Frieda Liappa

Biography

Frida Liappa (Greek: Φρίντα Λιάππα, Messini, Messinia, February 10, 1948 – Athens, November 28, 1994) was a Greek film director and poet. She studied Philosophy at the University of Athens and cinematography at the London Film School. She was involved in poetry (initially) and directing. A member of the "democratic youth of Lambrakis", she was arrested and imprisoned. She also developed anti-dictatorial action. After some short films, such as Meta forty days (1972), A life in Thymaai na feigeis (1977), which was honored with the 2nd prize at the Thessaloniki Festival and was awarded by the Panhellenic Union of Cinema Critics), Apetaxamin (1980) , presented her first feature film The roads of love are nightly, which won the 1st prize for first-time director at the Thessaloniki Festival. Her works It Was a Quiet Death (1986) and The Years of Great Heat (1992) followed. In January of the same year, the then advisor to the Ministry of Culture, Apostolos Doxiadis, accused her of child abuse during the filming of one of her films, however, the director was acquitted by resolution number 2826/1993 of the Athens Criminal Council. Around the same time, Liappa was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, a disease from which she died on November 28, 1994, aged just 46.