This weekend, from Friday, April 11, to Sunday, April 13, the Greek Film Archive in Athens will host the “Film Archives Treasures: Recently Restored Films Showcase.” The showcase will feature restored classic Greek and international films, offering audiences a unique opportunity to glimpse into the past through the screen.

Featured Films

Happy Day (1976)

Political prisoners held in a concentration camp prepare a celebration to mark the visit of the so-called “great mother.” Among them is an inmate who refuses to abandon his convictions. When he mysteriously vanishes, camp officials declare him dead by suicide. But on the day of the official visit, as the festivities unfold, the supposedly deceased prisoner unexpectedly reappears. The film will be available for viewing on Sunday.

Xavier (1991-2001)

Hailed as one of the finest early Portuguese films of the 1990s, this work faced numerous setbacks before it was finally completed and premiered in 2003. Set in a Lisbon that subtly converses with Paulo Rocha’s Os Verdes Anos, the film offers a tender portrait of a young man whose identity is torn between the city and the countryside, capturing the tensions and beauty of a life straddling two worlds. The film was digitally restored by the Cinemateca Portuguesa – Museu do Cinema as part of the Recovery and Resilience Plan and will be available for viewing on Saturday.

Medea (1969)

“The most dreamlike part of Pasolini’s triptych of classic tragedy. Shot in Cappadocia, which, represents mythical Colchis, the film adapts Euripides family tragedy of betrayal and revenge and sets a canvas around the “sacred” almost silent presence of Maria Callas, who had already given a famous performance in the title role of Cheroubini’s Medea”. (Nikos Savvatis).

The film was originally restored by the Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna, in collaboration with Minerva Pictures, at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, and will be available for viewing on Saturday, at 8pm, featuring an introduction by Cecilia Cenciarelli.

Notre Dame de la Croisette (1981)

A woman travels to the Cannes International Film Festival for the first time, hoping to fulfill a long-held dream. But amid the whirlwind of crowds and confusion, and without access to tickets, she finds herself watching the festival unfold on television from her hotel room. Blending fiction and documentary, the film offers a tour through Europe’s glamorous and envy-laden cinematic capital. It was digitally restored by the Cinémathèque Suisse and will be available for viewing on Saturday.

The Ambush (1969)

In the aftermath of World War II and the liberation of Serbia, a young idealist throws himself into the work of the Party, only to find himself entangled in political machinations that force him to question his beliefs. A landmark of the Yugoslav Black Wave, Živojin Pavlović’s film draws from two short stories—his own and one by Antonije Isaković—to trace the early days of the communist regime in the war-scarred Balkans. The film was digitally restored by the Yugoslav Film Archive, in collaboration with Centar Film and will be available for viewing on Sunday.
The Greek Film Archive is renowned for its efforts in preserving and promoting Greek and international films. As a member of the International Federation of Film Archives and a founding member of the European Film Gateway, the institution plays an essential role in the conservation of cinematic history.
Screenings will take place at the Greek Film Archive’s Lais theatre.
For detailed information on the screening schedule and ticket reservations, please visit the official website at https://tickets.tainiothiki.gr/.