16th Athens International Film Festival

Organised by the Athens Film Society, the 16th Athens International Film Festival - Opening Nights will bring the best of international cinema to Athens, Greece. For 11 days, from September 15 to 26, the heart of cinema will beat in Athens. The festival was first launched in September 1995 and has continued with great success until now. The movie theatres accommodating the festival are the Attikon Cinemax Class, Apollon Cinemax Class and Danaos 1 & 2 theatres.

Τhe Festival : Sections

1. COMPETITION SECTION

This section includes films from all over the world, with no genre limitations. The Athens International Film Festival - OPENING NIGHTS draws on practically every feature length programme segment, feeding films into the Competition Section, irrespective of style and description. OPENING NIGHTS stands by its decision to pick and choose award-worthy films of every description for the Competition Section, with one sole common denominator: quality.

2. PANORAMA OF WORLD CINEMA

The Panorama Section includes some of the most important European and World productions. It features critically acclaimed films that have attracted audience attention at festivals around the world, as well as lesser known gems that OPENING NIGHTS staff have discovered and recommend to their audience.

3. MUSIC & FILMS - IN COMPETITION

One of the most popular Festival sections, Music & Film, became a Competitive Section and it presents a stimulating selection of music genres introducing new musicians and trends and paying tribute to the classics, revealing unknown chapters in the history of music.

4. MUSIC & FILMS - SPECIAL SCREENINGS

The new MUSIC & FILMS - SPECIAL SCREENINGS section features movies that could not be included in the MUSIC & FILMS - In COMPETITION section, according to the festival official regulations.

5. DOCUMENTARIES

Moving, fascinating and often downright bizarre, the documentaries in this section tell tales of ordinary madness in a paradoxical universe. Celebrated titles along with unique festival discoveries intrigue and inform those open to different interpretations of reality.

6. CINEMA ON THE EDGE

Not for the faint-hearted! The Cinema on the Edge section has acquired a steady following over the years by showcasing controversial material and revolutionary narrative forms, films that challenge, disturb and drive the art of cinema to an exhaustive exploration of its own limits.

7. MIDNIGHT MOVIES

An open invitation to late-night movie buffs, promising a series of suspenseful nocturnal screenings of varied content: the latest in Asian horror, select retro chills and some of the most controversial offerings by American filmmakers make up one of the most adventurous and entertaining sections of the festival.

8. PREMIERES

The most interesting big-budget productions of the coming season. Films that will monopolise the attention of the media, run for Academy Awards and make big bucks at the box office.

9. SHORT PREMIERES

A competitive short film section exclusively consisting of the most noteworthy efforts by Greek film students. This section is sponsored by Greek Film Academy AKMH and features a separate set of awards.

10. SHORT STORIES

Whether the work of young filmmakers, testing the waters for the first time, or the conscious choice of certain directors who prefer to be brief and concise, the short films in this section deserve special attention.

11. DIRECTOR TO WATCH

Every year the festival runs specials on up-and-coming filmmakers whose work we believe will become a reference point in the future.

12. RETROSPECTIVES

The Athens International Film Festival runs an annual retrospective on a major director whose films have now become classics and are considered landmarks in the history of cinema.

13. SPECIAL SCREENINGS

This section features a series of retro screenings, offering Greek audiences the opportunity to revisit old classics or discover largely unknown gems in new or restored prints.

Don't miss the 16th Athens International Film Festival - Opening Nights from September 15 to 26.

For more information go to: http://www.aiff.gr