Anna Rezan
Anna Rezan (; born 12 December 1992) is an actress, model, musician, and filmmaker. Rezan began her career in her early teens by appearing in Greek films and television series, most notably co-starring in the 2008 TV drama "Farewell Anatolia" and starring in the 2010 comedy film "ShowBitch" that premiered at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. Her first international feature film role was in "La commedia di Amos Poe", a new translation of Dante's "Divine Comedy" by Amos Poe starring Roberto Benigni that premiered in the 2010 Venice Film Festival. She made her catwalk debut as a  high fashion model in New York Fashion Week in 2014. Her debut song "Let there be rain" was released internationally in 2011. And in 2016, her song "Let there be Love" was released internationally by Universal Music Group. In 2017, she co-starred in "Dance Fight Love Die - With Mikis Theodorakis on the Road", by Asteris Koutoulas and premiered in Hof International Film Festival. Rezan's directorial debut, "My People", is a historical feature documentary film, produced by her and two Academy Award winners Mitchell Block and Kim Magnusson that was completed in 2022. Early life. Rezan was born in  Athens, and is the daughter of Fotis, from Izmir, Crete and Peloponnesus, a federal judge who had wanted to be a director, and Eva Matilda Kalamara, a Greek-Jewish attorney of Spanish and Polish descent from Volos, who also studied at Karolos Koun school of Dramatic Arts before going to law school. She also has a brother named Leon. Rezan's great-grandmother Rachel Kalamara was arrested by Germans during World War II and did not return from the Auschwitz concentration camp. She is related to Constantine P Cavafy via her father's side. She started performing musical theater and  comedy shows in the living room at 5 years old, an early sign of her love for the arts. She later studied musical theater and performed in various stagecoach productions and school plays. After watching the comedy and musical Greek films of the 60s, as well as American films, she decided to become an actress and announced that she would move to the United States, although the family had no friends or family members in the U.S. at that time. She co-starred in a theatrical show performing Oops I did it again during a family summer vacation at the  age of 11. Her career was launched a year later, when she starred in "The Hall of Fame of the Moon", which was produced by the Ministry of Culture of Cyprus. The play aimed to raise awareness of the political situation in Cyprus and premiered in the Greek National Opera, in Athens, in the presence of the Minister of Education of Greece. Career. Early career. In 2005, Rezan made her first professional appearances on Greek television in the Greek adaptation of "The Nanny". She appeared as a minor dancer in various Greek feature films and TV series such as "Woman  is a Tough Person" a comedy by Antonis Kafetzopoulos, in "Loufa kai Paralagi", a television series by the Greek veteran director Nikos Perakis. In 2008, she worked as the production runner of "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. In July of the same year, Rezan performed at the DJ set of Armin van Buuren in Cavo Paradiso on the Island of Mykonos. She represented Greece (As Miss Young) at the beauty pageant Miss European Union at the Pallazo di Congressi in Rome, Italy. Seeking financial freedom as a teenager, she also worked as a waitress, a promotional model, and a  bartender. Additionally, she was also choreographing other minors in Disney commercials in Greece, on occasion. 2008 to 2010. In 2008, Rezan appeared in the comedy Greek TV series "The Red Room" as Svetlana, in which she performed in Russian. Her noteworthy appearance of the year though, was portraying Artemitsa in "Farewell Anatolia", the TV adaptation of Dido Soteriou's bestseller by Greek director Kostas Koutsomutis. During the summer, she starred in the world tour of the rock opera "300 Spartans". In 2009, after spending some time in London, Rezan moved to New York City. She landed a part in the  Indie film "Daft Queens" and took classes at New York Film Academy. At the end 2009, she enrolled in the Panteion University of Athens to study journalism and co-starred as Babe, the underaged girlfriend in Fokion Bogris gangster feature film Katharsi, which released at the end of that year to mixed reviews. Concurrently she was working as a model, a restaurant hostess or a bartender to be able to pursue her career further. She also guest-starred in the comedy TV series Lola in her native, Greece. During that summer, Rezan moved to Los Angeles and took some more  acting classes at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. In the same year, she co-produced and co-starred in "Love at First Sight", a romantic comedy short film by Patricia di Salvo, which was selected at the 2010 Cannes film festival. 2010 to 2014. Since she was a child she loved to change her style, hair color, look and artistic direction to create and develop different personas, depending on the project she is working on, such as "Anna", "Anna The Kid", "LadyLight", "ARK" and "Anna Rezan". In the same year she co-starred in "La commedia di Amos  Poe" with Roberto Benigni that premiered at the Venice Film Festival. In October 2010, she starred in Nikos Zervos's (Greek veteran filmmaker) parody of show business, "ShowBitch", portraying a teenage rock singer who turns into a Rockstar. The film premiered at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival to mixed reviews. She also made a guest appearance on the Greek TV series "I zoi tis allis". In 2011, she debuted as a vocalist with the European release of "Let There Be Rain" and co-produced the music video of it in Brooklyn, New York City. In the U.S. market, the song  aired for the first time during her interview on the CBS radio show "Zodiac Divas" by Colby Jensen. In 2012, Rezan starred and co-produced in "The Story of My Life", a comedy film by Dimitris Koukas and Dimitris Nakos in Athens, Greece. She portrayed a dancer in (Italian director) Paolo Genovese's comedy "Immature: Il Viaggio". In March 2013, she guest starred in Constantinos Isaias's public service announcement "We Love Cyprus" that takes place in Los Angeles and began to be featured in magazines such as "Cosmopolitan", "Marie Claire" and "Esquire". In 2014, Rezan reunited with Paolo Genoveze  in Milan, Italy, for "Ever Been to the Moon?" as fashion industry's "It Girl". The film was made a box office success and was acquired by Netflix . 