30th Athens International Film Festival: Closing ceremony & presentation of Awards

To retain our perspective and our humanity in this complex world we live in.

The 30th Athens International Film Festival, sponsored by Nova, was completed on Monday, October 14, 2024, in a festive and determined mood, in the fully booked Pallas, with the Closing & Awards Ceremony of the film institution, in the presence of the President of the Athens Film Society, Maria Bobola.

Watch the Closing & Awards Ceremony video below.

This year’s audience exceeded 50.000 spectators confirming the festival’s Artistic Director who spoke of “a festival never before so fervently loved for 30 consecutive years”.

President of Athens Film Society, Maria Bobola

The President of the Athens Film Society, Maria Bobola, wished the Festival a Happy Anniversary, stressing the importance of staying in touch with the world beyond the spectacle and the value of freedom, as the central message of the event. She underlined that the black and white poster of this year’s edition is in line with a show of respect towards the victims of war.

Nova's Senior Programming Manager, Agapi Kefalogianni, said: "The Festival concludes its screenings today and Nova is proud to be here at the closing ceremony supporting it as a major sponsor. For another year, we have been at the side of this very important cultural institution, assisting and supporting its long-standing success. We are particularly happy to be part of this cinematic journey and look forward to continuing our support to the festival in the years to come. Happy Anniversary and always be successful!"

Maria Bobola – President of the AFS, Ioannis Pappas – MP, Tatiana Pappa - General Director of AIFF, Agapi Kefalogiannis – Nova Senior Programming Manager, Eleni Zontirou – OPANDA President,  Christos Tentomas, Deputy Mayor for Climate Change and Greenery of the Municipality of Athens

The ceremony was presented by the actress Sissy Toumassi and Panos Gkenas, Head of Competition Section, GREEK SHORT STORIES.

Sissy Toumassi

Panos Gkenas

Sissy Toumasi welcomed the audience and thanked PALLAS theater for its hospitality while also mentioning the pleasure the festival had to open its 30th anniversary edition with this year's Palme d'Or and to close the curtains with this year's Golden Lion of the Venice Film Festival and the nationwide premiere of one of the most anticipated films of the year, Pedro Almodovar's "The Room Next Door". 

After 163 screenings held in a festive, and occasionally emotional atmosphere, the festival impressively filled Athens’ venues with enthusiastic viewers of all ages, inaugurating this year's film season in the most dynamic way, emphasizing the public's need to go to the movies, to enjoy the collective experience of the big screen and communicate their love for cinema and belong to a special community that has been, for 30 consecutive years, the admirable and ever-renewing tribe of the Athens International Film Festival.

Next, the awards ceremony for the Greek Short Stories competition section took place. The Jury, headed by Asimina Proedrou, director/screenwriter, and its members, Dimitra Vlagopoulou, actress, Sofia Kokkali, actress, Alexandros Diakosavvas, journalist and Pavlos Pavlidis, musician, awarded the GOLDEN ATHENA to the film MJ, directed by Giorgos Fourtounis.

Giorgos Fourtounis, director & Jury of the Competition Section GREEK SHORT STORIES

In the International Documentary Competition Section, the Golden Athena was awarded to the film NO OTHER LAND, directed by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor. Two special mentions were attributed to Mark Cousins’ A SUDDEN GLIMPSE TO DEEPER THINGS and Daphne Matziarakis and Peter Murimi’s BATTLE FOR LAIKIPIA. The awards were presented by the Jury members, Niklas Engstrøm, Artistic Director of CPH:DOX, Valerie Kontakos, director, Vassilis Loules, director, Stavroula Papaspyrou, journalist and Arne Semsrott, political scientist, journalist and activist who unfortunately was not present.

This was followed by the award ceremony of the International Competition section. The awards were presented by the members of the Committee, Jane Giles, author, director and programmer of the legendary Scala, Miriam Allen, Managing Director of Galway Film Fleadh, Alexis Grapsas, musician and composer, Sarig Peker, producer and Blaine L. Reininger, musician and composer. The film FLOW by Gints Gilbalodis won the Golden Athena and the Fischer Audience Award, which was presented by Fischer's Marketing Manager, Penelope Zaoudis.

The Artistic Director of the Athens International Film Festival, Loukas Katsikas, concluded the Ceremony by thanking the Festival team and declaring his gratitude to the audience that responded to the call of its beloved Festival filling the theaters for one more year. In his speech he called for freedom of expression and appealed for the preservation of our perspective in the world, expressing solidarity with the victims of war and a wish to move on in life with kindness and love.

Artistic Director of the Festival, Loukas Katsikas

The ceremony was held with simultaneous interpretation in Greek Sign Language by the Festival's associate Nefeli Rantou and simultaneous translation to English by the Festival's interpreter Irini Sarli-Theofylaktopoulou.