Details

Created: 22 November 2025

For the 14th consecutive year, the Athens International Digital Film Festival (AIDFF) will take place from December 4 to 10, 2025, hosted at the historic Studio New Star Art Cinema in Amerikis Square and at the Blackbox Theater Cinema in Pedion tou Areos. Parallel screenings will also be held at the Ekpaideutiki Enosi (Syntagma), Studio Theatre in Kypseli, the AXON organization on Patision Avenue, and Geoterra in Chalandri.
This year’s festival will present 120 feature and short films from 30 countries, including 60 premieres. Audiences will enjoy every genre of cinematic art—feature and short fiction films, documentaries, experimental works, video art, animation, and dance films. A strong Greek section highlights works by emerging and established directors, each offering distinct artistic and aesthetic approaches.

The festival opens musically with Biko & His Balkan Orchestra by Anna Antonopoulou and Giorgos Spyridis, creating a Balkan feast of enchanting sounds from Biko and his philharmonic band. Viewers will then be immersed in the poetic universe of Kyrenaios Papadimatos and Akrivi Kollia in the film SOS, while simultaneously exploring the film On Lavender, which investigates the multiplicities of gender identity through a mosaic of narratives that illuminate the complexity of the topic. The debut feature film by Makis Evangelatos and Eirini Chatzi marks the first in-depth exploration of gender identity in Greece—a four-year endeavor largely self-funded by its creators.

Through the film by Socrates Alafouzos, audiences will be moved and challenged by the story of a clown whose protagonist uses comedy and dance to survive. She is offered a safe space for self-expression and the strength to confront and acknowledge the abuse she endured as a child. Her move to Los Angeles sparks a journey of self-discovery, empowering her to reclaim her inner strength and create her own version of “Hollywood.”

In the animated film by Julia Spyropoulou, we witness the period 1914–1923—the second phase of the genocide of Pontic Greeks by the Young Turks. Meanwhile, Open Wings by Taxiarchis Deligiannis and Vasilis Tsiouvaras presents the story of a young finch forced to abandon his war-torn homeland, reflecting the plight of countless people today who embark on similar one-way journeys.

Romanian director Robert Eugen Popa transports us to the dazzling lights of Paris in a fiction film starring Maia Morgenstern, the renowned Romanian film and theatre actress described by Florin Mitou of AMOS News as “a symbol of Romanian theatre and cinema.” In the English-speaking world, she is best known for her role as Mary, mother of Jesus, in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ.

Korinna Krauss’ In the Ocean of Time carries us to the year 2055. In the aftermath of climate catastrophe, survivors live in caves. Their only remaining hope is to travel back in time to prevent disaster. Few retain memories of the “before”—memories that seem to act as gateways to the past.
We dive into dreams with Greenhouse, the film by Giorgos Georgakopoulos: Sally, a young Albanian who has dropped out of school and works in greenhouses, dreams of earning enough money to try out for the Juventus Academy. He must overcome numerous obstacles born from his harsh daily life.

Alois Sandner Díaz from France introduces us to the world of AVA, the Artificial Intelligence that manages a dating app, helping men and women find love everywhere. Among them is Anna, who entrusts AVA with every secret.

Theodoros Vournas returns with a psychedelic science-fiction odyssey filled with striking visual effects, blending personal exploration with cosmic concepts. A group of young people, grappling with existential questions, becomes entangled in a process of rebirth and reconnection with the universe. The film examines human relationships, identity, and humanity’s place within the infinite.

Austrian director Daniel Limmer premieres Dream Theatre, following his award-winning Enter Mycel, which received the AIDFF Best Artistic Film Award in 2023. When graphic designer Margo discovers the start-up “Dream Theatre,” which enables the recording of dreams, she decides to use this technology to uncover the cause of her recurring nightmares.

We will also watch the British film Eugene O’Neill’s – The First Man, a work of major interest as it represents the first (and only) screen adaptation of this early and rarely known story by Eugene O’Neill—widely regarded as America’s greatest playwright and the only one to have received both the Nobel Prize and four Pulitzer Prizes. The film is a period psychological drama with a contemporary narrative approach—a truly independent production.

