Thessaloniki Film Festival Opens with 258 Films and €200,000 in Awards

30 Oct 2026, 08:26 by Kosta Papadopoulos · Greek City Times

The 67th Thessaloniki International Film Festival will open on Thursday, November 5, bringing 258 films, leading Greek and international filmmakers, special tributes and awards worth more than €200,000 to the northern Greek city until November 15.

The festival will screen films at cinemas across Thessaloniki and online, with six competitive sections showcasing Greek and international productions, alongside special tributes and events for professionals working in film and television.

Among the prominent guests will be composer Stavros Xarchakos, who will receive an honorary Golden Alexander for his contribution to culture; award-winning Galician filmmaker Oliver Laxe, director of Sirāt; and filmmaker Fatih Akin, who will present his latest film.

Deputy Culture Minister Iason Fotilas described the festival as a national celebration of cinema, highlighting its growing international standing and its contribution to the Greek audiovisual industry.

Speaking at a press conference held simultaneously in Thessaloniki and Athens, Fotilas said two factors had strengthened Greece’s international position: the government’s commitment to investing €750 million over five years in the sector and its professionals through the Greece on Screen programme, and the artistic reputation of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.

He said the government’s investment and development strategy for cinema and the audiovisual sector was already delivering results, attracting investment and earning international recognition.

International Programme Director Giorgos Krasakopoulos said the festival was taking place during one of the most difficult and volatile periods in recent history, marked by wars, genocides, massacres, the rise of the far right and neo-fascism, social unrest, uncertainty surrounding artificial intelligence and the climate crisis.

Festival Artistic Director Orestis Andreadakis highlighted cinema’s ability to offer hope, ease suffering and challenge hatred, polarisation and brutality. Although films and the arts cannot change the world overnight, he said, they can broaden horizons, sharpen critical thinking and influence audiences in unexpected ways.

Major international and Greek film personalities arrive in Thessaloniki

Spanish filmmaker Oliver Laxe, director of Sirāt, will serve as guest curator of the festival’s major tribute, Welcome to the Desert, selecting 17 films.

The tribute will also feature an audiovisual installation by Laxe at MOMUS – Experimental Center for the Arts and virtual reality works at the Western Gate of Thessaloniki Port.

The festival will welcome Laura Mulvey, the influential academic, author, filmmaker and film theorist, who will deliver a talk exploring visual pleasure, desire and spectatorship.

Another major tribute will focus on Turkish filmmaker Emin Alper, one of the country’s leading contemporary directors. Alper will present several of his films, from Beyond the Hill to his latest work, Salvation, which won the Silver Bear – Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Greek filmmaker Nikos Grammatikos will receive an honorary Golden Alexander for his contribution to cinema. The festival will screen his complete collection of short and feature-length films, including Exodos (1995), which will appear on the big screen for the first time.

The tribute will also include a public discussion with Grammatikos and his collaborators, alongside the presentation of Theodosis Michos’s book Absent Ones: An Oral History.

International guests will include Fatih Akin, returning to Thessaloniki to present his latest film, and Danish actor Claes Bang.

Filmmaker Sara Driver, actress Trine Dyrholm, editor Giorgos Mavropsaridis and producers Konstantinos Kontovrakis and Rodrigo Areias will also take part in a special discussion.

Filmmaker and actor Christoforos Papakaliatis will serve as ambassador for the festival’s Agora, which brings together film and television industry professionals from around the world.

Composer Stavros Xarchakos will receive a Golden Alexander in recognition of his contribution to culture. To mark the honour, the festival will screen Kostas Ferris’s landmark film Rembetiko (1983).

Opening film Minotaur, closing film The Unknown Woman

The festival will open with Minotaur, directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev, which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.

Following the screening, musician Pavlos Pavlidis will perform a free concert at Warehouse C. Visitors must obtain a zero-value ticket to attend.

The festival will close on Sunday, November 15, with The Unknown Woman by May el-Toukhy, which received the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

Actress Mathilde Arcel, who won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress, will also visit Thessaloniki.

258 films, six competition sections and a strong Greek presence

The festival will screen 258 films at the Olympion and Pavlos Zannas cinemas, the venues at Thessaloniki Port and the Makedonikon cinema.

A further 58 films will be available online through the festival’s digital platform.

The six competitive sections will offer awards worth more than €200,000 in services, scholarships and cash prizes.

Greek cinema will feature prominently, with 26 feature films and 27 short films, including 19 world premieres.

Special screenings will include:

The restored Eva (1953) by Maria Plyta.
Happy Beginning (1954) by Dinos Dimopoulos, presented in collaboration with Finos Film.
Sea of Glass (2026), the latest film by Alexis Alexiou.
Classic Masterpiece (2026) by Renos Haralambidis.

Another highlight will be the reappearance of Opera (1976) by Andreas Velissaropoulos, a film considered lost for three decades and described as the holy grail of Greek queer cinema.

The festival will screen recently discovered Super 8 footage from the film’s production, followed by a discussion with the filmmaker’s collaborators and queer cinema theorists.

The programme will also include award-winning short films from the 49th Drama International Short Film Festival, as well as new Greek and international television productions in the Series Special Screenings section.

From Balkan Horror to immersive cinematic experiences

The Balkan Horror tribute will explore the darker side of the Balkans through myths, folklore, family secrets and intergenerational trauma. Its selection will include cult films, B-movies and unconventional cinematic hybrids.

The new Taming Time section will invite audiences to experience moving images in innovative ways, while eight works in the Immersive section will compete for the Golden Alexander.

Other sections will include Open Horizons, Special Screenings and the late-night ‘Round Midnight programme.

The festival will also place particular emphasis on younger audiences. Its NextGen initiative will offer free educational screenings for schools, while children and teenagers under 18 will enjoy free admission to screenings during both festival weekends.

The Agora will introduce new initiatives and support filmmakers and projects from 36 countries across southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean.

Accessibility and European Film Awards nominations

The festival will strengthen its accessibility programme through the Alpha Bank Accessibility Award, worth €3,000.

Twenty-two films will feature Greek descriptive subtitles for audiences with visual impairments. Nikos Grammatikos’s Absent Ones (1996) and Night Flowers (1999) will also receive fully accessible screenings.

Another major event for the Greek film industry will take place on November 14, when the festival announces the nominations for the 39th European Film Awards.

The announcement will take place at the Pavlos Zannas cinema through a video link from the Hamza Bey Mosque, also known as Alaca Imaret, which recently reopened to the public.

The festival’s programme is available at www.filmfestival.gr, with advance ticket sales beginning on Tuesday, November 3.

(Source: AMNA)

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