Heretical, unholy, staggering and Strictly X: The 32nd AIFF presents Ken Russell’s sensational “THE DEVILS” for the first time in Greece complete and uncut!

32nd ATHENS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ​
Sept. 30th – October 11th 2026

Fifty years after its tumultuous premiere, Ken Russell’s unholy magnum opus returns to the screen, for the first time in its uncut version, untouched by the censors, exactly as the director envisioned it and in pristine 4K restoration. The Athens International Film Festival participates in the celebration of this restoration and invites you to a screening event.

Back in 1971, “The Devils” was considered unholy and blasphemous; it provoked extreme response and in a number of countries was banned on the spot, soon to be heavily truncated in order to be screened widely. Since then, it remained impossible to be seen in its proper form, turning the original uncut version into a sort of Holy Grail for the cinéastes.

And yet, there came 2026 and the incredible became a reality: Warner Bros. decided to restore “The Devils” in their original, complete version and running time, relieved of any censorship, and with the controversial scenes that were cut reinstated. The sacrilegious diamond of British cinema had its worldwide premiere in this year’s Cannes Film Festival edition, precisely as its director intended 55 years ago, and now it parades at the greatest film festivals, shortly before it is distributed theatrically.

Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave are the unforgettable protagonists of this prophetic epic of psychosis and corruption, inspired by the true story of a Catholic priest who in the 17th century stood against the political machinery of the Church and was accused for his satanic influence in a community of monks before sentenced to be burned at the stake. The Mephistophelean absurdity of Russell’s images blends the religious persecutions, the mass mob hysteria, the sexual repression and the institutional decay, in a spectacle of unbelievable power and baroque imagery which still shocks and impresses upon us its frenzied vision.

The uncut version of “The Devils” will be released in Greece by Tanweer on November 12th, for a limited number of screenings and rated “R”.

THE DEVILS |1971 / 2026 (114’)​
Written and directed by: Ken Russell
Starring: Vanessa Redgrave, Oliver Reed, Dudley Sutton, Max Adrian, Gemma Jones

Based on the play of the same name by James Whiting and the book “The Devils of Loudun”, by Aldous Haxley

#aiff32 
The 32nd Athens International Film Festival will take place from September 30th to October 11th 2026, powered by HFAC (Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center), with DEI as its gold sponsor and in co-organization with OPANDA (City of Athens Culture, Sports & Youth Organization)