Summary
- Maria Tsioli died in the fatal road crash on Alexandras Avenue on September 1, 2026.
- “Assist” had its world premiere at the Sarajevo Film Festival and received a Special Jury Prize in Košice.
- “Passage” had received a €29,000 funding pre-approval and was being prepared for filming in Agrafa.
- Her family, collaborators and the Municipality of Agrafa want the film to be completed in accordance with her vision.
Greek director, screenwriter and producer Maria Tsioli was one of the three victims of the road crash that occurred on September 1 on Alexandras Avenue in Athens.
According to ERT’s report on the incident, the crash happened shortly after 1:30 a.m., when two motorcycles collided and then struck a parked car. All three riders died, while the Traffic Police opened an investigation into the exact circumstances of the collision.
Maria Tsioli’s death brings to an abrupt end a creative path that had already reached Greek and international festivals. It also leaves “Passage,” the short film she was preparing to shoot in Agrafa, unfinished. Her family and collaborators want the project to be completed in accordance with her vision.
From “Victoria” to the international festival circuit
Maria Tsioli made her directorial debut at 17 with the short film “Victoria,” which received Third Prize in the European section for young filmmakers at Camera Zizanio. According to the official announcement by her school, the same film also won First Prize for Best Film and the Original Music Award at the Filmmakers 2017 student competition, with music composed and performed by Tsioli on oud and piano.
As stated in her professional profile on T-Port, she studied Film and Television Directing at the Stavrakos Film School and also earned a degree in Archaeology and History of Art from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. These two fields accompanied a career in which she worked as a director, screenwriter, producer and in several film-crew roles.
“Assist” and its international journey
The nine-minute drama “Assist,” her graduation film, follows a girl running through an empty city to reach a football match. On the way, she meets her friend in a yellow car, and their separate worlds come together with the arrival of a third friend, according to the official Athens International Film Festival presentation.
Maria Tsioli was the film’s director, screenwriter and producer. “Assist” had its world premiere in the Student Film Competition of the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival. It also screened at the 30th Athens International Film Festival, the 21st FEST – New Directors/New Films Festival, the 37th Panorama of European Cinema and SHORT to the Point, as documented on the Berlinale Talents page. In 2025, it received a Special Jury Prize at the Košice International Film Festival.
During the same period, Tsioli was selected for the Directors Summit of the 18th generation of Talents Sarajevo, an educational and professional platform run in partnership with Berlinale Talents.
A filmmaker interested in the body and the city
Before “Assist,” Maria Tsioli wrote and directed the videodance work “no one there in ruthless happiness.” The 2020 film follows a person entering a chaotic, unfamiliar reality and testing their limits through movement, conflict and contact with others.
This work, like “Assist,” reveals her consistent interest in the body within urban space, loneliness and the relationships that emerge in environments of alienation.
“Passage” and the wish to complete it
“Passage” centres on a teenage shepherd who must confront the cycle of life he is expected to inherit, a conflict with his mother and the cost of independence. Filming had been scheduled for the autumn in the villages of Agrafa, mainly Megala Vrangiana, with support from the Municipality of Agrafa.
In October 2024, the project received a €29,000 funding pre-approval from the then EKKOMED, with Maria Tsioli credited as screenwriter and director. The official document names Christos Giannakopoulos as producer, while a recent post by Mayor of Agrafa Alexis Kardabikis states that Spiros Skandalos also took part on the production side in the latest preparations with the municipality.
After her death, Tsioli’s family and collaborators expressed their wish for the film to be made. Her mother asked those who wished to honour her to support the completion of the project instead of sending wreaths or flowers, while the Municipality of Agrafa pledged to help ensure that filming takes place as the filmmaker had planned.
Maria Tsioli’s premature death deprives Greek cinema of a filmmaker who had already found her own thematic ground and had begun testing her work in an international environment.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Maria Tsioli?
Maria Tsioli was a Greek director, screenwriter and producer. She studied at the Stavrakos Film School and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, while her work screened at festivals in Greece and abroad.
How did Maria Tsioli die?
She was one of three victims of the road crash that occurred on September 1, 2026, on Alexandras Avenue in Athens, following a collision between two motorcycles.
What is “Assist”?
“Assist” is a nine-minute short drama written, directed and produced by Maria Tsioli. It had its world premiere at the Sarajevo Film Festival and continued its festival journey in Greece and abroad.
What will happen to “Passage”?
Her family, collaborators and the Municipality of Agrafa have expressed their intention to support the completion of the film in accordance with Maria Tsioli’s vision.
