The Spanomarkou Sisters, Ioanna and Areti, are internationally acclaimed composers and have been described as “two of the finest Greek women composers of the last decades” in the last biography book of legendary composer of Zorba’s Dance, Mikis Theodorakis. Voting Members of the Recording Academy (Grammys), they have earned dozens of awards for their music, film scores, screenplays and directing work. Their music combines tradition and innovation, rooted in Greek cultural heritage while also resonating with international audiences. Their compositions were featured in films and series on Netflix and Amazon, and their award-winning score for Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” has been performed every year since 2018, making it one of the longest-running productions of its kind in Greece. They are now embarking on their first feature film, The Lost Oracle of Trophonius, with the aim of sharing one of Greece’s most mysterious ancient legends with global audiences.
You have already enjoyed great success as composers and for your music, what inspired you to venture into filmmaking?
We have always believed that music and storytelling are deeply connected. After all, Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey were essentially songs! We’ve always drawn inspiration from everyday people and situations…our lyrics and melodies are condensed stories of life around us. Taking the Metro and seeing an elderly lady dressed to the nines on her way to an event, or the smell of sour orange blossoms in spring… those sparks become entire songs. As composers, we express by creating emotions and atmospheres, but at some point we felt the need to expand into a medium where sound, image, and narrative merge into one vision. Film gives us that canvas. We first started with music videos, then documentaries, and eventually screenplays. But at the core, music is always the driving force….we want to tell a story just so we can score it, heighten it, and make it unforgettable.
What drew you to the story of the Oracle of Trophonius and moved you to want to produce a film around it? Where are you now in the production process and how has the experience been?
The Oracle of Trophonius remains one of Greece’s great unsolved mysteries! Its exact location is still unknown. That in itself makes it cinematic. We’ve been researching the subject for years, fascinated by Trophonius as a figure: an architect, an oracle, a healer, but also seen as a villain. He embodies complexity and ambiguity, which makes him unique. Unlike Delphi or Dodona, his oracle had a darker, more initiatory quality that immediately suggested a filmic treatment. But making a movie out of it? The idea came during a masterclass with Greek-American motion picture executive and producer Sid Ganis in Athens, when he told us it would be great if we combined our passion for history with our passion for films! Immediately, a spark! We both looked at each other as we are siblings who communicate without speaking. We returned home and started writing a screenplay – as if we were hypnotized. With our babies in our arms (motherhood increased our creativity really), and didn’t stop until we were finished. It took us only a week and a half. The flow was extraordinary, an ecstatic experience like when we compose. Currently, we are in advanced development with our production company STROFINX, building international partnerships, preparing for pre-production, and we’ve applied for the Greek cash rebate program, which at 40% is extremely attractive for international co-productions. The process is demanding but incredibly rewarding. Every step brings more collaborators who share our vision.
Both your music and your screenplay draw from Greek culture and mythology. What has been the reaction of international audiences? How do you imagine this film will resonate with Greek communities abroad?
We find that international audiences are fascinated by the depth of Greek culture. Even if they don’t know every myth in detail, they connect to the universality of the themes: identity, destiny, love, sacrifice, tragedy. Our music has been available abroad for over 14 years, and we’ve seen how people respond emotionally to Greek sounds and lyrics, just as we enjoy ethnic music from other countries even when we don’t understand the language. With this film, we believe the Greek diaspora will feel a special pride. We’ll be filming on location in Ioannina, Igoumenitsa, Athens, Levadia, Delphi and many archaeological sites and museums, bringing to life landscapes, legends, and traditions that form the backbone of our heritage.
As a sister duo, what is it like working with a sibling and how does that shape the creative process? Do you remember your earliest collaborations?
Working together as sisters is both natural and powerful. Our “band” started when we were toddlers, singing children songs together, staging our own plays like Beauty and the Beast—designing sets, writing scripts for a two-person cast, changing costumes and makeup, and composing songs to mark scene changes. Later, of course, we studied and earned our degrees in music, but that childhood bond never left us. We have an unspoken understanding, we balance each other’s strengths, and we can be brutally honest without fear. That bond carried us from small beginnings at home, to international awards for music, and now into cinema. The turning point was when we began collaborating with artists worldwide, from Puerto Rico to California, Portugal to Malaysia, Ireland to Argentina, Romania and beyond. Today, our multinational team includes hundreds of talented, renowned professionals, which adds a whole new dimension to our work.
You have chosen and excelled in the extremely competitive field of music and are transitioning to the equally daunting world of cinema. How did you overcome challenges, doubt and criticism about your work? How did you stay true to your vision and voice?
We’ve known from the start. When you share your work with others, you must be ready for their point of view, and we use every comment and review to make our work better. Even the bitter ones! They have some truth in them, you always have to distill the information you get and understand its core. We are very hardworking, and we love the evolution. Nothing worthwhile comes without challenges, and we embrace that. It’s like surfing, you ride the waves instead of fearing them. Of course we’ve faced setbacks, and criticism, but we quickly realized that even bad reviews can serve as a compass, pushing us to sharpen our voice. We treat criticism as input, not as defeat. We have never doubted our goal or destination; we simply adjust the path. Staying true to our vision means remembering why we create: to tell stories that connect people with culture, emotion, and harmony. Every recognition gives us strength, but it’s the tough moments that shaped us into more resilient and versatile artists. Greeks have this unique ability to hyper-focus, to become inventive and stubborn in the best sense, when faced with obstacles. That defines us.
What’s coming up next for the Spanomarkou Sisters? Is this film just the beginning of your filmmaking or can we expect more to come in the future?
This feature film marks the beginning of a new chapter for us, a natural step forward from the short films and documentaries we’ve been creating for nearly a decade alongside our music production. Music will always remain our foundation, but cinema is a multidisciplinary art form where we can unite all our passions. We’re cinephiles ourselves, we love arthouse films as much as big commercial blockbusters, even Hallmark Christmas movies. They are all different faces of the same art. What excites us most are stories where science and philosophy intersect, like Indiana Jones or The Matrix. As writers, we create the stories we’d want to watch first. It’s like cooking, you taste it yourself before serving it to your loved ones. That joy fuels us. The Lost Oracle of Trophonius is only the beginning. We’re already developing new projects that weave together history, myth, and contemporary themes, with the goal of building bridges between Greek creativity and the world. One project is “The Grand Magister” to be filmed in the beautiful medieval castle in Rhodes. Please stay tuned!
