From 10 to 17 July, movies from 42 countries, open masterclasses discussions and networking actions composing a multidimensional cultural experience. At the heart of a tunnel, the festival invites us to rethink the world through the lens, in an event that balances between Global cinema and cinema
authenticity of the Aegean.
In its international competition section Psarokokalo 2026 renowned creators such as Theodore Ushev and Koji Yamamura meet the new generation of filmmakers from 42 countries. With projects carried out international and national premieres, as well as films already distinguished at major international festivals (Cannes 2026, Sundance, Tribeca, SXSW etc.), this year's program promises a film experience that balances between political awakening and poetic quest.
Among them, the "Talk Me News".“ of Joecar Hanna, with executive producer Spike Lee, compose a visual poem that blends realism with surrealism, following a man in a Spanish village who is invited to choose between a loveless marriage and the promise of a true connection. At the same time, the Oscar candidate Evgenia Arbugaeva Returns to Arctic Siberia with totokimander ‘CHUURAA’, recording an indigenous paleontologist sinking into the permafrost melting, on a journey where the ancient legends of the Sakha tribe collide with the climate crisis.
In Brussels, 1989 he takes us toatmospheric neon-noir ‘A Sky So Low’ The Joachim Michaux, where a young man sinks at night and at her sleep rate New Beat Scene In search of his lost love, at the same time that Europe changes radically.
Finally, the shocking documentary "The Strength Of Silence" The Samuel Vela It takes us to the Tigray region of Ethiopia, reflecting with deep respect the story of a 17-year-old surviving war that turns the primal ceremony of coffee into an act of female brotherhood and silent resistance.
Environment and Architecture: Memory, Metamorphosis and SurvivalThe section ‘Environment and Architecture“ is one of the most special pillars of the festival, exploring the relationship between the space we inhabit and the forces that shape it. This year's programme focuses on the concept of 'live building“ — from the iconic Umbrella House who traveled from Tokyo to Germany to be rescued, to the walls of a house in Canada turned into an autobiographical museum.
Through a series of penetrating documentary, the festival raises on the carpet questions about price of progress and sustainability. Our films carry us from the ancient sea routes of Koli in India and the historical memory of a monastery in Portugal, up to its wasteland Chad The Commission's proposal for a Directive on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to the permissible sound power level of lawnmowers Slovenia. The program is completed with visionary glances in the future, where nature reclaims its space through the ruins of the urban landscape, recalling that architecture is not only matter, but a ongoing survival dialogue between man and his environment.
Ammodo Docs: Where Science Meets ArtCooperation with the Ammodo Docs strengthens the research character of the festival by joining the program Online Films and Exhibition a series of forward-thinking documentary moving on the boundaries of art and science.
It is a pioneering platform that supports research and creation in the fields of art, science and architecture. The series is a collection of short artistic documentaries, where accomplished Dutch creators invite us to see the world through the eyes Pioneer intellectuals.In the context of this collaboration, we present three excellent films exploring the power of thought and artistic act:
The World Behind Words: The classical philologist and philosopher Tazuko van Berkel investigates ancient Greek concepts, revealing how words can limit or release our thinking into modern society.
Dancing in the Ruins: A portrait of Lebanese-Dutch visual arts Mounira Al Solh, whose living work marries personal accounts with ancient myths, acting as an antidote to violence and injustice.
Dear Home of Scars: Follow him Ibrahim Mahama in Ghana, where it creates monumental facilities from colonial remains, revealing the "hands of the landscape" and inspiring the local community to envision a promising future.
Those Who Move
Through these forward-thinking films, the festival widens the horizons of dialogue, highlighting how art and science can offer answers to today's challenges.
National Contest: The New Greek Scene in International TrackThe National Competition Department is the spearhead of the festival, acting as the main channel promoting domestic film production in the world land. This year's selection highlights a generation of creators that combines artistic maturity with a strong Extrovert dynamics, confirming that the Greek short cinema is going through its most creative period.
