Yannis Economides was born in 1967 in Limassol, Cyprus. In 1987 he moved to Athens to study filmmaking. After several short films and documentaries, in 2003 he wrote and directed his first feature film, the iconic MATCHBOX. His second feature SOUL KICKING (2006) premiered at The International Critics’ Week in Cannes Film Festival and was screened at prestigious international festivals, including Chicago, Pusan, Tallinn and Lecce. His third feature, KNIFER (2010) won seven awards from the Greek Film Academy, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay after screening at Pusan International Film Festival. His fourth feature, STRATOS (2014) premiered at the Official Competition of the 64th Berlin International Film Festival. In 2016, Yannis directed his first theatrical production SLEEP, STELLA, SLEEP which premiered at the New Stage of the National Theatre in Athens. Economides’ original play was received with enthusiastic reviews. His next feature BALLAD FOR A PIERCED HEART (2020) premiered during Covid and became a national box office hit receiving 15 nominations for Hellenic Film Academy Awards, including Best Direction and Best Film. For all five feature films, Economides has been honored with the Greek Film Critics Association Award for Best Greek Feature Film of the Year. Yannis has also performed as a supporting actor in several Greek films, while in 2017 he had a small but crucial part in Fatih Akin’s film, “In the Fade”. In November 2022, MATCHBOX – THE MUSICAL, premiered at the main stage of “Onassis Stegi” in libretto and artistic direction by Yannis Economides. His latest feature, titled “BROKEN VEIN” (2025), is now complete.