Draft:Diamantis Karanastasis

• Comment: IMDb is not a reliable source; any instance of IMDb references should be deleted from the article. Many sections, including biased statements, remain unreferenced at this time. Which reliable/independent source can state that "He strongly believed, from a very young age, that no political institution has the authority to judge and determine anyone's artistic talent."? If none, this should be deleted to adhere to a neutral point of view. Utopes _{(talk / cont)} 20:15, 10 September 2024 (UTC)

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Diamantis Karanastasis
Diamantis Karanastasis
Born	(1974-03-02) March 2, 1974 Larissa, Greece
Citizenship	Greece
Occupations	Actor Director Politician Producer
Spouse	Marianna Calbari (2002–2016)
Partner	Zoe Konstantopoulou (2016–present)
Website	www.diamantiskaranastasis.com

Diamantis Karanastasis is a Greek actor, filmmaker, director, producer, and a member of the Greek Parliament. He has gained recognition as an actor through his collaboration with great theatre and television directors. He has won various awards for his work as a filmmaker.. As a distinguished voice-over artist, he has lent his voice to over 8000 television and radio commercials, documentaries, television shows, and selected animated film franchises. He is also the producer of several theatrical productions and feature films. As a producer, he has given life to hundreds of audiovisual commercial productions, filming, podcasts, radio plays, and web plays, through his own post-production studio, "DACOS".

Birigogo, his own start-up company, musters the ancient dramatic works—comedies and tragedies—of the great ancient Greek comic and tragic poets and adapts them into interactive educational applications.

In June 2023, during the Greek National Elections, he made his debut as a member of the Greek Parliament, supporting the left party Course of Freedom (Plefsi Eleftherias).

Early Life

Diamantis Karanastasis was born on March 2, 1974, in Larissa, the capital city of Thessaly, where he lived until the age of 18. His father was Yiannis Karanastasis (1940–2018), a mathematician from Gonnoi, a village near Larissa, and his mother is Georgia (Gia) Karveli, also a mathematician, from Aitoliko, Mesolonghi. His sister, Elina Karanastasi, is an architect living and working in Amsterdam with her family.

Education

He attended school in his hometown and graduated from the 1st Senior High School of Larissa. In 1992, he successfully passed the national university entrance exams and entered the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA, also known as "Athens Polytechnic" or "Polytechnion") to study at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The following year, while studying at NTUA, he retook the exams and succeeded in the Mathematics Department at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. He never finished his studies at either school, as his love for the theatre urged him to dedicate himself exclusively to his theatre education.

He enrolled in Vassilis Diamantopoulos' drama school, where he took acting lessons and completed his theatrical studies. He never took any other exams at any other drama school as one of their requirements was a compulsory entrance examination before a committee of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. He strongly believed, from a very young age, that no political institution has the authority to judge and determine anyone's artistic talent.

Career

Theatre

In the play "Wild Blood" with Parthenopi Bouzouri, Karolos Koun Art Theatre, 2015

As an actor, he has collaborated with important directors and has starred in well-known plays of the Greek and international repertoire. He has performed in major theatrical productions, including the following: The Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov (2007–2008) and Love, Love, Love by Mike Bartlett (2012–2013), both directed by Marianna Calbari at the Greek Art Theatre Karolos Koun, Paranoma Filia - Kokkina Fanaria (The Red Lanterns) by Alekos Galanos (2014–2015) directed by Nikos Mastorakis at the Piraeus Municipal Theatre, Trelo Aima (Wild Blood) by Pandelis Prevelakis (2015), adapted and directed by Angela Brouskou at the Greek Art Theatre, Fear by Stefan Zweig (2015–2016), directed by Elena Penga at the Municipal Theatre of Kalamata,Love and Anarchy by Lina Wertmüller (2019), directed by Yiannis Laspias at Bios,Bremen Freedom by Rainer Werner Fassbinder (2022–2023), directed by Nikos Mastorakis at the Municipal Theatre of Crete and the Greek Art Theatre Karolos Koun.

Cinema

With Natalia Dragoumi in the film "Timeless Stories", Audience Award, Thessaloniki Film Festival 2017

He has starred in several feature and short films. The film Timeless Stories, directed by Vassilis Raisis (2017), in which he embodies the main character in his forty-year-old version, won the Audience Award at Thessaloniki's 58th International Film Festival.

He recently played Manolis Chiotis in the highly anticipated film Yparcho (I do exist), about the life of folk Greek legend Stelios Kazantzidis, directed by Giorgos Tsemberopoulos. The film is slated for release on December 19, 2024.

