Greece will host the 39th European Film Awards, a milestone for the country’s cinematic heritage. For the first time, the European Film Awards will take place in Southeastern Europe, in Athens, on January 16, 2027, at the Greek National Opera, at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.

Throughout 2026 and up to 2027, a wide-ranging and carefully designed program of film events, initiatives, workshops, screenings and creative dialogues will unfold across the country, as well as at major international festivals abroad, building momentum ahead of the 39th European Film Awards ceremony.

The program has been designed in collaboration with EKKOMED (Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center), which coordinates all activities with key cultural partners.The European Film Awards ceremony will be broadcast live across Europe in collaboration with the Greek public broadcaster ERT.

Leonidas Christopoulos, CEO of EKKOMED, stated: “The events across Greece are carried out in close collaboration with the European Film Academy, reflecting a shared commitment to celebrating European cinema, artistic excellence and cross-border collaboration.”

Matthijs Wouter Knol, CEO and Director of the European Film Academy, stated: “Athens and Greece have long been a source of inspiration for European culture and storytelling. Bringing the European Film Awards to Southeastern Europe for the first time is something we consider both significant and long overdue. The annual program we are developing together with our Greek partners is not simply a countdown to the ceremony — it is an invitation for filmmakers, audiences and cultural communities across Europe to connect, exchange ideas and celebrate what makes European cinema such a vital and vibrant art form.”

The official announcement of the event took place earlier this year at the Berlinale, during a highly successful reception at the Embassy of Greece in Berlin, organized by EKKOMED in collaboration with the European Film Academy and the European Film Awards Committee.

The news was received with great enthusiasm by filmmakers, producers, institutional representatives and key industry professionals.

The Documentary Think Tank, held last week at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival and organized in collaboration with the Thessaloniki Film Festival, was the first event related to the Athens 2027 Awards to take place in Greece — the first of the annual program. The Think Tank brought together voices from across the European documentary landscape, aiming to contribute to shaping the vision and priorities of the Documentary Department of the European Film Academy, which is set to launch in 2027.

In the months leading up to the Awards, EKKOMED will organize a series of activities connected to the 39th European Film Awards 2027 at international festivals in which it participates, including the Cannes and Venice festivals. Meanwhile, a rich program of initiatives, events, workshops and screenings will take place throughout Greece:

Leading international film festivals based in Greece, such as the Thessaloniki Film Festival (November 2026, Thessaloniki), the Drama International Short Film Festival (April & September 2026, Drama), the Animasyros International Animation Festival (September 2026, Syros and Athens) and the Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People (December 2026, Pyrgos and Amaliada), will act as ambassadors of the event across the country in the months leading up to the main ceremony in January.

Leading Athens-based organizations, such as the Greek Film Archive, the Athens International Film Festival – Premiere Nights, the Athens Film Office, the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation, the Panorama of European Cinema Festival, the Athens International Children’s Film Festival, among others, join forces to present different facets of European cinema.

The Hellenic Film Academy curates a special program, within the framework of a dedicated Memorandum of Cooperation and financial support from EKKOMED, highlighting the complex and fascinating relationship between Greek and European cinema.

These activities will offer audiences across the country the opportunity to engage with filmmakers, attend screenings, participate in discussions and celebrate the creativity and diversity of European cinema.