The program opens with ‘Ludia’ The Akis Polyzou — co-director of the series Maestro (Netflix) and producer of this year's Golden Short Age Phoenix in Cannes (I’m Glad You’re Dead Now). A deep personal return to the banks of the river, where memory meets the myth. The international identity of the department is reinforced by the participation of the Palestinian creator Tawfeek Barhom (César 2025), but also from ‘Wild’ The Helens Vergetis. With the support of Creative Europe Media and its flagship collaboration Ariane Labed with Makis Papadimitriou, the film records the internal uprising and the emergence of female power through a "wild" road release.
Thematic is sinking into unspoiled history wounds and collective memory. The "Wolves Return", the Stelios Moraitidis The Commission is also proposing to the Council that the Council should adopt a common position. Giannis Karpouzis in "Magdalena Hausen: Frozen Time" experiment with time limits. At the same time, Alexander Hadzis in ‘Fuit’ carries on the big screen a story of entrapment and aborted dreams, and the Marcela Kontaratu (Idols of the King), derived from Locarno Academy, blur-removes the limits of reality and imagination using artificial intelligence tools.
From "Beware of the Southern stars" The Christos Karteris, an ode in naval tradition, until ‘Icarus’ The Christos Cardanas with Sakis Rouvas, his National Contest Psarokokalo converts local references to global experiences. With the signature of internationally distinguished producers (such as George Tsourgiannis, Hercules Mavroids and Angel Venetis), domestic cinema demonstrates that it is now an equal and bold conversationalist in international film dialogue.
Focus ArgentinaEach year, the festival turns its eyes to the film production of a selected country; In 2026, the baton passes into Argentina. From Tomás Murphy's 'The Look of Glass', a penetrating look at survival in Buenos Aires neighborhoods, to 'Francine, East-West“ where social pretence collapses in front of an unexpected spark of rebellion, Argentine cinema brings to the festival an air existential search and raw realism. Through stories of farewell, family injuries and mystical promises, this year's tribute reveals a cinematic language that balances between staff and collective.
The festival is not just a series of screenings. It's a dialogue platform, a bridge between cultures and a call for collective thought through art that dares to look beyond the obvious.
Music VideoExperience extends to the digital sphere with Internet Music Video program, an explosive platform where audiovisual innovation meets the rhythm. Through a carefully selected series of films, music is released from the narrow boundaries of the escort and converted into a dominant narrative vehicle. Artists and directors from around the world redefine the form of the music video, offering a hypnotic collage of images and sounds that explores modern culture, identity and pure visual poetry, available online for the festival audience.
The Review Committee 2026Behind his awards Psarokokalo is a multi-collective group of twenty personalities that combine the multi-annual experience with a bold, multicultural look. Creators, academics and professionals from countries such as Singapore, Canada, France, India, Egypt and Greece, are joining this year to highlight the strongest voices of global short cinema
The structure of this year's committees reflects the pluralism and depth of the competition departments:
Fiction: Headed by MarBelle (Directors Notes), the committee explores the cutting edge of independent narrative along with creators such as Silver Cannes Lion award winner, Melvin Mak, and the French creator Claire Barrault.
Fiction: The committee focuses on the peak of the narrative, consisting of MarBelle (founder of Directors Notes), Silver Cannes Lion Award-winning director Melvin Mak and French creator Claire Barrault.
Animation: A dialogue between artistic creation and festival strategy, with its participation Subarna Dash (Berlinale Talents), by the experimenter Abdelrahman Dnewar and Matilda Tavelli, Director of ANIMATOU Festival.
Documentary: The committee composes a penetrating look at reality, with the visual and cultural general Michael Argyrou, the interdisciplinary artist Esy Casey and award-winning directors/producers Néstor López Ferreira and Arshia Shakiba.
Architecture & Environment: A field where film language meets the site, with the presence of architect Distillation Sotovici, Francesco Garutti (CCA Montreal), by Pétur Jónsson from Iceland and Leonor Martín Taibo.
