As October brings the end of the city’s popular open-air cinema season, the Athens International Film Festival (AIFF) opens on Wednesday, October 2, introducing audiences to some of the best national premieres and serving as the ideal start to the upcoming cinematic season. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, AIFF will run until October 14, raising high expectations among film enthusiasts across the country.
Founded by the Athens Film Society, AIFF kicks off this year with Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or-winning Anora, making its nationwide premiere at the Megaron Athens Concert Hall. The film is set for release in Greek cinemas on October 24.
While the AIFF takes pride in being the first festival worldwide to curate a retrospective tribute to Baker in 2015—widely regarded as the ‘prince of independent cinema’—this year, the festival’s organizers emphasize that Baker’s feature as the opening film aligns perfectly with their commitment to spotlighting quality independent cinema.
The festival will close with Pedro Almodóvar’s latest feature, The Room Next Door, starring Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore, which won the Golden Lion at the 81st Venice International Film Festival. The film will be screened at Pallas Theater following the closing ceremony and award presentation, with a nationwide release scheduled for November 14.
To view the daily schedule of the AIFF 2024 please click here.
Competition Sections
This year’s AIFF features three competition sections:
-International Competition: 13 entries
-International Documentaries Competition: 9 entries
-Greek Short Stories in Competition: 46 entries, highlighting both established and emerging local filmmakers.
Opening Nights (National Premieres)
The festival will present 32 films in national premieres, including many that have already won prestigious awards and are considered strong Oscar contenders.
To view the detailed program for the Opening Nights screenings please click here.
Tributes
For the first time in Greece, AIFF will honor legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. This long-anticipated tribute coincides with the festival’s 30th anniversary and the “2024: Japan-Greece Year of Culture and Tourism.” Supported by the Embassy of Japan and M/Maritime, the tribute will showcase 13 of Kurosawa’s masterpieces, including a 4K restoration of Seven Samurai.
AIFF will also celebrate the revolutionary British cinema of the 1980s with the tribute This is England. Despite the challenges of Thatcher’s policies, this era saw the rise of independent filmmaking and visionary directors like Stephen Frears, Neil Jordan, and Peter Greenaway. The tribute will feature 13 British cinematic gems, many of which are unavailable on digital platforms.
Still frame from the film “Wish you Were Here”.
Don’t Miss
• Trainspotting (1996): Revisit the first year of AIFF with a screening of Danny Boyle’s cult classic on October 5 at Cinobo Opera Cinema.
• Cycladic Screenings: In collaboration with the “Cindy Sherman at Cycladic” exhibition at the Museum of Cycladic Art, AIFF will screen two radical films: Samuel Fuller’s The Naked Kiss and Russ Meyer’s Beyond the Valley of the Dolls on October 3 and 8.
Intimacy Coordination Workshop
In collaboration with the Athens Film Office, AIFF will host Greece’s first Intimacy Coordination Workshop, led by renowned intimacy coordinator Elle McAlpine, whose credits include Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things and the acclaimed series Baby Reindeer. The workshop will explore how eroticism, intimacy, and corporeality are portrayed on screen. It will be held on Friday, October 4, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the “Friends of Music Society” hall in the Megaron Athens Concert Hall, with free admission. The workshop will be conducted entirely in English.
Venues and Tickets
This year’s AIFF will take place at the following venues: Danaos I & II, Cinobo Opera I & II, Astor, Asty, the French Institute of Greece, Megaron Athens Concert Hall, and Pallas Theater. Tickets for the festival can be purchased here while further information and guidelines can be found here.
