Film Factory
An insider view of Greek cinema.
The Film Factory is the most vibrant and successful educational initiative of the Hellenic Film Academy: two days filled with masterclasses and open conversations with the creators behind the year’s award-winning films.
Its protagonists are the professionals honored at the IRIS Awards each year — directors, actors, editors, cinematographers, composers, sound designers, costume designers, producers, and many more. Through real case studies, they share the journey of each film: from the first idea to its realization and its encounter with audiences in Greece and abroad.
More than a series of workshops, Film Factory is a meeting point and a space of connection for the people of Greek cinema — an open environment of knowledge, interaction, and inspiration.
FILM FACTORY 2025 | December 19, 20 & 21 | Greek Film Archive
The protagonists of the masterclasses are film professionals who were awarded at the 2025 Iris Awards of the Hellenic Film Academy, covering the full spectrum of cinematic creation: Screenwriting, Directing, Production and International Co-production, Cinematography, Acting, Music, Production Design, Costume Design, Sound, Special and Visual Effects, across fiction films, documentaries, and animation.
Among the parallel activities of the 14th Film Factory is also a special masterclass, in collaboration with Blink GFE, focusing on the editing of the film Electra7. The film is a production of the Athens Epidaurus Festival and the Hellenic Film Academy, with the kind sponsorship of DEI / PPC.
Alexandros Voulgaris, Sofia Exarchou, Neritan Zinxhiria, Christina Ioakeimidis, Babis Makridis, Argyris Papadimitropoulos, and Elina Psykou directed one of the seven chapters of the script written by Panagiotis Christopoulos, drawing inspiration from Sophocles’ Electra.
Screenwriter Panagiotis Christopoulos, editors Giorgos Mavropsaridis and Stamos Dimitropoulos, and director Neritan Zinxhiria reveal the creative process behind Electra7 and discuss cinema as an act of writing. During the discussion, different versions of the film’s edit will be screened.
The day will conclude with a masterclass on the “Language of Spaces” by Giota Skouvaras, location manager of Electra7.
Alongside its educational character, Film Factory serves as a vital space for the exchange of knowledge and ideas among film creators, with the ultimate goal of fostering encounters and connections between established professionals of Greek cinema and the younger generation of colleagues, contributing to the strengthening of the country’s film community.
Sponsors
-Hosted at the Greek Film Archive
-Supported by: Creative Euroepe / MEDIA, ΕΚΚΟΜΕΔ
-Friends of the Academy: Finos Film, Filmiki, Foss Productions, TopCut Modiano, Authorwave
-Sponsor: Fischer
Photos
Previous Events
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The 13th Film Factory took place over the two-day period of Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 December at the premises of the Michalis Kakogiannis Foundation, focusing on the year’s award-winning films as distinct “case studies” of domestic productions. DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM
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The 12th Film Factory (16, 17, and 18 December) took place at the Athens School of Fine Arts, exploring the concept of workflow in cinema. As part of the parallel activities, the panel “I Have an Idea for a Film (aka I Have a Dream). What Comes Next?” was presented, offering practical advice for filmmakers at the beginning of their careers. DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM
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The 11th Film Factory took place on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 December at the Michalis Kakogiannis Foundation, featuring a series of original masterclasses under the general title “Anatomy of a Scene.” Award winners and nominees of the 2022 IRIS Awards presented scenes from their films, sharing and cross-examining experiences and insights into the creative processes through which cinematic storytelling is shaped. DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM
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On 11–12 and 18–19 December, at the Michalis Kakogiannis Foundation, masterclasses with nominees and winners of the 2021 IRIS Awards covered a wide range of interests: from animation to fiction and documentary, from acting to directing, from image to sound, and from financing to production. DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM
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The Film Factory took place on 19 and 20 December at the Michalis Kakogiannis Foundation, respecting all necessary safety measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the 9th consecutive year, creators and artistic collaborators awarded with the IRIS Award shared their knowledge and experience through a series of specialized workshops for a limited number of participants. DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM
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For the 8th year, nominees and recipients of the IRIS Award gathered at the Michalis Kakogiannis Foundation to speak about their work, their anxieties and joys, about collaboration—without which films cannot exist—about their fears and drive, teamwork, passion, and risk. DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM
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A four-day event at the Athens Conservatoire, dedicated to cinema and to those who work both in front of and behind the camera. As every year, the award-winning filmmakers of the year shared their knowledge and experience with the public through 16 free seminars covering almost all disciplines (directing, production, set design, sound, special effects, acting, etc.). DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM
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In 2017, Film Factory took place at the Goethe-Institut, featuring the award-winning filmmakers of the year alongside international guests and a wide range of events. The official guest was internationally acclaimed director Andreas Dresen, and a one-day seminar was held for educators on filmmaking by students. DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM
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The 5th Film Factory brought together major figures of international cinema, workshops led by award-winning Greek filmmakers, a symposium on film education, a screenwriting competition for short-film directors, and, of course, numerous screenings, held at the Hellenic Film Archive from 17 to 19 December 2016. Distinguished international guests included the acclaimed cinematographer and director Phedon Papamichael and Elie Dagher, winner of the Palme d’Or for his short film Waves ’98. DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM
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The HFA and OTE TV, with the support of the Onassis Stegi and the Onassis Foundation, and in collaboration with the Theatre of the Athens School of Fine Arts, the Goethe-Institut, and the Hellenic Film Archive, organized the Athens Film Factory for the 4th consecutive year at the facilities of the Athens School of Fine Arts, from 12 to 14 December 2015. The three-day program of seminars, workshops, and screenings led by the year’s award-winning filmmakers was enriched with parallel activities and international guests. DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM
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For a third consecutive year, filmmakers awarded by the HFA shared their knowledge and experience with emerging professionals, students, and cinephiles. Among them were also two filmmakers honored by the French Academy of Cinema. DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM
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The filmmakers of the year awarded by the HFA shared their knowledge and experience on 7, 8, and 9 December 2013 at the Athens School of Fine Arts, through a series of seminars and workshops addressed to young filmmakers, students, and cinephiles. The event was enriched with a tribute to Giorgos Panousopoulos, who delivered a masterclass on the preparation of his new film, titled In the Country Where No One Knew How to Cry. In addition, his film Mania was screened at the ASFA Cinema, along with two films for which he served as director of photography—Sudden Love and Until the Ship—as well as a surprise screening of his personal favorite film. DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM
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The HFA Awards were established by putting into practice the motto: Filmmakers honor filmmakers. Three years later, HFA took a step forward by organizing a series of seminars and workshops led by award-winning “masters” from all disciplines of cinema, under the title Film Factory. The ambition was to establish an additional annual institution with an educational character, useful not only to emerging filmmakers but also to anyone wishing to explore the many facets of audiovisual creation. This HFA initiative also aims to foster interaction and cross-pollination among students of artistic schools (acting schools, film schools, fine arts academies, conservatories, etc.). DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM
