Koraly Dimitriadis
b. Melbourne, Australia.

BIOGRAPHY:   Koraly Dimitriadis was born in Melbourne to Cypriot migrants. She always dreamed of being an actor and poet but instead fell victim to the working-class mentality and studied accounting and computing. Specialising in computer programming, she worked for some of Australia’s biggest companies. Fitting the role of the good Greek girl, she married at 22. It was only after the birth of her daughter that she began questioning, and the creativity she had buried inside her exploded out. After meeting author Christos Tsiolkas who encouraged her creativity, Koraly returned to study and completed a diploma in professional writing and editing at RMIT.

What happened next through her eventual divorce and becoming a single mother was a torrent of creativity – poetry, fiction and non-fiction writing, and acting and creating theatre and films featuring her poetry. Through Bill Mousoulis, Koraly was also introduced to Anna Kannava who was born in Cyprus. Both Anna and Christos mentored Koraly as she wrote her first, still unpublished fiction novel, We Never Said Goodbye. Anna Kannava also inspired Koraly in the area of film making and Koraly dedicated her first poetry book, Love and Fck Poems, to Anna. The book became a bestseller for Australian poetry.

Koraly’s second poetry book is Just Give Me The Pills, and her third is She’s Not Normal. All of her poetry books are self-published. Her first official Australian publication will be her debut short story collection, The Mother Must Die, in late 2024, through Puncher and Wattmann. Koraly received the UNESCO City of Literature residency in Krakow (2019). Koraly’s controversial opinion writing has been published widely with articles published across the Australian media and internationally in The Washington Post, Aljazeera, The Guardian and The Today Show (USA).

	KORALY (a mockumentary): I wonder if they’ll make the TV show

CRITICAL OVERVIEW:  When Koraly first started performing her poetry and regular poetry events, she supplemented this by recording herself to camera and posting the videos on You Tube. After receiving an Australia Council Arts Start grant in 2012, she embarked on The Good Greek Girl Film Project, a series of four short films of her poems where she was the lead actor, co-directed with Nathan Little, where Nathan was the cinematographer and editor. These films sparked the interest of Daniel Scharf, producer of Romper Stomper, who then went on to become Koraly’s agent.

Daniel introduced Koraly’s work to Cristina Pozzan who optioned the idea for a TV show. After some unsuccessful attempts for broadcaster backing or funding, Koraly was inspired to create Koraly (a mockumentary), I wonder if they’ll make the TV show. This feature was screened, along with her four short films in the Good Greek Girl Film Project, on Channel 31, following a successful launch at The Loop Bar.

Koraly made a further few poetry films, but she was also interested in cinematography and directing. What followed next were short poetry films where she mostly directed and she sometimes also did the cinematography. She also produced all the films. She sometimes worked with more accomplished practitioners, but other times she had her then boyfriend, David Cameron, assume the role of cinematographer, and then later, her daughter, Rosie G, started taking on the role (and Rosie also sometimes acts in the films with Koraly). Her films have been screened at various film festivals and her film, Best Friend, was shortlisted for the Australian Online Video Awards in 2017. In 2021 her poetry film Mediterranean Madness, directed by Artemis Evlogimenou, was shortlisted for the Queensland Poetry Festival films awards, and in 2022, for Multicultural Film Festival of Australia, and was screened on SBS on demand. In 2023 her poetry film Yiayia mou (my grandmother), filmed in the ancient Paphos Theatre in Cyprus, was a finalist for the Multicultural Film Festival of Australia and is currently streaming on SBS on Demand.

FILMOGRAPHY:

	I wish I was a cool Greek guy

Love according to wogs (2013, 3:30 mins, short poetry film, co-director Nathan Little)

Best Friend (2013, 10:09 mins, short poetry film, co-director Nathan Little)

How to get a f**k (2013, 4:59 mins, short poetry film, co-director Nathan Little)

Wog (2013, 1:28 mins, short poetry film, co-director Nathan Little)

KORALY (a mockumentary): I wonder if they’ll make the TV show (2016, 58:06 mins, mockumentary, co-director – Zev Howley)

Ποια εν τούτη? “Who is she?” (2019, 2:24 mins, short poetry film)

Shh, woman, shh (2019, 2:51 mins, short poetry film)

	Best Friend

Βαρκούμαι “I can't be bothered” (2019, 1:49 mins, short poetry film)

The reunion (2020, 1:51 mins, short poetry film)

She's not normal (2020, 2:01 mins, short poetry film)

Most of Melbourne is depressed (2020, 4:18 mins, short poetry film)

Koraly Comedy: Teen revenge during COVID19 (2020, 2:41 mins, comedy short poetry film)

It's more than a game now (2020, 3:37 mins, short poetry film)

Βαρκούμαι τov κορωνοϊό “I can't be bothered with COVID” (2020, 1:30 mins, short poetry film)

Koraly Comedy: Hairdressing during the pandemic 1 (2020, 6:12 mins, comedy short poetry film)

Koraly Comedy: Hairdressing during the pandemic 2 (2020, 4:41 mins, comedy short poetry film)

	Yiayia mou “my grandmother”

Koraly Comedy: Arts Prize winner Carol Dimi talks censorship & diversity on the Arts Channel 2023 (2020, 7:30 mins, comedy short poetry film)

Koraly Comedy: Hairdressing during the pandemic 3 (2021, 5:52 mins, comedy short poetry film)

Koraly Comedy: Hairdressing during the pandemic 4 (2021, 11:24 mins, comedy short poetry film)

I wish I was a cool Greek guy (2022, 3:19 mins, short poetry film)

If I were a man (2023, 3:01 mins, short poetry film)

Yiayia mou “my grandmother” (2023, 7:15 mins, short poetry film)

Koraly Dimitriadis' website

Contact Koraly Dimitriadis

Back to Melbourne independent filmmakers index page