The Hellenic Film Academy (HFA) is launching an ambitious initiative to celebrate and promote Greek cinema in the lead-up to one of Europe’s most prestigious cultural events: the 39th European Film Awards, to be hosted in Athens in January 2027.
Running from June through December 2026, the HFA’s multi-layered programme of events will include film screenings, masterclasses, educational workshops and networking activities featuring leading Greek and European film professionals. The initiative is implemented with the support and collaboration of the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center (EKKOMED), the organisation responsible for hosting the European Film Awards in Greece.
The programme aims to showcase Greek cinema as a vibrant and integral part of contemporary European culture, introduce wider audiences to contemporary Greek filmmaking, and build momentum towards the European Film Awards as Athens prepares to host the ceremony in January 2027.
Iris Close-Up | Iris Awards
The programme opens on Tuesday, 16 June, with Iris Close-Up, a new initiative connected to the Iris Awards and designed to establish a recurring platform for dialogue and exchange around contemporary cinema.
Its inaugural edition will feature two acclaimed European filmmakers in two masterclasses at the Onassis Stegi, with free admission for the general public.
Award-winning filmmaker Anna Hints, recipient of the 2023 Sundance Directing Award and the European Film Award for Best Documentary for Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, and acclaimed actress Vicky Krieps—winner of the European Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in Corsage (2022), directed by Marie Kreutzer, and internationally known for Phantom Thread (2017), opposite Daniel Day-Lewis, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson—will share their personal perspectives on the creative process.
Anna Hints – “Creative Fire”: What does it take to create work that burns with passion—and how can that creative fire be sustained?
Tuesday, 16 June | 16:30–18:00, Onassis Stegi – Small Stage
Vicky Krieps – “Silence”: Vicky Krieps invites audiences into the quiet spaces where she has always felt most at home.
Tuesday, 16 June | 18:30–20:00, Onassis Stegi – Small Stage
The following evening, at the Iris Awards ceremony, Anna Hints and Vicky Krieps will present the awards for Best Fiction Feature and Best Documentary. The ceremony will also be attended by Matthijs Wouter Knol, Chief Executive Officer and Director of the European Film Academy, reflecting the close relationship between the Hellenic Film Academy and the wider European film community.
Partnership with ERT
In collaboration with the Hellenic Film Academy, ERTFLIX will present a special collection entitled “Cinema Unites Us”, featuring films that have either won or been nominated for a European Film Award or an Iris Award. The collection will be available to stream free of charge throughout July.
At the same time, journalists Alexandros Romanos Lizardo and Depy Vrettou will present special features and podcasts dedicated to nominated films through ERT News Radio 105.8 and the ERTecho platform via the programmes Cinepώς and Music in 24 Frames.
Greek Cinema, Rediscovered
Some films we know by heart. Others are still waiting to be discovered.
Through Greek Cinema, Rediscovered, the Hellenic Film Academy invites audiences across Greece to experience Greek cinema anew through a nationwide screening programme featuring more than fifty landmark fiction and documentary films spanning the 1950s to the present day.
The programme is organised around five thematic sections, each curated by a distinguished figure from the Greek film community:
- George Krassakopoulos, film critic and Head of Programme at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, curates MIRROR / IMAGE, pairing Greek and European films to reveal the unspoken dialogues between filmmakers.
- Aphrodite Nikolaidou, Professor of Communication and Media Studies, curates ΑTHENS 1990S & 2000S:THE CITY IN BETWEEN?, exploring the transformation of Athens through cinema.
- Producer and distributor Dionysis Samiotis presents BOX OFFICE, celebrating the biggest commercial successes of Greek cinema.
- Actresses Marissa Triantafyllidou and Eva Samioti, representing different generations, co-curate WE ARE SUCH STUFF AS DREAMS ARE MADE ON, focusing on Greek identity through film.
- Screenwriter Efthimis Filippou curates THEM THEN, a selection of groundbreaking Greek fiction and documentary films spanning five decades.
As part of the programme, a special screening of Theo Angelopoulos’ Landscape in the Mist will celebrate the landmark film that received the European Film Academy’s Best Film Award in 1989. The screening will be introduced by Konstantinos Kyriakos, Professor of Theatre and Greek Cinema History, and will take place in Athens and Patras.
The nationwide programme will run from 15 September to 30 October, taking place in cinemas and cultural venues in Athens and other cities across Greece. Screenings will be accompanied by discussions with filmmakers and film professionals.
Film Factory 2026
The programme concludes with Film Factory, the Hellenic Film Academy’s established educational initiative, returning in an expanded format.
Between 2–5 December 2026, at the Athens Conservatoire, award-winning Greek and European filmmakers will share their creative journeys through real stories of filmmaking, exploring every stage of the filmmaking process—from the first idea to meeting audiences.
The four-day programme will feature masterclasses, workshops and networking events, culminating in a closing celebration open to everyone who loves Greek cinema.
Athens at the Heart of European Cinema
These initiatives form part of the official programme leading up to the 39th European Film Awards in Athens, organised in collaboration with EKKOMED.
The European Film Awards ceremony, to be held in January 2027 at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, will be one of the most significant international cultural events ever hosted in Greece. Beyond celebrating the achievements of European cinema, it offers a unique opportunity to showcase Greek filmmaking to the international community and further establish Greece as a dynamic hub for cinematic creation in Europe.