In the experimental section, we will be captivated by Artemis Jampanoï by French director Ornella Pacchioni. Two women—Mylène in Paris and Artemis in Athens—eat and recount their stories. Through their voices, images emerge: exile, return, and the ongoing struggle to feel at home—neither in their bodies nor in the world—but always striving.

Through the video art of Alena Starostina and Ivan Nikolae from Finland, we will explore Karelian ritual culture, transitional states, and farewell traditions. Created during a residency in a small Finnish town shortly after the artists left Russia in 2022, it reflects the sensations of displacement, silence, and invisibility. Shot on 16mm film over 12 days, it captures daily 24-second clips and 360 landscape photographs.
In the experimental animation by American artist Gerald Habarth, we will experience the tensions and fears surrounding rising authoritarian tendencies in the U.S. and globally. The work references Donald Trump and Augusto Pinochet—leaders who manipulated public perception to consolidate power and wealth while undermining democratic and moral foundations.

A descent into the heart of the city unfolds in Dimitris Athanitis’ doc-fiction about Athens’ arcades and the people who inhabit them, featuring Kostas Kazanas. We will watch this special screening on Saturday, December 6, near midnight:
"In the heart of the city, in the heart of Athens, lies another city. A hidden city. A city that has forever lived under the artificial glow of neon lights. A city that, after decades in this strange light, may now sink definitively into darkness—may disappear."

Simultaneously, the 12th International Panorama of Ecological and Scientific Films will take place. We will meet Babalawo Awè, a healer who practices the divination system FÂ and lives on the border between Nigeria and Benin. Every Sunday, in his small office, he welcomes people with problems ranging from illness to existential questions. Directed by French filmmaker Cyrill Noyalet.
An ethnographic film by Thea Chung introduces us to five siblings and two cousins spending their summers as they choose, in Oaxaca, Mexico: Contacto y probando.

Masterclasses

Three highly engaging masterclass workshops will take place throughout the festival:

• Directing Masterclass with Dimitris Athanitis
  How does one enter the magical process of making a film—not simply as a contributor, but as the chief orchestrator? What paths, methods, and conditions shape the creation of a new cinematic work? How demanding—and generous—is the art of film directing?
• “Time-Based Media, VR and Artificial Intelligence”
  by Konstantinos Tiligadis and Dimitris Agathopoulos (OXYMORON Art Collective)
  The duo presents their artistic and research approach, where VR and AI function as fields of artistic experimentation and aesthetic inquiry. Through the composition of virtual environments and algorithmic processes, they explore new forms of audiovisual storytelling and the emerging power of time-based media in contemporary visual practice.
• “The Director Meets the Actor”
  with Socrates Alafouzos
  The creative journey from script to screen through the combined perspective of director and actor: methods, essential questions for scene and character analysis, the “invisible text,” the rehearsal process before and during filming, and approaches to directing actors on set.

3rd International Screenwriting Festival

Running alongside the 14th AIDFF, the festival is dedicated to short and feature film scripts, enriching the cinematic landscape with the power of writing and creative imagination. Celebrating the heart of cinema—the story before it becomes an image—the festival provides a unique platform for emerging and established screenwriters worldwide.

Honoring Dimos Avdeliodis

The AIDFF consistently includes thematic and human-centered tributes. As a cultural institution, it highlights figures of letters and the arts who contribute significantly to Greek and international culture. This year, the festival honors director Dimos Avdeliodis. On Wednesday, December 10, we will screen his award-winning 1986 film The Tree We Hurt, in a newly edited version.

The 2025 AIDFF transcends the boundaries of a traditional film festival, becoming a vital platform for artistic and cinematic exploration. The films presented are living narratives of the human experience, filled with depth, emotion, and honesty. Each work offers a unique perspective on the world, revealing the power of art to tell stories, move people, and bring them together.

The diversity of the films highlights the richness of global cinematic creation. Over thirteen years, the Festival has established itself as an influential institution—an international platform showcasing the work of Greek and foreign creators and fostering dialogue across cultures and forms of expression.

