Myrto Kouyialis

Myrto’s family has always been into arts and she knew she wanted something related to that. When she was a teenager she used to watch a slew of European and Hollywood movies with her brother. Around her sophomore year she decided she wanted to be an actress. Myrto studied acting at the Drama School of the National Theatre in Athens, for 4 years. Once she finished her studies she auditioned at THOC (Theatrical Organization of Cyprus) for theatre plays and after a while she went to Athens for an audition on TV. Meanwhile she had another collaboration with THOC. In 2010, she officially returned to Cyprus and she was offered a job as an assistant director.

Challenges 

  • personal e.g., difficult if you do not have financial support from your family, adjust in standards which did not resonate with her, accept rejections. 
  • professional e.g., lack of confidence, lack of role female models, lack of clear career paths, lack of professional support, clear colleagues’ opposition, non-appreciation of arts in Cyprus, lack of promotion of herself etc.

Overcoming Obstacles 

Myrto explained that the support from her family, friends and other colleagues that she felt spoke “her language” were pivotal in helping her going through this. She believes that she has been lucky because there are some factors (e.g. society) that you cannot change it yourself nor in one day; yet with the help of her “own people” she managed to keep her integrity and stick to her values. She stressed that your environment will help you thrive, so choosing your environment was a major factor which helped her to achieve her goals.

Recommendations

Myrto learned that “to sell yourself takes courage, guts, and you have to be okay with yourself”. Also, “we have a life, so you have to listen to what speaks to you and do what you like”.

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CASE STUDY LIBRARY

The WIFILM Case Study Library will provide VET providers, females interested in developing a career within the industry, or those working alongside females in the industry with a series of case studies on successful women in the film industry. The Case Study Library will highlight the barriers to entry for females in the industry, including deficits in role models, confidence, and career planning.

The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

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