The 21st Athens International Film Festival - Opening Nights kicked off in high style!

On Wednesday, September 23, the Athens Megaron's Alexanra Trianti Hall lent itself to an impressive gathering, bringing together people from the arts, politics and culture to celebrate the 21st Athens International Film Festival's Opening Night.

The event was attended by festival chairwoman Maria Bobola, Minister of Labour, Social Insurance and Social Solidarity Giorgos Katrougalos, OPANDA President Christos Tedomas and Greek National Tourism Organization (GNTO) President Elissavet Hatzinikolaou.

The entertainment industry was well-represented thanks to prominent Greek singer-songwriter Dionysis Savvopoulos, set & costume designer Dionysis Fotopoulos, TV personality Giorgos Mitsikostas, actors Dimitris Piatas, Yannis Stankoglou, Giorgos Pyrpasopoulos, Tasos Nousias, Giorgos Chraniotis, Themis Bazaka and filmmakers Olga Malea, Gaspar Noé and Laurent Cantet.

Delegates from collaborating Embassies and cultural foundations, such at the Hellenic Film Academy, the Greek Film Center, the Onassis Cultural Center and the Niarchos Foundation, also made their presence felt.

The audience was greeted by a performance courtesy of the Traverso dance troop in the Athens Megaron foyer, which later continued inside the Alexandra Trianti Hall.

Popular comedian and TV personality Giorgos Mitsikostas kicked off the evening via pre-recorded videos, impersonating the festival's artistic director Orestis Andreadakis, who then took to the stage to greet audiences on behalf of the organisers.

In his brief address, he mentioned the Athens Film Lab, the festival's new sidebar, a pilot training program focusing on production, networking and developing script ideas, as well as the Concept Factory, a new production and scriptwriting workshop exclusively for features, co-organized by the Athens International Film Festival and the Mediterranean Film Institute.

He talked about the festival's seven tributes and retrospectives, the three competition sections, the eclectic collaborations with local cultural institutions and the 239 selected films from all over the world, scheduled to screen throughout the festival. He also revealed this year's secret, artfully hidden in the festival poster, waiting to be discovered across all festival venues starting tomorrow.

He concluded by thanking grand sponsor OTE TV, the City of Athens OPANDA and the Artists with Disabilities Movement for helping the festival become as accessible as possible. He also thanked their long list of supporters, sponsors and communications sponsors, wishing everyone "a happy movie season, full of wonderful secrets, waiting to be revealed."

His speech was followed by a screening of Paolo Sorrentino's "Youth" and a reception at the Athens Megaron's Atrium.