Athena Xenidou – Co-Founder & Filmmaker, RAY Films
Athena Xenidou is an accomplished director, producer, and screenwriter working across film, television, and theatre. She has served as the President of the Director's Guild of Cyprus from 2023-2025, a member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Emmy), and has served on the International Emmy Awards Jury since 2001. A core member of the European Manifesto, she advocates for cultural sovereignty and the recognition of cinema under the Cultural Exception principle, endorsed by 24 European Ministers of Culture.
Athena studied Music and English Literature in Switzerland before earning her BA in Film from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an MA in Politics and Media from the University of Nicosia. She also completed producer training at the American Film Institute (AFI).
Her film portfolio includes award-winning shorts Dead End, The Made Guy, Tripwire, Saving Joy, and Insidious Invisible. In 2001, she wrote and directed the feature documentary Unwitnessed Memories, which received national theatrical and television distribution, screened at IDFA, and won the Gold Jury Award at Worldfest Houston.
In Greek television, Athena directed Survivor (Seasons 1 & 2), The Farm (Seasons 1 & 2), and 48 episodes across three drama series Ρουα Ματ, Όσα Δεν Ξέρεις, and Κρυφός Καιάδας featuring prominent actors including Nikos Poursanidis, Giannis Vouros, Petros Lagoutis, and Katerina Didaskalou.
Athena's theatre directing credits include Pulitzer Prize-winner The Shadow Box by Michael Cristofer, Miss Julie by August Strindberg, The Vagina Monologues by Eve Ensler, and I Hate Hamlet by Paul Rudnick. At the Cyprus National Theatre, she directed Marius Von Mayenburg's The Stone and Nachtland, the latter achieving a sold-out 2024 run.
In 2023, she co-founded Ray Talent Agency with partner Ronan Le Du, representing global talent and creatives. Their production company, Ray Films, focuses on producing feature films and series for international distribution.
Passionate about nurturing talent, Athena founded The Film and Stage Studio and has lectured in Producing and Directing at the University of Central Lancashire. She recently served as Executive Producer on The Invincibles and is currently attached as producer, writer, and director on multiple feature and series projects, including Laskarina, selected for The Owl 2023 by Athens Film Office.