The AIDFF inspires both new creators and audiences to rediscover the magic of cinema. Artists dare to approach the world with fresh cinematic language, proving that art remains a universal language that inspires, moves, and awakens.

Within this continuous wave of creativity, a new generation of filmmakers emerges—open-minded, independent, and free-thinking. The rapid evolution of the digital world challenges us every year to redefine our relationship with technology: to remain creators who shape the medium, not mere users of it.

Aesthetics and independent production remain at the heart of AIDFF. The festival continues to shape contemporary cinematic discourse, reminding us that art is a living, open dialogue between the creator and the world.

You can find the full Screening Schedule and detailed information about the films and directors at the festival link: www.aidff.com  

The Athens International Digital Film Festival is supported by the
Hellenic Center of Cinema, Audiovisual Media and Creation (E.K.K.O.ME.D.)

Details

Created: 16 November 2025

The Story of the Panorama – A Journey Through Living Worlds.The 14th Athens International Digital Film Festival (AIDFF) returns dynamically this year, hosting in parallel the 12th International Panorama of Ecological and Scientific Films—an entire program dedicated to environmental awareness, cultural diversity, and scientific exploration. Audiences will have the opportunity to experience a series of exceptional documentaries that illuminate different facets of human experience and our relationship with the world.

Every year, when the curtain rises on the Athens International Digital Film Festival, the city seems to pause its hurried rhythm for a moment. This year, however, as the festival meets the 12th International Panorama of Ecological and Scientific Films, Athens transforms into a global map where people, species, and cultures intersect under the same light.

As if an invisible lens were turned toward the Earth’s most intimate stories, the first image that emerges is that of Babalawo Awè, the healer who lives on the border between Nigeria and Benin. Every Sunday, in his small, humble room, he opens the path of the divinatory system FÂ, receiving those who carry fears, illnesses, or simply the need to understand their future. In the stillness of his workspace, their lives unfold like oracles; he listens, guides, heals. Cyrill Noyalet’s camera stands quietly by his side, as if holding its breath before the human longing for meaning.

And suddenly, the scene shifts. From Africa, we find ourselves in Oaxaca, Mexico—where five siblings and two cousins run barefoot on the earth, climb trees, and invent their own small rituals of freedom. Thea Chung follows their days as they flow like a game and a confession. In these summers, nature becomes refuge, companion, and memory.

From the children’s carefree world, we move to Professor Luca Rossi, who dedicates the final years of his academic life to wolves. In the Italian mountains he tries to approach them, understand their gaze, and listen to their logic. But the more he learns, the more he realizes that the real hunt is the clash between people—those who fiercely defend wolves and those who fear them, almost resentfully. The professor confronts his own heart: can science remain untouched by emotion?

While Luca wrestles with these questions, another young heroine, Luna, looks at the world from her own fragile vantage point. The documentary Facing The Unknown follows her journey through a world where water, energy, and infrastructure seem more vulnerable than ever. Through experts and artistic reflections, Luna learns that resilience is not just a technical term—it is a way of living, the courage to imagine a future that does not frighten you.

From there, the narrative leads us to a gentler yet profoundly moving landscape: Xuejian in Taiwan, where park ranger An-Liang watches the sunrise each day. For three generations, his family has protected the mountains and forests as a sacred inheritance. With his son by his side, he walks the paths once taken by his father, feeling that love for the land is an unwritten yet deeply-rooted command. Sunrise Xuejian becomes a hymn to the coexistence of humans and nature—a reminder that whoever respects the earth, respects themselves.

As we travel in thought between mountains and oceans, the concept of symbiosis becomes the heartbeat of these stories. The documentary Symbiosis invites us to observe a world that evolves slowly, free from the anxious tempo of human life. A world where kelp species have developed sophisticated transport mechanisms over 32 million years, while in our world a wastewater plant in North Vancouver has accumulated a decade of delays. Nature knows balance; we keep forgetting it.

In Greece, this forgetting becomes even more evident in Mother Company, where a children’s choir wanders through an abandoned power plant in Northern Greece. The children become the voices of generations of workers, speaking of the environment, public health, loss, and the hope for a “Green Future” that feels more like a promise than a reality.

