These Nights Remain: The Press Conference of the 31st Athens International Film Festival

The Press Conference for the 31st Athens International Film Festival was held on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at the French Institute of Greece in Athens, by the General Director, Ms. Tatiana Pappa, and the Artistic Director of AIFF, Loukas Katsikas, in the presence of the President of the Athens Film Society, Ms. Maria Bobola, the CEO of Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center, Mr. Leonidas Christopoulos, institutional representatives, partners, and sponsors. The new Director of the French Institute, Ms. Maria Wadjiny, welcomed the audience and the Festival, which attended the Press Conference in person at the Auditorium and via live broadcast on the Festival's social media channels:

Watch the video of the Press Conference HERE.

Next, the General Director of the Festival, Ms. Tatiana Pappa, commenced the conference speaking about the 15^th Athens Open Air Film Festival powered by DEI which was completed just a few days before. The summer Festival was co-organized with City of Athens Culture, Sports and Youth Organization.

Then, Ms. Pappa spoke about the history and the significance of the beloved film institution: "For more than thirty years, the Festival has been a constant and vibrant point of reference on our country's cultural map, with a steady presence on the international festival calendar and an uninterrupted, essential contribution to the local and national cultural economy. For more than thirty years, the Festival has been a steady point of reference, offering access to great film works, supporting the city's venues, highlighting new voices and cultivating generations of viewers. The Athens International Film Festival supported the city's cinemas and preserved the collective viewing experience even in harsh times, while it simultaneously developed socially significant activities, strengthened the footprint of the Greek cinema abroad and the international recognition of Athens as a film destination by hosting distinguished guests such as Daniel Day-Lewis, Woody Allen, Paul Thomas Anderson, Vanessa Redgrave, Peter Greenaway, Jeremy Irons, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Sean Baker, and others.

She also referred to the uncertainty caused by the sudden interruption of funding through the NSRF and the decision of the President of the AFC, Ms. Bobola, to declare that "we carry on". The unreserved, immediate and valuable response of the Festival's sponsors, who demonstrated their faith in the value and continuity of the institution, was decisive. At the same time, the stable support of the City of Athens Culture, Sports and Youth Organization contributed to the implementation of the Festival's activities again this year. In addition, to cover the funding gap, the Festival requested and received limited funding from the regular budget of the Ministry of Culture. With the extraordinary and significant support of HFAC, we were able to maintain the international character of the event, and we are grateful for this to the Managing Director of HFAC, Mr. Leonidas Christopoulos, as well as the General Director of Cinema at HFAC, Ms. Athina Kartalou.

Ms. Pappa concluded her speech with a timely appeal to the State for a stable and adequate funding of the Festival and the formulation of a long-term policy to support contemporary culture, stating: "Culture is not a luxury. It is a part of human existence. It is an element of human coexistence. It is the identity, voice and soul of a society. Cinema, as a collective art par excellence, is both a mirror and a compass: it helps us understand the world, share experiences, and envision the future."

Ms. Athina Kartalou, General Director of HFAC, noted that “AIFF is an institution that unites the city with cinema” and emphasized HFAC’s commitment to supporting Greek cinema.

Ms. Eleni Zontirou, President of the City of Athens Culture, Sports and Youth Organization, announced that screenings and the closing ceremony will be hosted at the Olympia Municipal Music Theater “Maria Callas”, as a symbol of the power of cooperation in culture and expressed her joy at the continued support of the AIFF, recognizing its importance for the city and the dedication and passion with which it keeps the magic of cinema alive.

Ms. Agapi Kefalogianni, Program Director of NOVA, presented the parallel events that will accompany this year’s AIFF, confirming NOVA's role as Grand Sponsor.

Artistic Director of the AIFF, Mr. Loukas Katsikas, presented this year's redesigned program, noting that at its peak, the Festival presented more than 100 feature films each year. This year, with only a third of the budget, the program is limited to half the number of films and fewer slots. In this context, four key sections have been canceled: Tributes, Special Screenings, Midnight, and Music & Film. In addition, it was announced that no Accreditations will be issued, while a limited number of Special Season Tickets (10 screenings) will be available to loyal Festival audiences at the price of 80 euros, with priority in advance sales and an exclusive invitation to the Opening Ceremony.

GREEK SHORT STORIES

The Head of the Greek Short Film Competition Section, Mr. Panos Gkenas, presented the 51 films that will compete in the “Greek Short Stories” section with the support and awards of HFAC, and announced the Masterclass “The Invisible Art of Editing” by internationally renowned editor Yorgos Mavropsaridis.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

The international jury members for the International Competition section have been announced: Stephen Woolley (Producer - President), Jessica Kiang (film critic, programmer), Milja Mikkola (programmer), and Ioanna Spiliopoulou (editor); and Documentary Competition: Eva Stefani (Director - President), Alexander Nanau (director, producer, cinematographer, editor), Fabienne Moris (programmer) and Maria Katsounaki (journalist).

