Athens International Film Festival
aiff

The city's premier movie showcase returns with some big surprises, September 23 - October 4!

The 21st Athens International Film Festival – Opening Nights takes place September 23 - October 4, with the support of Cinema magazine.

The festival will feature more than 180 films from all over the world (including Greece), three competition sections, including “Music and Film”, one of the few music documentary competitive programs in the world. The festival also includes special tributes, documentaries and some of the best homegrown Greek shorts around.

The festival program is complemented by a series of sidebar events, workshops and lectures, not forgetting parties and an armful of surprises, especially conceived for this year’s edition.

The festival poster was deisnged by internationally acclaimed street artist WD.


Competition Sections
The festival’s official Competition Section is bigger and better, featuring some of the best films from all over the world, aiming to introduce local audiences to the next generation of must-know directors.

One of the few festivals in the world to feature a "Music & Film" competition section, the 21st Athens International Film Festival is set to screen some of the most deafening new docs around, that will no-doubt attract even the most hard-to-please film buffs.

Surpassing 200 submissions, the Greek Shorts Competition Section is one of the most significant parts of the festival, since it promotes homegrown productions and offers local filmmakers the opportunity to win big prizes.


New Sidebar Event: Athens Film Lab
This year, the 21st Athens International Film Festival – Opening Nights launches the Athens Film Lab, a film development program that helps filmmakers refine their concepts, work on their screenplays and seek co-productions, offering local filmmakers and producers the opportunity to get in touch with international acclaimed professionals.

In this context, the Athens-Europe, A Game for Two program will train and fund 7 filmmaker/producer pairs to write, produce and shoot 7 shorts, backing each project with 7.000 Euros.

 

New Collaborations & Sidebar Events
The festival renews its partnership with the Athens Technopolis, with INNOVATHENS serving as the venue of choice for the Athens Lab workshop sessions, while a well-known local filmmaker is planning a very special surprise.

This year’s edition sees the consolidation of two more seminal collaborations. The Mediterranean Film Institute will help organize a special feature film program, complete with a pitching forum and workshops, while the festival’s newly launched partnership with the Hellenic Film Academy is set to involve a special surprise. More information to be released soon.
 

Tributes, Special Screenings and Documentaries
Since its very first year, the Athens International Film Festival - Opening Nights has been paying homage to notable filmmakers through tributes and retrospectives.

Oldies but goldies in restored prints and anniversary screenings will complete the festival program. This year, the Special Screenings section will play host to one of the most staggering movies of all time.

Just like every year, the best non-fiction productions form an integral part of the event.
 

Greek Films and Breakthrough Awards
The Greek Films Section is one of the most significant parts of the festival, allowing local filmmakers to introduce their work to homegrown audiences shortly before their commercial release! The festival also pays tribute to new talent with the Best Newcomers Award, judged by a special jury eager to stand behind homegrown production. 

More info about the festical will be released soon.

The Athens International Film Festival by the numbers:
- More than 2000 films in the past two decades
- More than 400.000 viewers have attended at least one screening
- Three competition sections: International, Greek Shorts and Music & Film, a hard-to-find category in festivals worldwide.
- Nine Awards (the Audience Award was established from the start)
- More than 100 notable film professionals have attended the festival over the years, including Daniel Day Lewis, Ari Folman, Jane Birkin, Fatih Akin, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Costa Gavras, Jeremy Irons, Peter Greenaway, Andrea Arnold, Julian Temple, Tom Tykwer, Shion Sono, Ki-duk Kim, Christine Vachon, Melvil Poupaud, Ben Gazzara, Dan Futterman and more.

The 21st Athens International Film Festival - Opening Nights: 
www.cinemagazine.gr & www.aiff.gr | Follow us on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

Support:  www.cinemagazine.gr & www.aiff.gr
210 6061689 & 210 6061309 | press@aiff.gr



    Publication date: 2015-08-31 16:01:04

    READ MORE

    «The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover»: The Athens International Film Festival screens Peter Greenaway's shock masterpiece uncut

    «The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover»: The Athens International Film Festival screens Peter Greenaway's shock masterpiece uncut

    It was considered immoral, scandalous, shocking. In several countries it met with censorship problems and in America it was shown under the label "Strictly Inappropriate". Thirty-five years after its turbulent release, the ATHENS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL is screening Peter Greenaway's masterful film in its complete and uncut version for a one-time only screening on Saturday, March 30th , at CINOBO OPERA 1 cinema.

    The Athens International Film Festival presents the brand new, 30th Anniversary Restoration of «Interview with the Vampire» in an exclusive screening

    The Athens International Film Festival presents the brand new, 30th Anniversary Restoration of «Interview with the Vampire» in an exclusive screening

    Simultaneously with its re-release in movie theatres abroad, the Athens International Film Festival invites you to watch an exclusive screening of Neil Jordan's INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE, for the first time in our country in a brand new digital print made to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its first release. On Saturday, February 24th, at Cinobo OPERA 1.

    Athens International Film Festival is screening the legendary «The Thing» by John Carpenter in 4K digital restoration

    Athens International Film Festival is screening the legendary «The Thing» by John Carpenter in 4K digital restoration

    The Athens International Film Festival presents one of the best sci-fi films of all time as you have never watched it before: for the first time in Greece in recent 4K digital print edited by the director himself, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary from its first release, 'The Thing' by John Carpenter is screened at midnight on Saturday February 10th , at the Cinobo OPERA cinema.

    Athens International Film Festival invites you to solve the crime in «Gosford Park»

    Athens International Film Festival invites you to solve the crime in «Gosford Park»

    The Athens International Film Festival continues its Saturday film dates at Cinobo OPERA with one of the best films of the great Robert Altman and the entire 00s decade: Oscar-winning for Original Screenplay, and nominated for six more gold statuettes, Gosford Park is hosted for a one-time only screening with a digitally restored print, this coming Saturday, February 3rd.

    The Athens International Film Festival at the Oscars!

    The Athens International Film Festival at the Oscars!

    And the Oscar goes to... the Athens International Film Festival! Nine films screened at the recent Athens International Film Festival are nominated for 27 Oscars at the 96th Academy Awards.

    Athens International Film Festival celebrates David Lynch's birthday with the screening of the

    Athens International Film Festival celebrates David Lynch's birthday with the screening of the "LOST HIGHWAY" in 4K digital print

    The Athens International Film Festival moves to the Cinobo OPERA cinema the sold out screenings that used to take place at IDEAL cinema and launches its Saturday film dates for 2024 with the "Lost Highway". David Lynch's legendary noir thriller will be screened for the first time in our country in the digital format recently edited by the director himself.