Greek filmmakers claim the spotlight at the 21st Athens International Film Festival - Opening Nights!

Same as every year, the Athens International Film Festival - Opening Nights honors Greek directors and showcases some of the most important homegrown premieres of both documentaries and fiction features, as well as 66 shorts that make up the Greek Shorts Competition Section, staking their claim on six different awards!

In this edition, some of the most up-and-coming local filmmakers will present their work in the Greek Films section, Shortly before their official domestic release.

Angelos Frantzis, award-winning director of "A Dog's Dream" and "In the Woods", presents his fourth feature "Symptom". A creature wearing a leather jacket and eyes that twinkle in the dark wreaks havoc on the small community of an isolated island. Only a strange girl seems capable of dealing with it. A poetic exploration of the dark and intimate side of existence, featuring Katia Goulioni, Constantine Markoulakis and Michele Valley.

Symptom / Σύμπτωμα - trailer από NyxtesPremieras

In her third film, "Ursa Minor", Elissavet Chronopoulou tells a love story based on her own novel "Wearing a Suit", using a groundbreaking technique never before seen in Greek cinema. The central female character, played by Sofia Georgovassili, is introduced in 12 POV shots through the eyes of lead actor Yannis Kokiasmenos, without him ever being seen.

Ursa Minor / Μικρή Άρκτος - trailer από NyxtesPremieras

The remaining three films of the festival are a testament to the younger generation's appetite for horror and adventure. With his first feature "Marionettes", talented Pantelis Kalatzis delivers a mystery adventure featuring a powerful cast of household names, shot in a dark, virtually unrecognizable Athens, sizzling with temptation at every corner. 

ΜΑΡΙΟΝΕΤΕΣ - TEASER TRAILER από NyxtesPremieras

"Short Fuse", co-directed by Andreas Lambropoulos and Kostas Skiftas, is a survival race against time, while Dimitris Tzetzas' "The Republic" is a power game straight out of contemporary Greek reality, starring an impressive roster of local talent. 

Short Fuse - Trailer από NyxtesPremieras

Documentaries are just as powerful with devastating "Olympia" by Stavros Psyllakis and "Hail Arcadia" by Filippos Koutsaftis leading the way. In his second feature, Koutsaftis leaves Eleusina behind to explore yet another emotionally and historically charged landscape. "Hamlet in Yannis Houvardas’ Mind" by Ilias Giannakakis and "Michael Marmarinos in Faust's Workshop" describe the feverish process of staging a theater play, while "Kaliarda" by Paola Revenioti introduces us to an idiosyncratic language that is no longer in use.

Olympia/Ολυμπία-Treeiler En-8 από NyxtesPremieras


Hail Arcadia / Αρκαδία Χαίρε - trailer από NyxtesPremieras

Ο Μιχαήλ Μαρμαρινός στο Εργαστήρι του Φάουστ... από NyxtesPremieras

Ο Γιάννης Χουβαρδάς στο Μυαλό του Άμλετ από NyxtesPremieras

kaliarnta promo από NyxtesPremieras

Within the context of its continuing collaboration with the Artists with Disabilities Movement, the festival is set to hold a special maximum accessibility gala featuring Pantelis Voulgaris "Little England". The film will screen with audio description for people with visual disabilities and captions for the deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (SDH), the first event of its kind in Greece. 

ΜΙΚΡΑ ΑΓΓΛΙΑ - TRAILER από NyxtesPremieras

The Greek Short Film Competition will introduce some of the best up-and-coming local filmmakers around. This year, 66 shorts will claim six different awards handed out by the Short Film Jury, lead by producer Eleni Kossyfidou and members Akis Kapranos (journalist). Rinio Dragasaki (director), Maria Kallimani (actress), Konstantinos Koukoulios (director of photography) and Leandros Dounis (sound designer).

Same as every year, Opening Nights will be paying heed to the Best Newcomers, with a jury consisting of Pantelis Voulgaris (director), Thodoris Koutsogiannopoulos (journalist), Ilias Georgopoulos (distributor/movie theater owner), Andonis Kotzias (Visual Effects Supervisor) and Lena Papaligoura (actress) will be handing out awards for Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress. The nominees include every Greek film screened between September 2014 and August 2015.