4th Evia Film Project: “Rediscovering Greek Summer”

The 4th Evia Film Project, an ecological initiative of the Thessaloniki Film Festival, returns to the towns of Agia Anna, Edipsos, and Limni from June 17 to 21, 2025. On this occasion, the leitmotif will be the Greek summer. Nothing could be more evocative of happiness and sustainability. It is not for nothing that the Evia Film Project has as its banner our healthy relationship with the environment. So in 2025, we will not only recognise ourselves in its cinematographic representations, but also through our own experiences, contemplating the essence of the Greek summer and how the northern territory of the island of Evia, after the devastating fires it recently suffered, has managed to redefine itself with a new way of enjoying and spending the summer in harmony with our environment. The Evia Film Project organises screenings, talks, workshops, and musical events, with free admission for the public.

In addition, this year we will be attending a colloquium entitled ‘Filming the Greek Summer’, details of which will be made available soon. The Evia Film Project, which is supported by the Greek Ministry of Culture, with a significant contribution from the MEDIA programme and the Ministry of Tourism, as well as other important partners such as COSMOTE TV and Fisher, the municipalities of Istiea-Edipsos, Mantoudi-Limni-Agia Anna, and the port authority of the island of Evia, has chosen this year the director and animator Fokion Xenos to represent the fourth edition graphically. The official poster reveals a series of summery images, with a nod to the tourist posters of days gone by. As the artist himself stated: The summer experience cannot be contained in one single image. On the contrary, it’s a compilation of small but intense moments that are mentally knit together like a jigsaw puzzle. Having spent my childhood summers in the island of Evia, in the village of Nea Styra, I know firsthand that the images of a ‘Summer Day’ supersede and complete one another. […]  From the beach towels and the summer fruit to the starry night sky of an open-air cinema, each scene aspires to convey the inherent lightness, nostalgia, and simplicity of Greek summer.

Super Paradise (Steve Krikris, 2025).

In our childhood memories, summer and cinema are as closely linked as contact with nature. Evia Film Project has managed to bring it all together and to dimension it on the professional side with networking activities with the local community, which will start before the event and will continue until its closing. The ‘Kyma’ information point in Edipsos will be open to the public on Friday 14 June. For the first time, another one will also be set up in the village of Limni. On Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 June, the public is invited to come to ‘Kyma’ to find out about EFP events, indulge in a little treat and have an informal chat.

In keeping with Greek traditions of warm hospitality, these initiatives are included in the so-called kafeneio (traditional café), which includes meetings between festival people and prestigious professionals from the film industry, in the heart of northern Evia, for example, in cafés and meeting points for residents of the region. In these moments of exchange, they will enjoy short talks to discuss sustainability, nature, and other topics of interest to the local society.

Screenings

A selection of Greek and international films, classics and latest releases, fiction films and documentaries, urges us to rediscover the Greek summer at the screenings that will take place at the open-air cinemas Apollon in Edipsos and Elymnion in Limni, as well as at the Fishing Shelter of Agia Anna. These are the films that will be offered each evening, with free admission:

Super Paradise (Steve Krikris, 2025)

In the last 50 years, Mykonos has undergone radical transformations. It was dirt cheap, today it is unaffordable; it was ‘off the beaten track’, now it is a top destination; it was a symbol of inclusivity, today it is a symbol of exclusivity. How did a small island become a melting pot of such divergent experiences? Was it paradise? Is it still paradise?

Animal  (Sofia Exarchou, 2023)

Under the hot Greek sun, the entertainers of an all-inclusive island resort prepare for the busy tourist season. Kalia is the leader of the group. As the summer intensifies and the pressure of work mounts, their nights become violent, and Kalia’s struggle is revealed in the darkness. But when the spotlights come back on, the show must go on.

Suntan  (Argyris Papadimitropoulos, 2016)

Kostis is a 42-year-old doctor who finds himself on a small island, which is a total bore in winter and a sex-crazed cosmopolitan hub during the summer. All young Anna has to do is break into Kostis’s clinic with her group of partying friends to make the good doctor fall in love with her. Kostis will go out of his way to win her over and impress them, but the more they tease him, the further he draws his lines. And too far might be closer than he thought.