And yet, somewhere else, hope finds wings. In Big Wings, a small rural Greek community unites to protect the endangered Dalmatian Pelican. People try to save the bird—and the bird, like a reflection, may end up saving them. A model of ecotourism emerges, one that could transform not only a species but an entire community.

Then, the story closes as it began: with wolves. This time in Attica, where they return after 60 years of absence. Mount Parnitha, wounded yet alive, receives them. People, divided, struggle to understand the meaning of this return. Fear? Hope? A warning? The film reveals a mirror—not for the wolves, but for us.

Thus, this year’s Panorama is woven from stories of people searching for tomorrow, children dreaming, animals returning, and ecosystems reminding us that everything in nature is connected. And perhaps that is the great oracle of the festival:

that life, wherever it resides on this planet, breathes with the same rhythm—when we allow it to.

Supported by:

Hellenic Film Center, Greek Center of Audiovisual Media & Creation (E.K.K.O.ME.D.)

Organized by:

Quinta Organization
Tickets Tickets Culture Company / BlackBox Theater Cinema

Athens International Digital Film Festival
www.aidff.com

 

Details

Created: 13 November 2025

The 14th Athens International Digital Film Festival (AIDFF) presents three exceptional Masterclasses that open new paths in thought, creativity, and the relationship between the creator and the art of cinema, new media, and performance.

🎬 Directing Masterclass with Dimitris Athanitis

“The Magical Process of Filmmaking”
📅 Saturday, December 6
📍 Studio New Star Art Cinema
🕞 3:30 p.m.

How does one approach the magical process of filmmaking not merely as a participant but as a conductor? How does one inspire and combine people and images into something new?
Acclaimed director Dimitris Athanitis shares his experience and philosophy on the art of directing, revealing how demanding yet generous cinematic creation can be.

About the instructor:
Dimitris Athanitis is a film director and a member of the European Film Academy. With 11 feature films — including Invisible (2015) and Medea (2022) — more than 60 international awards, and screenings in over 40 countries, he has established himself as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Greek cinema.
Other films include Three Days of Happiness (2012), Vox (1995), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1999), 2,000+1 Moments (2000), The City of Miracles (2005), Labyrinth (2019), and The Adventure of Vision (2023).
🔗 www.athanitis.eu

Masterclass “Time-Based Media, VR and Artificial Intelligence”

with Konstantinos Tiligadis and Dimitris Agathopoulos
(Visual Arts Group OXYMORON)
📅 Sunday, December 7
📍 BlackBox Theater Cinema, Bousgou 22b, Pedion tou Areos
🕐 1:00–3:00 p.m.

The visual arts group OXYMORON presents its work and research approach, where VR and Artificial Intelligence become fields of artistic experimentation and aesthetic exploration.
Through the synthesis of virtual environments and algorithmic processes, the group investigates new forms of audiovisual storytelling and the dynamic potential of time-based media in contemporary artistic practice.

About the instructors:
Konstantinos Tiligadis is an academic and visual artist, Associate Chair of the Department of Audio and Visual Arts at the Ionian University. Specializing in digital visual arts and animation, he explores the relationship between art and technology through innovative approaches.
Dimitris Agathopoulos is a visual artist and New Media researcher. A graduate of the School of Fine Arts (AUTH) and the MA program Digital Forms of Art at the Athens School of Fine Arts (ASFA), he teaches at the University of West Attica and ASFA. His work investigates the interaction between humans, images, and digital environments.

Masterclass “The Director Meets the Actor”

with Socratis Alafouzos
📅 Sunday, December 7
📍 BlackBox Theater Cinema, Bousgou 22b, Pedion tou Areos
🕞 3:30–5:30 p.m.

A creative journey from script to screen, seen through the eyes of both director and actor.
Socratis Alafouzos explores methods and key questions concerning scene and character analysis, the “invisible text,” and the rehearsal process before and during filming.
The masterclass focuses on the director–actor relationship and its prospects in the future of cinema.

