Athens, October 30 – The Athens International Children’s and Youth Film Festival will return for its eighth consecutive edition from November 10 to 16, bringing a carefully curated selection of international films to young audiences across the Greek capital. The festival will screen at five venues: the Athens Concert Hall, Kifisia Cinemax 1 & 2, Danaos Cinema, Village Cinemas Renti, and the French Institute of Greece.
Stories That Spark Imagination
This year’s program celebrates courage, curiosity, and the boundless imagination of childhood through a diverse lineup of international productions from France, Canada, Poland, Austria, Denmark, and the Czech Republic.
Among the featured films is The Songbirds’ Secret (Antoine Lanciaux, France, 2025), which follows nine-year-old Lucie as she unearths a long-buried family mystery during her summer in the village of Bectual. With help from her new friend Yann and two talented songbirds, Lucie embarks on an adventure that combines mystery and friendship.
Hola Frida (André Candi & Karine Vézina, France-Canada, 2024) tells the story of young Frida, who finds color and freedom through her imagination after a polio diagnosis confines her to her room. The film serves as a heartfelt ode to resilience and creativity in the face of physical limitations.
In Arco, the Time Traveler (Hugo Bienvenu, France-USA, 2025), 10-year-old Iris discovers a mysterious boy who has fallen from the year 2075. Together, they embark on a journey across time that explores themes of friendship and discovery.
Tales of Friendship and Discovery
The festival’s program includes several films focusing on friendship and self-discovery. Pixie: New Beginning (Christoph Komander, Poland-Czechia, 2025) features Hania and her classmate Michal as they set out to prove that elves truly exist, learning that belief can bridge different worlds.
The Secret Floor (Norbert Lechner, Austria-Luxembourg-Germany, 2025) blends mystery and history as 12-year-old Karli discovers an elevator that transports him to 1938. The film explores an unexpected friendship formed in the shadow of looming war, combining historical awareness with adventure.
The Children of Silver Street (Mehdi Avaz, Denmark, 2025) presents a warm, witty drama about four siblings who hide their mother’s disappearance while navigating life with an unconventional new guardian. The film explores themes of chosen family and resilience.
Living Large (Kristina Dufkova, Czech Republic-Slovakia-France, 2024) tells the story of Ben, a young musician learning self-acceptance and body positivity. The film addresses these important themes with humor and heart.
A Green Vision for the Future
Staying true to its eco-conscious mission, the festival’s Green Section features six films designed to inspire care for the planet. The section includes Green Oranges, Oops!, Dawn, Trapped, The City’s Creatures, The Little Ancestor, and How Smart Are Crows? This environmental program is supported by the Embassy of Switzerland in Greece.
The Green Section reflects the festival’s commitment to environmental education and awareness among young audiences, addressing climate change and sustainability through engaging storytelling.
Multiple Venues Across Athens
The festival’s five venues are strategically located across Athens to maximize accessibility for families throughout the metropolitan area. The Athens Concert Hall (Megaron Moussikis) serves as the festival’s flagship venue, while Kifisia Cinemax 1 & 2 provides access for residents in the northern suburbs.
Danaos Cinema, a historic theater in central Athens, offers a traditional cinema experience, while Village Cinemas Renti serves the western suburbs. The French Institute of Greece adds an international cultural dimension to the festival’s venue portfolio.
Eighth Consecutive Year
The Athens International Children’s and Youth Film Festival has established itself as an annual cultural event in the Greek capital since its inception. Over eight years, the festival has introduced thousands of young Athenians to international cinema specifically created for children and youth audiences.
The festival provides an alternative to mainstream commercial children’s entertainment, offering films that combine entertainment with educational and emotional development themes. By screening international productions, the festival exposes young audiences to different cultures, languages, and perspectives.
International Co-Productions
This year’s lineup reflects the increasingly international nature of children’s film production, with several titles representing co-productions between two or more countries. The France-Canada collaboration on Hola Frida, the Poland-Czechia partnership on Pixie: New Beginning, and the Austria-Luxembourg-Germany production of The Secret Floor demonstrate the cross-border cooperation that characterizes contemporary European children’s cinema.
These international collaborations bring together diverse creative talents, production resources, and cultural perspectives, resulting in films with broader appeal and distribution potential across multiple markets.
Educational Value and Family Entertainment
The festival’s programming balances entertainment with educational content, addressing themes such as historical awareness, environmental responsibility, body positivity, resilience in the face of illness, and the importance of friendship and family bonds.
Films like The Secret Floor introduce historical periods and events to young audiences through accessible storytelling, while Hola Frida addresses disability and chronic illness with sensitivity and imagination. Living Large tackles body image issues that are increasingly relevant to young people in contemporary society.
The festival’s approach aligns with contemporary understanding of children’s media as a tool for social and emotional learning, not merely passive entertainment.
Supporting Cultural Infrastructure
By utilizing multiple venues across Athens, the festival supports the city’s cultural infrastructure and cinema network. The inclusion of both modern multiplex cinemas and traditional single-screen theaters demonstrates the festival’s commitment to preserving diverse exhibition spaces.
The partnership with the French Institute of Greece reflects the festival’s international dimension and the important role that cultural institutes play in promoting cross-cultural exchange through cinema.
The festival runs for seven days, from November 10 to 16, providing families with weekend and weekday screening opportunities. Detailed screening schedules and ticket information are expected to be announced through the festival’s official channels in the coming days.
Source: https://www.tovima.com/culture/athens-international-childrens-and-youth-film-festival-2025/