In 2011, he directed his first feature film, My Blood, a contemporary parable on the Oedipus myth. He also wrote, produced, edited, and acted in one of the leading roles. Despite being an independent production, it managed to receive many distinctions both in Greece and abroad, winning a total of 9 awards, numerous nominations, and participating in festivals all over the world, without any festival support.

At the Hellenic Film Academy awards, while only two contributors of this independent production were members of the Academy and had voting rights in the annual awards, the film was nominated in two major categories (Female Leading Role and Music Composition), ultimately winning the Music Composition Award (Stavros Gasparatos), an unprecedented achievement for a no-budget film.

Institution/Organization	Year	Category	Nomination/Results	Contributors
The indieFEST (USA)	2018	Award of Recognition - Feature Film	Award	Diamantis Karanastasis
International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema LONDON (UK)	2016	Best Foreign Language Feature Film	Nomination	Diamantis Karanastasis
International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema LONDON (Η.Β.)	2016	Best Original Score	Nomination	Stavros Gasparatos
International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema LONDON (UK)	2016	Best Original Screenplay of a Foreign Language Film	Nomination	Diamantis Karanastasis
International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema LONDON (UK)	2016	Best Editing of a Foreign Language Film	Nomination	Diamantis Karanastasis
Indie Gathering International Film Festival (USA)	2014	Honorary Mention	Award	Diamantis Karanastasis
Columbia Gorge International Film Festival (USA)	2014		Official Selection
Noida International Film Festival (India)	2014	Special Festival Mention	Award	Diamantis Karanastasis
International Movie Awards (Indonesia)	2014	Gold Award	Award	Diamantis Karanastasis
London Greek Film Festival (UK)	2013	Best Screenplay	Award	Diamantis Karanastasis
London Greek Film Festival (UK)	2013	Best Actress	Award	Diamantis Karanastasis
London Greek Film Festival (UK)	2013	Best Actress	Award	Diamantis Karanastasis
Vukovar Film Festival (Croatia)	2013		Official Selection
San Francisco Greek Film Festival (USA)	2013		Official Selection
Greek Film Academy	2013	Best Actress	Nomination	Vicky Volioti
Greek Film Academy	2013	Best Original Score	Award	Stavros Gasparatos
Athens International Film Festival	2012		Official Selection
Gijon International Film Festival (Spain)	2012		Official Selection
Amsterdam Film Festival (The Netherlands)	2012	Special Jury Prize - World Cinema Dramatic	Award	Diamantis Karanastasis

In the 2021 lockdown, Diamantis Karanastasis took charge of directing, filming, and the entire post-production process of the play Pyramides (Pyramids) written by Andreas Flourakis. This was the first fully digital performance in Greece, a project by the Karolos Koun Art Theatre, receiving excellent reviews. The critic Dr. Konstantinos Bouras highlighted in his review in the newspaper To Vima:

"...I propose that actor and director Diamantis Karanastasis be honored with a special award for his inventive cinematography, which thanks to the actors' performances and imaginative editing, created quantum gaps and overlappings contributing to a circular conception and emphasizing the impasse experienced by these trapped individuals..."

— Dr. Konstantinos Bouras

The project was exclusively created for the web during the lockdown and was filmed throughout the historic theatre, highlighting the absence of audience, the desolation of the space, the impasse of the cultural community, and the loneliness of the artist.

In April 2021, during the second lockdown, Karanastasis filmed the movie Athens by Night: "11 pm", a cinematic portrayal of the Greek capital city, its empty streets, and closed cultural venues, set to the music of Moby. The film gained mass appeal in Greece.

Television

Karamanos in the TV adaptation of "Jungermann", ANT1, 2008

He made his television debut in 1998, in the leading role in San Aderfes (Like Sisters), a TV series directed by Nikos Koutelidakis on the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation.

Ever since, he has starred in many television productions. Indicatively, in the TV series: Athootos i enohos (Guilty or Innocent), (ANT1) directed by Grigoris Karantinakis, Lifting (ANT1), directed by Grigoris Petriniotis, I agape irthe apo makrya (Love Came from Afar), (ANT1) directed by Manousos Manousakis, Amarties goneon (Parental Sins), (MEGA), directed by Sisi Smiriliou, Me thea sto pelago (Gazing on the Sea), (MEGA) directed by Giannis Vasileiadis, Deixe mou ton filo sou (Show Me Your Friend and…), (ANT1) directed by Akis Stamatiadis, and Kryfa monopatia (Hidden Pathways), (ANT1) directed by Manousos Manousakis.