National & International Argentinian Competition: The evaluation is completed by experienced producers and creators such as Jessica Arfuso, the Daniel Soares , the Geneviève Gosselin-G, the Charlotte Chen-Louis and Brian Kazez, ensuring a global approach extending from productive integrity to pure artistic innovation.
Each committee composes a multi-level dialogue, reflecting the variety and depth of the contemporary cinematography and turning the award process into a meaningful promotion of the new trends of seventh art.
The Viewplaces: The Film as a ExperienceThe Psarokokalo invests in the organic connection of cinema to the landscape, choosing three emblematic points of Folegandros that function as an extension of the narrative itself:
Primary School (Country): The school's historic court turns into one live culture core. In the light of stars, the projections acquire a character collective mystagogy, where the memory of the place meets the modern look.
Spina: At the point where wildlife meets the peace of the Aegean, the festival proposes experience Dinner & Dream. A night that balances between the senses, with the smell of thyme and the sound of meltemium flanking the screen.
Gundari (Southeast Coast): A refuge high aesthetics carved in the rocks. Here, cinema meets the ultimate harmony of nature, with south-east coast offer a panoramic view that transforms the view into an experience beyond the established.
Pantanassa Square (Castro, Chora): Within Fortified courtyards of Castle, where the centuries mingle with the silence of the stone walls, Pantanassa Square reveals its own, almost mystical refuge. In this the sheltered setting, the module Psaroloco hosted for a single screening. One invitation for the smallest viewers to experience their first film experience within the oldest, vibrant core of the island.
Psaroloco: Cultivating Tomorrow's CinemafilsThe Psarokokalo 2026 He continues to invest in the new generation, strengthening his cooperation with Psaroloco Kids and Teenage International Film Festival. Through a edited program of selected films, the festival is transformed into a spiritual workshop where youthful curiosity meets high art.
This year, the screenings are aimed at children from 4 to 12 years, offering a journey of high artistic requirements:
Age 4-6 years: With an emphasis on pedagogical quality and universal accessibility, film candidates are shown for BAFTA 2025 Awards, compiled in Greek for our younger viewers.
Age 7-12 years: Through stories distinguished in top events such as Cannes and SXSWYoung viewers discover the power of friendship, the value of scientific discovery and the complexity of adulthood.
His experience Psaroloco goes beyond the boundaries of the dark hall. Each view is flanked by specialized Educational Books and Actions, while children take an active role in the process through Public Award, developing their critical look and empathy. It is a meaningful initiation into the world of cinema, where imagination becomes a tool of understanding the world and screen a mirror of the boldest dreams.
The Psarokokalo 2026 goes beyond the limits of a typical film event, now becoming one living institution breathing together with the island and its people. In its 18th edition, the festival is established as a substantial intersection on the international stage of the small form, honoring it artistic maturity, the social visibility and the need for inclusive communication.
With the bright beauty of Folegandros background, Psarokokalo transforms into one intellectual workshop and one empathy space, building a solid bridge between tradition and pioneering, between local roots and the world horizon. We invite you to become part of this unique meeting, where the art of cinema becomes the vehicle to rediscover ourselves and the world.
Post-festival ViewsExtending film experience beyond the main dates and festival borders, the special post-festival projections bridge the event with new audiences to unique locations. In this context, the festival gives a date on the sand and invites the audience to a Special View in the Sea Great Mekes (with Greek subtitles), in Agali beach of Folegandros.The Winners of Psarokokalo in AthensPsarokokalo's film experience travels from the Aegean to the heart of the capital for a special night of the emergence of the great winners (a free entry with pre-position). In July 20, the summer cinema Sine on Cologne (Epikolono. gr) welcomes a unique, special view with Awarded films of this year's 18th event. The Athenian audience will have the opportunity to enjoy the works of the international jury for their artistic innovation and narrative courage, sealing this year's film trip in the most ideal way.
Reservations and information:https://www.psarokokalo.orgThe screenings are carried out with English subtitlesArt knows no border