Born on 3 September 1967 in Thessaloniki, Greece. He studied photography at the New School for Social Research and at Parsons School of Design, both in New York. He then studied video and media art at the Art Academy in Düsseldorf, as well as film direction at the University of Film and Television "Konrad Wolf" in Potsdam. In 2007, he made his first feature-length film "Elli Makra, 42277 Wuppertal". Alongside his work as a filmmaker, Karanikolas also teaches at various universities as well as directing for the theatre.

Source: 63. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Catalogue)