With great joy, pride and deep emotion, the 14th Athens International Digital Film Festival (AIDFF) was successfully concluded, reaffirming its role as a cultural institution that for fourteen consecutive years has served cinema, creativity and innovation in the field of contemporary audiovisual art. AIDFF is not merely another film festival. It is a unique, inclusive and multidisciplinary platform of artistic expression, founded on the principles of creative freedom and equal representation of all forms of cinematic art. It is the only festival in Greece that presents the full spectrum of film and digital audiovisual creation, without exclusions or rigid categorizations: fiction, documentary, experimental cinema, video art, animation, dance films, hybrid forms, VR works and projects involving Artificial Intelligence.

A Festival Embracing All Cinematic Languages

From December 4 to December 10, Athens became a vibrant hub of images, sounds and stories. The festival was hosted at the historic Studio New Star Art Cinema at Amerikis Square and the BlackBox Theater Cinema at Pedion tou Areos, while parallel screenings and events took place at the Educational Union in Syntagma, Studio Theatre in Kypseli, AXON on Patission Avenue and Geoterra in Chalandri.

Through this multi-venue structure, AIDFF transcended the boundaries of a single screening space, creating a polycentric cultural network and actively contributing to the dissemination of culture throughout the urban landscape.

International Character – Artistic Diversity

The 14th edition presented 120 feature-length and short films from 30 countries, including 60 premieres, highlighting the festival’s strong international orientation and its continuously growing global presence.

AIDFF remains a festival without exclusions, where emerging filmmakers coexist on equal terms with established creators, and where experimentation, artistic research and innovation are central values. Particular emphasis was placed on Greek participation, showcasing contemporary Greek cinema as dynamic, multifaceted and aesthetically mature.

Cinema, Science and Ecology

A major pillar of the program was the 12th International Panorama of Ecological and Scientific Films, reaffirming cinema’s role as a tool for awareness, reflection and dialogue on pressing environmental and scientific issues. This section underlined the festival’s strong social, ecological and humanitarian orientation.

Tribute to Director Dimos Avdeliodis

One of the most moving moments of the festival was the tribute to the distinguished filmmaker Dimos Avdeliodis. Faithful to its mission of honoring artists whose work embodies deep artistic and humanistic values, AIDFF paid tribute to one of the most significant figures of contemporary Greek cinema.

Dimos Avdeliodis was honored for his overall body of work and lifelong contribution to art and culture, receiving the honorary award from internationally acclaimed director Yiannis Smaragdis, in a moment of profound emotion and recognition.

The tribute culminated in the screening of the award-winning film “The Tree We Wounded” (1986), presented in a new Director’s Cut version (65 minutes), on Wednesday, December 10, at Studio New Star Art Cinema, accompanied by warm and prolonged applause.

Innovation, Education and New Technologies

Innovation has always been at the core of AIDFF. The 14th edition highlighted new technologies as an integral part of contemporary cinematic language, through targeted masterclasses and presentations.

The masterclasses by:

• Dimitris Athanitis,
• the artistic collective OXYMORON (VR & Artificial Intelligence),
• and Socrates Alafouzos,

strengthened the educational dimension of the festival, fostering the transfer of knowledge, experience and inspiration to new generations of filmmakers.

Screenwriting at the Heart of Cinema

3rd International Screenwriting Film Festival

Held in parallel with the 14th AIDFF, the 3rd International Screenwriting Film Festival (AIDFF – Athens International Digital Film Festival) reaffirmed the belief that cinema begins with the power of the written word.

This year’s edition hosted 14 selected screenplays from different parts of the world, highlighting international diversity and thematic richness. The screenplays explored themes related to the human condition, social relationships, identity, memory, contemporary reality and existential concerns, reflecting the pulse of our time.

The screenwriting festival functioned as a platform for showcasing, supporting and connecting screenwriters, strengthening the bridge between script development and future cinematic production, and contributing to the festival’s holistic approach to cinematic creation.

Film Distribution and the Natural Continuation of Cinema

In closing, it is important to emphasize that AIDFF does not function solely as a presentation platform, but also as an active mechanism for continuity and dissemination of cinematic works. A significant number of films presented during the festival will find their way to distribution through the historic Studio New Star Art Cinema, allowing the films to reach a wider audience through regular theatrical screenings.

This distribution constitutes the natural evolution of a cinematic work, completing its journey from creation and festival presentation to a living relationship with audiences. In this way, AIDFF actively supports independent production and reaffirms its role as a bridge between filmmakers, the festival and the movie theater, ensuring the sustainability and long-term life of cinematic works.

A Festival with Vision and Continuity

The 14th AIDFF once again demonstrated that cinema can be art, research, experiment, memory and future all at once. In an era of rapid technological transformation, AIDFF continues to prove that innovation does not negate art — it evolves it.

The Athens International Digital Film Festival (AIDFF) is supported by the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center – Creative Greece (E.K.K.O.ME.D.)

Organized by: KOYINTA Organization
Tickets: Tickets Culture Company
Venue: BlackBox Theater Cinema