The 66th TIFF in a nutshell!
The 66th Thessaloniki International Film Festival will be held from Thursday October 30th to Sunday November 9th, 2025, both in physical spaces and online. A total of 278 full-length and short films will be screened in Olympion and Pavlos Zannas theaters, in the Port’s theaters Frida Liappa, Tonia Marketaki, John Cassavetes and Stavros Tornes, as well as in the Makedonikon theater. In addition, we’ll watch another 86 films online, through the Festival’s platform online.filmfestival.gr. The Festival takes part in the National Cinema Day events, and on Thursday October 30th, 2025, all screenings will have a fixed ticket price of 2 euros.
TOP-NOTCH NAMES WILL ATTEND THE FESTIVAL - EXCITING MASTERCLASSES
TIFF hosts renowned figures of Greek and international cinema in Thessaloniki for its 66th edition. They will deliver exciting masterclasses with a free admission, on a first-come-first-served basis:
We will also welcome beloved chef Sotiris Kontizas In Thessaloniki, who will serve as this year’s Agora ambassador.
POSTER & TRAILER
The posters of the 66th TIFF are designed by beloved Greek visual artist Stefanos Rokos, who created two original paintings for this year’s event. At the same time, these artworks inspired the Festival’s trailers, two short animated films created by Stefanos Rokos in collaboration with director and animation artist Fokion Xenos, featuring music by the renowned Greek-American musician Jim Sclavunos, long-time collaborator of legendary artists such as Nick Cave, Grinderman, Sonic Youth, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks (with Lydia Lunch), and The Cramps, as well as a core member of The Bad Seeds since 1994.
OPENING FILM - CLOSING FILM
GRAND TRIBUTE “PLOT TWIST, BEYOND THE SIXTH SENSE”
This year’s Festival presents a tribute dedicated to Plot Twist, exploring this powerful narrative device from a subversive perspective. Under the title Plot Twist: Beyond the Sixth Sense, the tribute moves past the obvious and well-known cinematic twists to showcase rare and lesser-seen films. The selection of films was curated by guest curator Myriam Ben Salah, art curator and director of The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, who will also curate France’s pavilion at the next Venice Biennale in May 2026. The tribute features 14 rare and lesser-known films made between 1976 and 2025 and is accompanied by a special two-language publication, featuring essays and analyses by film theorists, sociologists, and journalists.
EXHIBITION
As part of the Plot Twist tribute, the exhibition titled Plot Twist (the science fiction change) will also be presented, marking the official opening of Biennale 9. The exhibition will open on Friday, October 31st at MOMus–Experimental Center for the Arts and will be accompanied by a grand party at Pavilions 2 & 3 of HELEXPO.
TRIBUTE AND GOLDEN ALEXANDER TO YORGOS TSEMBEROPOULOS
The 66th TIFF will present an Honorary Golden Alexander for lifetime achievement to the distinguished filmmaker Yorgos Tsemberopoulos, one of Greece’s most beloved directors, whose films have enjoyed tremendous success at the box office. The Festival will also organize a major tribute to his work, featuring screenings of all his feature films, four rare and little-known short films, as well as Black + White by Thanasis Rentzis and Nikos Zervos, featuring Yorgos Tsemberopoulos in the leading role. Moreover, he will deliver a masterclass, sharing the secrets of his craft with the audience. Finally, the Festival’s special First Shot edition will be dedicated to Yorgos Tsemberopoulos and will include rare photographic material, an in-depth interview and original texts about him and his work.
TRIBUTE EVENT TO ACTORS OF THE 1960s
This year’s TIFF, in collaboration with Finos Film, will proudly honor iconic actors who starred in some of the most defining moments of Greek cinema in the 1960s. These remarkable actors will receive awards for their outstanding contribution to cinema and Greek culture, during a special ceremony to be held on Monday, November 3rd, as part of the 66th Festival. At the same time, the Festival is preparing a recorded tribute in which many of these beloved actors will share memories, stories, and encounters from that golden era.
FRAGILITIES TRIBUTE
The 66th TIFF presents a deeply political tribute exploring the limits that define the fragile nature of humanity. The tribute, titled Fragilities, is part of the renewed Survey Expanded section of the Meet the Neighbors+ program, which features films from our wider region. Fragilities includes 11 films that challenge structures of power and delve into urgent contemporary issues such as war, displacement from ancestral land, life under occupation, censorship, and the interventions of authoritarian regimes.
TRIBUTE TO HÉLÈNE CATTET & BRUNO FORZANI
The 66th TIFF presents one of Europe’s most daring and distinctive directing duos, Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani, with a tribute to their multifaceted and unconventional body of work. Audiences will have the opportunity to explore their entire filmography, from their early experimental short films to their most recent feature and to meet the two filmmakers in person during their visit to Thessaloniki.
SPOTLIGHT ON MARCEL PAGNOL
The 66th TIFF’s spotlight introduces audiences to one of the most distinguished and influential figures of 20th-century French culture. A film director, playwright, and (primarily autobiographical) novelist, Marcel Pagnol achieved equal acclaim and recognition across all three fields of his artistic career, standing as the ultimate embodiment of an auteur.
GREEK FILM FESTIVAL
We are welcoming 32 full-length and 30 short Greek films
- 29 films celebrating their premiere, at the sections “First Run” and “Crossing Borders”
- A special screening of an imaginative cinematic relay inspired by Sophocles’ Electra and entitled Electra7. The film was directed by seven distinguished film auteurs, both women and men: Sofia Exarchou, Christina Ioakeimidi, Babis Makridis, Argyris Papadimitropoulos, Elina Psykou, Alexandros Voulgaris (The Boy), Neritan Zinxhiria. The film Electra7 is a production of the Athens Epidaurus Festival, in collaboration with the Hellenic Film Academy, made possible through the generous support of PPC.
