Athens is at the heart of European cinema in the coming months on the occasion of the 39th European Film Awards to be hosted in January 2027 at Stavros Niarchos Cultural Centre.

Last night, on the roof of the City Hall, the Hellenic Film Academy presented the actions to be carried out in the light of this international event, with the support of ECOMED, aiming to promote Greek film creation as well as the emergence of Greece as a dynamic hub of film creation in Europe.

The event was opened by the Mayor of Athens, Grace Duke, welcoming the attendees and welcoming "the starting point of a route that will culminate with the award of the 39th European Film Awards for the first time in southeastern Europe and of course in our country, an important vote of confidence in Athens and the potential of the city."

Then they took the floor Athena Cartalou, Director-General for Greek Film at EKKOMED, and White Grace, Chairman of the R&D&I.

The maximum level Action programme AAK, which extends from June to December 2026, includes film screenings, masterclasses, educational workshops and networking activities, with the participation of Greek and European professionals. The initiative is implemented with the support and cooperation of the Greek Film Center, Audiovisual Media and Creation – EKOMED, the body that has undertaken the conduct of the European Awards in our country. The aim of the initiative is to highlight Greek cinema as a dynamic and integral part of the contemporary European cultural heritage, to bring the general public closer to modern Greek cinema and to contribute to the promotion of the institution of the European Film Awards, on the occasion of their hospitality in Athens.

Iris Close-Up | Iris Film Awards

The programme is inaugurated today Tuesday 16 June with Iris Close-Up, the new action of the R & D & D & D & D which is organically linked to the Iris Awards and aims to create a stable meeting and dialogue point around contemporary film creation. In its first edition Iris Close-Up hosts two multi-awarded European creators in two masterclass with free entrance for the public, at the Onassis Foundation's Home.

The director. Anna Hints, awarded in 2023 with the Direction Award at Sundance and the European Film Academy's Best Documentary Award for Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, and the actress Vicky Krieps —known for her lead role in Marie Kreutzer's "Corsage" (2022) who gave her the European Award for Best Actress and her role alongside Daniel Day-Lewis in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Phantom Thread" (2017) — will share with the public their personal perspective on creation.

Anna Hints, “Creative Fire” (Tuesday 16 June 16.30-18.00) House of Onassis Foundation – Small Scene: What is needed to create a passion - burning work — and how can this fire be kept alive;

Vicky Krieps, “Silence” (Tuesday 16 June 18:30–20:00) House of Onassis Foundation – Small Scene: Vicky Krieps invites us to silent spaces where she always felt more familiar.

On 17 June the Council adopted a Decision on the conclusion of the Agreement in the form of an exchange of letters between the European Economic Community and the Kingdom of Sweden. Iris Awards ceremony, the two female creators would award the great Novel and Documentary Awards. Matthijs Wouter Knol, Director of the European Film Academy, will also attend the ceremony, which reflects the close relationship between R&D&I with the European film network.

Cooperation with ERT

In collaboration with the EAK, the ERTFLIX platform proposes to the public the category “The Cinema Unites Us” dedicated to films that have been honored or were nominated with/for a European Film Award or Iris Film Award. The films will be available for free to the public for the entire month of July.

At the same time journalists Alexander Romanos Lizard and Debbie Brittou present through the shows "Cinehow" and "Music in 24 Kares" special tributes and podcasts to the nominated films, through the frequency of ERT news radio 105.8 and ERTecho.

"Greek cinema again"

The Greek Film Academy invites the public to discover Greek cinema again (and again), through a nationwide series of 50+ iconic fiction and documentary films from the 50s to the present day. The screenings will be organized in five thematic modules, with the care of separate persons:

george Krasakopoulos, film critic and programme chief of the Thessaloniki Film and Documentary Festival, presents the theme section ANTI/CATOPRISMES, with the screening of Greek and European films in pairs, focusing on the inextricable dialogues between creators, the Academic of Communication and Media, Aphrodite Nikolaidou, curates Athena 1990s AND 2000s: THE CAMERON? with films that reflect the transformation of Athens during the years of the crisis, producer and distributor Dionysis Samiotis presents BOX OFFICE, a choice with the greatest commercial successes of Greek cinema, actors of different generations, Marissa Triantafyllidou and Eva Samiotis, co-formulate the theme section entitled WE ARE PLANT BY THE MATERIAL OF THE SYMBERS focusing on Greek identity.

and author and screenwriter Euthymi Philipou signs the original screening section OF THEM then, with Greek films of fiction and documentary that cover 5 decades.

In the context of the special coverage, a special screening of the 'Landscape in the Fog“ of Theodorou Angelopoulos, the iconic film that won the Best Film Award from the European Film Academy in 1989. Professor of the history of theatre and Greek cinema Konstantinos Kyriakos curates the introduction and presentation of the film. The screenings will take place in Athens and Patras.

The tribute will be shown in cinema and cultural venues, Athens and other cities of the country, 15 September to 20 October, in the presence of film creators and professionals and will be accompanied by open discussions with the public.

Film Factory 2026

The actions will be completed with Film Factory, the established R&D&I initiative, which this year is enriched and presented in an expanded form. From 2 to 5 December 2026, at the Athens Conservatory, Greek and European award-winning filmmakers will share their journey through real creation stories, illuminating all stages of a film, from the first idea to its meeting with the public. The four-day program will include masterclasses, workshops, and networking actions and will be completed with a big party, open to all friends of Greek cinema.