Athena Xenidou is the president of the Director’s Guild of Cyprus, a Jury Member for the International Emmy Awards, a member of WIFT Greece and a core member of the Declaration of Filmmakers, a lobby for Authors Rights launched at Cannes, Venice, Athens, Berlin and Brussels at the European Parliament. As VP of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra, she launched Equality at the Podium, a policy aiming at bridging the gender gap in classical music.

Athena studied english literature and music in Switzerland and holds a BA in Film from the University of California, Santa Barbara and an MA in Politics and Media from the University of Nicosia. Her US film credits include awarded shorts and a feature film documentary Unwitnessed Memories which received the Gold Jury Award at Worldfest Houston.  

Among her Greek TV credits are director on Survivor, and numerous episodes of TV drama series and theatrical productions, including The Shadow Box and The Stone, resulting in three nominations and one win at the Cyprus National Theatre Awards.  Mentored by Olympia Dukakis and passionate for teaching, she founded The Film and Stage Studio, preparing young adults for entry in international acting conservatories and film schools. Athena is a Lecturer at University of Central Lancashire, teaching TV Production.