- The Greek short films awarded at the recent 48th Drama International Short Film Festival.
- The Greek films are contenders for a series of independent awards.
SERIES SPECIAL SCREENINGS
For another year, the Festival hosts series screenings as part of its official program, showcasing new international and regional productions. This year’s Series Special Screenings section will feature episodes from seven series, including two Greek productions:
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM
The 66th Thessaloniki International Film Festival is hosting four international competition sections, accompanied by substantial cash prizes.
* A total of 12 films take part in the International Competition, among which three Greek films. The IC films have their eyes set on the Golden Alexander “Theo Angelopoulos”, accompanied by a 10,000-euro cash prize, the Silver Alexander - Best Direction Award, backed by a 5,000-euro cash prize granted by COSMOTE TV, the Festival’s Grand Sponsor, the Best Actor Award, the Best Actress Award, as well as the Best Screenplay or Artistic Achievement Award.
* A total of 12 films participate in the Meet the Neighbors+ competition section, among which three Greek films. The MtN+ films are competing for the Golden Alexander “Michel Dimopoulos”, accompanied by a 10,000-euro cash prize, the Silver Alexander - Best Direction Award, accompanied by a 5,000-euro cash prize, the Best Actor Award, the Best Actress Award, as well as the Best Screenplay or Artistic Achievement Award.
* A total of 12 films are in the starting line of the >>Film Forward competition section, among which three Greek films. The >>FF films are contenders for the Golden Alexander, accompanied by a 8,000-euro cash prize and the Silver Alexander - Special Jury Award, accompanied by a 4,000-euro cash prize.
*Continuing its successful collaboration with TIFF, Mastercard once again supports the Mermaid Award this year, offering a cash prize of €3,000.
*The Immersive competition section is back in action with style, featuring 8 films, competing for the section’s Golden Alexander, accompanied by a 2,000-euro cash prize. The installation Drinking Brecht by multimedia artist Sister Sylvester will be presented out of competition.
* We discover the most avant-garde voices of today’s cinema in the Open Horizons section
* We catch up with our beloved filmmakers in the Special Screenings section.
*The beloved ’Round Midnight section of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival is renewed and upgraded, finds its “permanent home” at Tonia Marketaki theater and invites audiences to late-night rendezvous.
* The 66th TIFF is catching the youth vibe through the NextGen section. The Festival will host educational screenings for schools, at Stavros Tornes theater (Warehouse 1, Port), as well as in the regions of Stavroupoli and Sykies, in collaboration with the Municipalities of Pavlos Melas and Neapoli-Sykies, respectively.
* For yet another year, within the framework of the film festivals alliance Smart7, the Festival will host a competition section, featuring seven films (one from each country) that compete for the Smart7 Award, accompanied by a 5,000-euro cash prize.
COLLABORATIONS WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
This year, TIFF collaborates with major organizations in the audiovisual sector, such as the European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs – EAVE, which specializes in professional training, project development, and networking for audiovisual producers; the MIDPOINT Institute; and the International Casting Directors Association (ICDA), which will present its prestigious Semiramis Award for Excellence in Casting as part of the Festival. The Festival will also host a meeting of the European Film Academy’s Board of Directors, ahead of the European Film Awards, which will take place in Greece in 2027.
AGORA
PODCAST SECTION
A total of 11 Greek-speaking and 1 English-speaking podcast take part in the Festival’s Podcast Competition, whereas another 28 podcasts are included in the Nexus Section. The podcasts of the Competition section are competing for the Best Podcast Award, accompanied by a 2,000-euro cash prize.All podcasts, as always, will be available for hearing, through the Festival’s website www.filmfestival.gr.
ACCESSIBILITY
The Accessibility Award, granted by Alpha Bank, the Festival’s Accessibility Sponsor, will be bestowed for the fourth year in a row, to either a personality or a film that brings forth issues of unhindered access to the arts. Audiences of the 66th TIFF will have the opportunity to enjoy two landmark films of contemporary Greek cinema, Take Care (1991) and Stelios (2024), presented with full accessibility for all viewers. The screenings are part of the Festival’s major tribute to the work of the acclaimed filmmaker Yorgos Tsemberopoulos.
FOR A MORE SUSTAINABLE FESTIVAL
The Thessaloniki International Film Festival, capitalizing on the Evia Film Project experience, has outlined its tailor-made environmental strategy and action plan with regard to the entire scope of its activities, available at the Festival’s website (www.filmfestival.gr). Within this framework, the Festival undertakes a series of new initiatives in every Festival, inviting and urging the guests and the audience to take active part. One of the fundamental goals for the 66th TIFF is to drastically reduce the number of single-use plastic water bottles.
SPECIAL EDITIONS
The Festival presents this year’s two special editions:
The 66th Thessaloniki Film Festival is held with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Partnership Agreement of the Central Macedonia Regional Operational Program 2021-2027 and the MEDIA program. Valuable is the support of ERT (Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation), official communication sponsor of the Festival, COSMOTE TELEKOM, Grand Sponsor of the Festival, PPC, the Festival’s Strategic Partner, Alpha Bank, the Festival’s accessibility sponsor, Fischer, the Audience Awards sponsor, Aegean, the Festival’s official air-carrier, and Jameson.
The actions aiming at the reinforcement of Greek cinema’s extroversion and promotion to the international scene are carried out within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan “Greece 2.0”, funded by the European Union - NextGenerationEU.
The Festival’s programme, as well as more info on the films, are available at www.filmfestival.gr.
The tickets’ presale kicks off on Tuesday October 28th. A lovely festival to you all! #TIFF66