Before Midnight (Richard Linklater, 2013)

The charismatics Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy return as Jessie and Celine in Before Midnight, the third part of this unique love story. Nearly two decades have passed since the two characters first met on the train to Vienna, and Jesse and Celine will be forced to face new challenges in their relationship against the backdrop of the magnificent Mani countryside. A summer tour of Messinia, directed by Richard Linklater and produced by Faliro House.

Mamma Mia! (Phyllida Lloyd, 2008)

Award-winning Meryl Streep leads an all-star cast in this film adaptation of the endearing stage musical with the timeless lyrics and melodies of the iconic supergroup ABBA, shot on the Greek island of Skopelos. Streep plays the strong, independent hotel owner on an idyllic Greek island preparing for her daughter’s wedding. Among the guests are not only her oldest and dearest friends, but also three men from her past whom her daughter has secretly invited because she suspects that one of them might be her father. Mamma Mia! is a celebration of mothers and daughters, old friends and newfound families. Also starring Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, and Amanda Seyfried.

The Big Blue (Luc Besson, 1988)

The film that made the Greek island of Amorgos famous, as some of its scenes were shot on the picturesque beach of Agia Anna. The highly fictionalised story is based on the friendship of two divers, Jacques Mayol and Enzo Molinari, who have been freediving since childhood in the late 1950s. Twenty years later, they meet again and find themselves competing for the Taormina championship. At the same time, a love story is born between Zach and Johana. Stunning underwater shots and Eric Serra‘s César-winning music create a dreamlike atmosphere.

Summer Lovers (Randal Kleiser, 1982)

Michael and Cathy, young American lovers, spend a holiday on the picturesque Greek islands. Michael soon finds himself attracted to the exotic and self-sufficient Lina. But instead of challenging the love between Cathy and Michael, Lina’s appearance adds to their joy as the three share an idyllic summer.

Girls in the Sun  (Vasilis Georgiadis, 1968)

A shepherd wants to offer some almonds to a beautiful English tourist. She misunderstands him, gets scared, and runs away. He runs after her and soon finds himself in jail accused of attempted rape. In vain, both the tourist and the shepherd try to convince the police captain that nothing has happened. A strange love story soon develops between them, as neither speaks the other’s language.

Jenny Jenny  (Dinos Dimopoulos, 1966)

The film is set on the Greek island of Spetses, where there is intense political enmity between local party leader Skoutaris and shipowner Kassandris. The latter is running his nephew, Nikos Mandas, who has so far been abroad, while Skoutaris passionately supports Gortsos, who is already in the lead. When Skoutaris‘ daughter realises her father’s financial problems, she will accept Kassandris’ proposal of a white wedding with her nephew in exchange for bailing out her father. The white wedding, however, will bring unexpected events.

Special Screening

In addition, there will be a special screening of the film L’éclairage revient/Waves of Light, directed by Pantelis Kalogerakis, Michalis Kalogerakis, and Panagiotis Andrianos. Five iconic PPC steam power plants – in Aliveri, Ptolemaida, Megalopolis, Ladonas, and Lavrion – are brought to life through music and image, in the framework of the online festival Waves of Light, realised by the Greek National Opera in collaboration with the Public Power Corporation, under the artistic direction of Yorgos Koumendakis. Five artistic teams create site-specific video performances, drawing inspiration for the music and script from the spaces, the history, and the people who worked in them. The first video, entitled L’éclairage revient [The light returns], was shot at the Aliveri steam power station. The artists were inspired by notes and diaries found at the power station to create a soundscape in which the poetry of Arthur Rimbaud interacts with the reflections of those who worked at Aliveri.

The closing ceremony of the 4th Evia Film Project will celebrate the European Day of Music, coinciding with the summer solstice. On this occasion, special events involving music and film are scheduled.