law. But she does not realize that her lady has thrown it into nights and gambling. She also understands from the narratives of the mother-in-law of Mrs Elsa and her mother, Demetris, who is the master and has with him on the voyage and his brother Manos, that the two brothers work for a sacred purpose: to raise money and to make money Jail their father. But when Dimitris returns with the intention of staying forever on the land, he finds that Elsa has squandered all their economies on paper. Bitter thought to divorce her but Mary, knowing that Elsa loves him, prevents such a development. Maria itself decides to live with her lawyer, Mr. Pantelis, who has long been in love with her.
Between Two Women

Tassos is a kiosk owner who is in love with Foula. He has a constant fear of vehicles speeding past his kiosk. His friend Vangelis wants to help him overcome his fear. A series of strange events, misunderstandings, and unrequited love will lead to the marriage of Tasos and Foula.
Jeep, Pavilion and Love

During the dark years of the German Occupation of Greece, Anna is separated from her only son, Dimitris, after the untimely death of her wealthy husband. As a result, her mother-in-law takes the boy with her to raise him. However, the elder Dimitris, the last scion of an old aristocratic family, leaves his home and his domineering grandmother to become a singer. Suddenly, after reaching the peak of his career, the rich and famous Dimitris disappears without a trace. Could there be a terrible secret behind Dimitris' unexplained disappearance?
A Mother Is Accused

Spyros, an honest young man from a poor neighborhood, owns a small coffee shop. His only friends are the shoe shiner Tsichlas and the drunkard Barba-Stamos. One day, he decides that the time has come to ask for Pitsa's hand in marriage. The poor neighborhood and its people pressure Pitsa, who can't take it anymore and runs away from home during the engagement. She runs into Didi, a playboy who, in an effort to pay off his debts, supplies beautiful girls to a rich old man.
The Girl of the Neighbourhood

Lena Konstantinidi, a wealthy young woman who is paralyzed, falls in love with a poor student, Alexis, who sells newspapers to earn money for his studies. The evil stepmother Elsa, who envies her husband's daughter, is opposed to this marriage and does everything she can to thwart it, even going so far as to accuse Alexis of stealing a valuable statuette. However, her plans are completely ruined, thanks to Alex's kindness and the help of a young street vendor whom Alex had taken into his home after the death of his mother.
The Merchant

One rainy night, a young, rich and beautiful girl, Eliza, takes refuge in the house of a poor painter friend of hers. She wants to escape her past and the ghosts that haunt her. She becomes a model and the artist's lover, but he has another relationship that does not get in the way, as the previous mistress is getting married to a widower who has a son in love with Eliza. The widower's son searches for the missing Eliza, but when he finds her she is already in the painter's arms. With respect for the fact, he leaves her life and lets her taste happiness with the painter, whom she clearly adores unconditionally.
The stranger of the night

The bond between a young painter and a girl who accidentally encounters a beach finds obstacles because of the information that her father learns about her past, who visits her and persuades her to give up. Based on the story of The Lady with the Camellias.
You Came Too Late

The small loustrakos Vasilis Maras alongside the school of fine on the streets of Athens to make money. The mother finds injustice in prison for the murder of Demetrias. With the persistence of the king, however, and the help of a lawyer, the Karelia, the mother of leaving prison.
Loustrakos

A successful businessman suspects that his wife is having an affair with his best friend. Sadly, it will take more than a decade to unearth the truth, as his daughter thirsts for answers and closure. But, were they, indeed, lovers?
Jealousy

A notorious thief seeks refuge in the home of a young woman who works in the nightlife industry. She pretends to be a nurse and he pretends to be a doctor. However, the next day finds the thief being pursued by the authorities and arrested. Before that, their true identities are revealed. The two young people, who are in love with each other, swear eternal love.
Just for One Night

Wanting to have nothing to do with the feud that has decimated not only his own family but also that of his neighbors, an irenic teacher faces his childhood sweetheart who yearns to kill him. Can the feared she-wolf see the error of her ways?
The She-Wolf

Three students share their dreams for their future after school. Yanna is the moral compass of the film. She wants to work, become financially independent, and then, if she finds the man who speaks to her heart, get married and start a family. Katerina simply wants to get married and take care of her children, and the third member of the group wants to solve her financial problems through a wealthy marriage. She doesn't care about love and romance, she doesn't want children, she wants a life full of "money" even if it means marrying without love. The camera finally focuses on Yanna's life, which seems to be going uphill. Remaining steadfast in her beliefs, she looks for work. When, after a year, she manages to find a job in the offices of a factory, her boss, Mr. Georgiou, makes advances towards her and she seriously injures him.
Uphill

Young Antinoos is on vacation on an island where he meets a seductive woman, Eva, who is having a miserable time with her middle-aged husband, Alekos. Eva is attracted to Antinoos, who is her missing part, but at the same time, she feels guilty and tries to suppress her passion.
Eva

During the Balkan Wars, Vivika Zaharouli, sick and tired of the goings-on of her womanizer husband, welcomes in Athens her godchild, who comes to live in their house. She doesn't know, however, that this is not her godchild but an impostor, Petros Harmidis, who took the other's place because he is in love with her. One day, she is visited by a classmate of hers from their old girl's school, Kiki, who is Harmidis' wife. Kiki asks her to intervene in the transfer of her husband from the front, but one misunderstanding leads to another...
The Godson

After leaving Nafplio, the first capital of the newly founded Greek Nation, the affluent French Duchess of Plaisance and ardent philhellene, Sophie de Marbois-Lebrun, moves to Athens with her young daughter, Eliza, circa 1834.
The Duchess of Plakendia

A young couple's romance comes to a tragic end. It is the first Greek film made by a female director.
The Engagement

Foula is kicked out of her father's house when the doctor who loved her leaves her, and she ends up in a brothel. There, her brother, who is unaware that she is his sister, meets her and falls in love with her. The girl attempts suicide, but luckily for her, she is taken to the hospital where her former lover works as a doctor.
Wrecks Of Life

A young girl, in an attempt to avoid the aspirations of her bosses, gets a job disguised as a man.