Istanbul hosts Greek Cinema Days at Pera Museum

ISTANBUL

The third edition of Greek Cinema Days will commence at the Pera Museum in Istanbul on Dec. 3, showcasing a curated selection of award-winning Greek films from the 1980s and 1990s.

Organized in partnership with the EMEIS Cultural Collective from Greece, and istos film and publishing from Türkiye, the event runs until Dec. 8, offering free screenings of 17 films that celebrate the artistry of Greek cinema.

Opening the event is Pantelis Voulgaris’ acclaimed sports drama "The Striker With Number 9" (1988), a poetic exploration of the life of self-destructive footballer, Vasilis Seretis. Based on the novel by Menis Koumandareas, the film highlights the darker, corrupt side of professional football. The film competed for the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and won multiple awards at Thessaloniki.

Highlights include Theo Angelopoulos' "Voyage to Cythera" (1983), which won Best Screenplay and the FIPRESCI Award at the Cannes Film Festival; Giorgos Katakouzinos' crime drama "Angel" (1982), which won Best Film, Best Actor and Best Screenplay at the Thessaloniki Film Festival; Nikos Vergitsis' shocking love film "Revanche" (1983), which had its world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section at Cannes and won Best Film and Best Director at the Thessaloniki Film Festival; and Angeliki Antoniou's drama "Donousa" (1992), which won the Young Jury Prize at the Locarno Film Festival.

Renowned screenwriter and author Petros Markaris will join the festival for a discussion with Turkish filmmaker Hüseyin Karabey. Award-winning director Periklis Hoursoglou will also host a masterclass exploring his filmmaking journey.