About the instructor:
Socratis Alafouzos is a theater and film director, actor, screenwriter, and university lecturer. He has starred in theater, film, and television and has received international recognition for his work.
A Fulbright Scholar (1991), he teaches and directs in the United States at Chapman University (where he was named Presidential Fellow in Greek Theater) and at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, one of the leading film schools in the U.S.
He also teaches at California State University, Fullerton, focusing on directing and acting.

📅 Event Information

The Masterclasses will take place as part of the
14th Athens International Digital Film Festival (AIDFF)
December 4 – 10, 2025

🌐 www.aidff.com

Details

Created: 10 November 2025

The Athens International Digital Film Festival (AIDFF), remaining faithful to its mission of promoting art and humanism through cinema, continues this year its thematic and human-centered tributes, showcasing creators who have left a profound mark on Greek and international cultural life. As part of the 14th Athens International Digital Film Festival, distinguished filmmaker Dimos Avdeliodis will be honored for his lifetime achievements and invaluable contribution to Greek cinema.

Η τελετή βράβευσης και η προβολή της πολυβραβευμένης του ταινίας “Το Δέντρο που Πληγώναμε” (1986) θα πραγματοποιηθούν την Τετάρτη 10 Δεκεμβρίου, στο πλαίσιο των εκδηλώσεων του φεστιβάλ στον κινηματογράφο studio new star art cinema. Η ταινία θα προβληθεί με νέο μοντάζ  και διάρκεια Directors Cut διάρκεια 65min.

Ο Δήμος Αβδελιώδης γεννήθηκε στη Χίο το 1952. Σπούδασε στη Φιλοσοφική Σχολή του Πανεπιστημίου Αθηνών και στη Δραματική Σχολή Αθηνών. Δίδαξε κινηματογράφο στο Τμήμα Επικοινωνίας και ΜΜΕ του Παντείου Πανεπιστημίου (1993–1998) και διετέλεσε Διευθυντής του ΔΗ.ΠΕ.ΘΕ. Βορείου Αιγαίου (1997–2000 και από το 2004 έως σήμερα).        Το έργο του χαρακτηρίζεται από ποιητική ευαισθησία, εικαστική δύναμη και ανθρωποκεντρική ματιά. Ανάμεσα στις σημαντικότερες ταινίες του περιλαμβάνονται:

• Αθέμιτος Συναγωνισμός (1982) – Μικρού μήκους, βραβευμένη στο Φεστιβάλ Δράμας
• Το Δέντρο που Πληγώναμε (1986) – Α΄ Βραβείο στο Φεστιβάλ Βερολίνου 1987, συμμετοχή στις Κάννες (Semaine de la Critique), Χρυσός & Αργυρός Ελέφαντας στο Φεστιβάλ Νέου Δελχί
• Η Νίκη της Σαμοθράκης (1990)
• Η Εαρινή Σύναξις των Αγροφυλάκων (1999) – πολυβραβευμένη στο Φεστιβάλ Βερολίνου, Freistadt, Φεστιβάλ Θεσσαλονίκης

Παράλληλα έχει σκηνοθετήσει θεατρικές παραστάσεις υψηλής αισθητικής, όπως «Μορφές από το έργο του Βιζυηνού», «Παράσταση με τρία ελληνικά παραμύθια», «Λίγ’ απ’ όλα», «Άσμα Ασμάτων», «Η Γυναίκα της Ζάκυθος» και «Αναπαράσταση της Δίκης του Σωκράτη».                                                                                                                                                                          

Ένα αφιέρωμα στον άνθρωπο και τη δημιουργία  

Με το αφιέρωμα αυτό, το AIDFF αναγνωρίζει το πολυσχιδές έργο και την προσφορά του Δήμου Αβδελιώδη στην τέχνη και τον πολιτισμό, τιμώντας μια προσωπικότητα που έχει συνδέσει τη σκηνοθετική της πορεία με την πνευματικότητα και την ελληνική ταυτότητα.    

 

 

  Διοργάνωση  Οργανισμός ΚΟΥΙΝΤΑ,                                                                                                                                                                    Tickets Culture Company/  BlackBox Theater Cinema

Athens International Digital Film Festival  www.aidff.com