Peter Andrikidis studied Film Direction at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School, and after graduating in 1981 was immediately invited to join Crawford Productions where he went on to direct numerous dramas productions, including The Flying Doctors and Sons and Daughters. He later worked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. During his early years with ABC Television he directed and produced such dramas as G.P. and Wildside. Two episodes he directed for the latter series went on to win a total of eight Australian Film Institute (AFI) awards, including Best Direction. Andrikidis later went on to direct the entire ABC series Grass Roots (written by Geoffrey Atherden). This series went on to win seven AFI's over two seasons including Best Direction. It also won a New York Festival Award.
In 2001 Andrikidis directed the telemovie My Husband, My Killer with Colin Friels and David Field, which also won numerous awards, including his third AFI award for Best Direction. Two years later he directed Heroes' Mountain (a telemovie about the Thredbo rescue) and Jessica (a mini-series with Sam Neill) for producer Anthony Buckley. Both won a Silver Hugo for Best Direction and a Gold and Silver Plaque respectively for Best Drama at the Chicago International Television Awards (CITA). Jessica also won a Logie for Best Mini-series.
Andrikidis' next major project was directing the five telemovie series of Black Jack (2004-05) for the Ten Network. The series also saw him pick up another CITA Best Direction Award. In 2006 saw he directed The Incredible Journey of Mary Bryant, a $15 million dollar co-production with the Granada - ITV, Screentime and Power-TV. After screening to an estimated eight million viewers in the UK, Mary Bryant went on to win AFI, Logie and New York Festival award for Best TV Mini-series and a Silver Plaque for Best Direction at the Chicago Awards. The following year he directed the SBS mini-series East West 101, a drama about what it means to be Muslim in Australia after September 11, 2001 (Episode 2, 'Atonement' won the AFI Award for Best Direction). That same year he also directed the groundbreaking mini-series Underbelly. In 2008 he completed the telemovie The Informant (starring William McInnes and Colin Friels), which he followed with the UK-TV, Power-TV and Screentime mini-series False Witness.
Andrikidis' contribution to the Australian television industry was acknowledged in 2003 when he was awarded a Centenary Medal for Outstanding services to Australian Society and Film Production. Three years later he was voted one of the Top Ten Directors in Encore Magazine.
[Source: Peter Andrikidis, Internet Movie Database)