2015 to present. In April 2015, she started filming "Dance Fight Love Die - With Mikis on the Road" in Athens. The film is the work of Asteris Koutoulas Same year "Dance Fight Love Die - With Mikis on the Road" premiered in Hof International Film Festival to rave reviews. The film opened in theaters in 2018 and Rezan 's performance was praised by Mikis Theodorakis and George Dalaras. In 2019 the film was  acquired by Amazon. In 2017 Rezan portrayed supermodel character Kate in Victoria Larimore's TV project "Open House" that is set in New York but is filmed in Los Angeles. Rezan's directorial debut, My People,is a documentary about the Jews of Greece during WW2 produced by her, Greek filmmaker Zafeiris Haitidis, Mitchell Block and Kim Magnusson that was completed in 2022. In April 2019, Rezan directed an English comedy fiction short film, title "Beauty before Age", produced by her and veteran producer, Jason Piette which is set be released in 2022. Music career. Rezan began writing lyrics at  the age of 9, performed on stage in musicals, took electric guitar lesson at 15, and became a professional singer in 2010, when she portrayed Chryssa, the lead singer of a rock band, in the comedy film "ShowBitch". Rezan released the heavy metal track "Let there be Rain", with an accompanying music video that she co-produced as the OST of the film. The track was produced by Nick Rollinger in Luxembourg at the Equinox Studios. The music video was originally directed by Aksel Stasny in New York city but featured scenes from the film.The song first aired in  the United States on CBS radio. In 2015 she led "Happiness is a Warm Gun", a public service announcement film which is directed by Amos Poe in New York city. In the project she performs a cover version of the Beatles's "Happiness is a warm gun". In 2016 she signed with Minos EMI and Universal Music Group and co-wrote "Let there be Love", a rock with epic elements project, which was released internationally. In 2017, "My Summer Night", a Latin pop ballad duet that she co-wrote, was released by Universal Music Group. She and Asteris Koutoulas met  in 2014 and have since worked together on several ventures. In 2017 a satellite clip featuring her performance of "The Honeymoon Song" by Mikis Theodorakis in the style of the Beatles, accompanied the pre-release of the film "Dance Fight Love Die: With Mikis Theodorakis on the Road". In the film that opened in theaters in 2018 she performs two songs by Theodorakis: "Day in May" and "The Bells will ring" in Greek, English and German. In 2020 she co-wrote the first song she released in her native Greece, and covered an emblematic Greek 1970s folk song to rave  reviews. Activities and personal life. Activities. Rezan studied Journalism at the Panteion University of Athens and holds a BA in communication, Media and Culture. As a teenage journalist, indie magazines featured her articles on love, therapy, films and musicians such as David Bowie, Nick Cave and The Cure. In March 2011, Love brings Love and it is the greatest power of all became one of her trademark lines. In 2013 Rezan promoted the right to equal opportunities in education for girls when she walked the runway as a special guest at the 4th J’adore la mode Gala charity fashion show  in Philadelphia. From 2012 until the present, she is a patron of MMA, an organization that is dedicated to ending the stigma of addictions. In 2015 she released a PSA, directed by Amos Poe that features her performance of "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" to raise awareness for breast cancer. In February 2020 Rezan held a lecture, as a guest Professor, at the Athens School of Fine Arts , titled Beauty...shall reunite with Art. On the same year, she gave a speech to support the International Medical Brigade of Henry Reeve Personal life. Rezan's father died in August 2007 . In 2020, she overcame on and off depression, panic attacks, and anxiety by exploring and committing to different forms of therapy for many years. Rezan has not shared details, but she implied that her early life was uneasy, not joyful, with many traumatic events until 2019. She openly speaks about the process of self-healing, believing that it can urge other people to open up and seek therapy to improve their lives. She is also a reiki therapist. Rezan has been sincerely private about her personal life, which her peers admire. She could have revealed specific personal life details during  her first steps in the industry in attempt to advance her career and cover the tabloids, but chose not to. As a teenager, she dated Greek performer Panos Mouzourakis. While studying in New York City, she dated The Durrells actor Alexis Georgoulis. During the filming of ShowBitch rumors spread, that she was more than an on-screen couple with her Co star, Survivor Greece contestant, Nassos Papargyropoulos. During the summer of 2011, she was seen holding hands with Greek actor Panagiotis Bougiouris in Peloponnese. . Rumors had it that she and Alexander Payne were an item, but she stated that he  is a friend that she admires. She was in a relationship with Mitch Kuntz, the bass player and creator of the heavy metal band Godiva. In 2015, she dated the Neighbours star Carter Doyle after meeting at the Cannes Film Festival. Rezan has repeatedly said that she is more of a love at first sight kind of person, stating that: I date or I'm with a man, when I'm in love with him.