He was a guest star in the TV series: Konstantinou kai Elenis (Konstantino’s and Helen’s), aired on (ANT1), directed by Kostas Lyhnaras, Oi istories tou astynomou Beka (Inspector Bekas' Stories), (ALPHA) directed by Nikos Kritikos, and Epta thanasimes petheres (Seven Deadly Mothers-in-Law), (MEGA), directed by Grigoris Petriniotis.

In 2007-2008, he co-starred with Konstantinos Markoulakis, Fay Xyla, and Zeta Makripoulia in Jungermann, an M. Karagatsis novel adaptation, aired by ANT1. During the recession years, for more than a decade, he abstained from television acting.

In 2024, he appeared in So, Long Marianne, an international co-production about Leonard Cohen’s life, directed by Oystein Carlsen and Bronwen Hughes. He is the only Greek actor on the main cast of this 8-episode drama series starring Alex Wolff, Anna Torv, Noah Taylor, Thea Sophia Loch Næss, Simon Lööf, and others.

Voice-overs and dubbing

An acclaimed voice-over artist, he has lent his voice to over 8,000 television, internet, and radio commercials, as well as documentaries, TV shows, films, theater, and TV trailers. His voice is behind the Greek edition of selected animation studio movies such as Madagascar, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Ice Age, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and Oliver & Company. He has also voiced characters in video games and is the main voice in the interactive educational applications of his start-up company, Birigogo.

Productions

He has produced several theatre plays such as: Mia anasa Akoma (One More Breath), presented at the National Theatre of Greece by the Experimental Stage – "Emerging Artists", Neo Aima (My Blood) at Argo Theatre, Istories gia gamophovikous (Stories for Marriage-phobics) at the Greek Art Theatre Karolos Koun, Anonimi Agia (Nameless Saint) at the Greek Art Theatre Karolos Koun, and many more. His production company has undertaken entirely or was involved in the production of feature films such as My Blood and Invisible, as well as short films, web theatre plays, radio plays, podcasts, and trailers.

In 2007, he founded DACOS, his post-production studio, with hundreds of audiovisual advertisements and filming productions under his belt.

In 2022, he created Birigogo, a start-up company aimed at creating interactive educational applications of ancient Greek comedies and tragedies from the great ancient Greek playwrights. Upon launch, the first production of the series, The Birds by Aristophanes, was particularly well received by several news outlets. Days after its release, the application hit first place in Apple’s App Store. This series is supported by the Greek Art Theatre Karolos Koun and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. Upcoming projects include Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus and Helen by Euripides. Through these innovative educational interactive applications, users become acquainted with Greece’s rich cultural heritage.

Political activity

With the Prime Minister of Iceland, Katrin Jakobsdottir, during a visit to Reykjavik, 2018

He is a founding member of the political party Plefsi Eleftherias (Course of Freedom) and has been active since 2016, in charge of its political and communications strategy. Moreover, he is the organizing brain behind various initiatives, actions, protests, and events. He is one of the complainants in the ongoing Mati case trial, the initiator of the movement "Justice for All", and the founder of FreedomTV.

Speech at the Athens Bar Association, 2016

Since 2016, he has traveled worldwide addressing his audience as a delegate for Plefsi Eleftherias (Course of Freedom) in cities such as Copenhagen (Plan B), Paris, Brussels, Namur, Rome (Plan B), Brighton (Labour Party Congress), Reykjavik, Brazil, Belo Horizonte, and Rio de Janeiro.

In the June 2023 parliamentary elections, Plefsi Eleftherias (Course of Freedom) won their first seats in the Hellenic Parliament, and he was elected as an MP in Athens A Constituency. He serves as a member of the Standing Committee on Cultural and Educational Affairs, the Special Permanent Committee on Research and Technology, and the Special Permanent Committee on Road Safety.

As an MP, he has taken a staunch stand on issues pertaining to education, the value of art in education and society, the devalued status of drama school qualifications by the State, human rights, the environment, climate change, road safety, and the importance of technology and innovation in modern life.

Personal Life

He has been a resident of Athens since 1992. He was married to actress, director, and writer Marianna Calbari, the artistic director of the Greek Art Theatre Karolos Koun since 2014. They have two children, Niovi (born in 2008) and Yiannos (born in 2011). They divorced in 2016. His current partner is criminal lawyer, politician, activist, and former president of the Hellenic Parliament, Zoe Konstantopoulou