This year's event will welcome two distinguished guests: Oscar-winning Neil Jordan, who will be honored for his lifetime achievement with the support of the Irish Embassy at OLYMPIA, with a screening of the film THE END OF AN AFFAIR, as well as fellow Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis, who will attend the Greek premiere of the film ANEMONE, his highly anticipated return to acting after a seven-year absence. Daniel Day-Lewis will be in Athens with his son, Ronan Day-Lewis, director of the film, for the purposes of the Cerebral Palsy Greece Open Door, a friend of which he is his since the early days of his career and for whom Ms. Daphne Oikonomou, Honorary President and Founder of the organization, spoke with the warmest and most touching words. The screening of the film will take place at MEGARON Trianti Hall, with the co-operation of Universal and Tanweer that distribute the film. We thank the Grande Bretagne hotel for the hospitality.

The announcement of the 31^st AIFF’s entire program will take place Wednesday, September 24 at aiff.gr and cinemagazine.gr

SOCIAL POLICY

Furthermore, the Festival, faithful to its social policy, is offering free tickets for the unemployed and cards for people with disabilities at this year's event, while also supporting and promoting the humanitarian work of the organization MISSION ANTHROPOS.

The 31st AIFF includes a series of parallel events with FREE ADMISSION, such as Masterclasses with prominent names from the film community, such as Oscar-nominated editor Yorgos Mavropsaridis, and others to be announced shortly.

Finally, we would like to remind you that all proceeds from the screening of ANEMONE, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, will be donated to Cerebral Palsy Greece Open Door.

THE 31^st AIFF POSTER

Furthermore, the Artistic Director of the Festival presented this year's poster, stating the following: "The stunning poster for the 31st AIFF, designed by Vassilis Mexis, is inspired by human desire and the major tribute that was canceled due to budget cuts. In a heroic act, which we owe to ourselves and our audience, the Festival will take place with a reduced program but without any compromise on quality. This year, we will once again host the best films of the year, as a gift to all those who have been filling the theaters for 31 years.”

Last, but not least, the Press Conference as well as the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Festival take place with simultaneous interpretation in the Greek Sign Language by the Festival’s collaborator, Ms. Nefeli Rantou.

We would like to thank the supporters and sponsors of the event for their valuable support during this special year: the major supporter, Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center, the co-organizer City of Athens Culture, Sports and Youth Organization, our major sponsor Nova, a member of the United Group, the leading telecommunications and media provider in Southeast Europe, the Ministry of Culture for its patronage and financial support, Event Sponsor Jameson, Fischer Beer, Sponsor of the Audience Award, Airline Sponsor AEGEAN, ZOLOTAS jewelry, ONASSIS CULTURE, the Greek Society of Cinematographers, Cinecrane and Crew United. We would also like to thank the embassies and institutes that support our work: the Embassy of Ireland, the Embassy of France and the French Institute of Greece, the Embassy of Portugal and the Camões Institute, the Embassy of Sweden, the Mediterranean Film Institute (MFI), the Electra Hotel Resorts and Grande Bretagne hotels, the Focal, Cookoovaya, and L’Alchimiste bistrot for their generous sponsorship, the ATHENS MEGARON, the Onassis STEGI, and all the venues, OLYMPIA Municipal Music Theater “Maria Callas”, DANAOS, CINOBO, OPERA, ASTY, ASTOR and TRIANON that will host the much anticipated films of the 31^st AIFF. Last but not least we wish to extend our warm thanks to the film distributors AMA FILMS, CINOBO, DANAOS FILMS, FEELGOOD ENTERTAINMENT, FILMTRADE, NEO FILMS,ONE FROM THE HEART, ROSEBUD 21, SPENTZOS FILM, TANWEER, TFG (THE FILM GROUP), WEIRD WAVE, the director Uli M. Schueppel and Typical Organisation for the creation of our advertising spot, ΛΑΜΔΑ for their evocative score and Valeria Christodoulidou for lending her voice to the Festival's commercials, all of our communication sponsors, more.com where you can purchase your tickets, our photographers and videographer, Vassilis Mexis for designing the posters, and all the volunteers of the organization for their valuable help.

Event sponsor JAMESON and audience award sponsor Fischer Beer offered delicious refreshments to the audience at the Press Conference.

ΑNNOUNCEMENT OF THE PROGRAM AND TICKET SALES

Please kindly note that the announcement of the full program will take place on Wednesday, September 24^th at the sites aiff.gr and cinemagazine.gr and pre-sale of tickets (from www.aiff.gr and more.com) will commence on Thursday, September 25^th for the special card holders and Friday, September 26^th at 12 p.m. for everyone.