Panagiotis Filippou

GREEK FILMMAKER PANOS dedicated his first multi-award-winning film, ‘Under Greek Skies’ to his father’s memory: “You were there, Dad. 55,000 photos, 825 hours shooting photos, 8400 kilometers, 650 hours of editing, and countless hours of praying. You were there with me, and you always will be.”

Panos began taking photos at the age of seven, clutching the precious Kodak his father had given him as a gift. In their small vil­lage, Agria, the boy soon found an important outlet in the creativity of the photographer’s lens, and he quickly honed his documentari­an’s eye.

What was a hobby as a youth became an obsession, and after being awarded a scholarship for study in the UK at the Newcastle Business school, Panos soon saved up for a prized, used SLR Nikon camera. He began to take photography seriously, and advanced from point and shoot to aperture and manual mode.

Panos’ Nikon accompanied him when he returned to Greece to complete his compulsory military duties, and it accompanied him again as he studied at various universities around the world. Soon, his camera also became his solace as he fought off cancer, surviving against all odds, and devoting renewed passion to his lens.

Panos has a style that marries color, light, and perspective with emotion. And the chiaroscuro and motion within his images and films have become his trademark. He is an artist, but also an editor and technician. His eye for detail has led him to win prestigious lau­rels for his film debut, and his production and philosophy led him to build a photography community on Facebook and on his website, Panos Photographia.

But at the root of everything is his emotion. The title of Panos’ debut film says everything. He writes, “Dad, the video is you, you are the Greek skies.”

Panos doesn’t stop there in dedicating his career. His mission is to devote his career to survivors, to the power of the human will, and the power of the sky filled with stars.