Awards & Juries

This year’s Alpha Bank Accessibility Award is accompanied by a cash prize of 3,000 euros and is awarded to either an individual or a film that highlights accessibility issues in the arts.

Fischer, the official sponsor of the Festival’s Audience Awards for a number of years, will give five prizes to films that have their first public screening in Greece at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and gather the most positive votes from the audience: four prizes will be awarded to international productions from the Festival’s Official Program (the Arrivals International Competition, Meet the Neighbors+, Film Forward, and Official Selection sections) premiering in Greece, as well as the “Michalis Cacoyannis” award to a Greek film premiering at the Festival.

This year, the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), comprising distinguished film critics, presents two awards: one for the best film in the Arrivals International Competition section and another for the best Greek film that has its premiere at the Festival. This year’s jury members are Basant Mohamed Hassan Abdelrehim (Egypt), Sebahattin Şen (Türkiye), and Dimosthenis Xifilinos (Greece).

The First Prize of the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT), a cash prize of 3,000 euros, is awarded to the Greek film selected by the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI), while since 2023 the ERT Original Music Award has been established, accompanied by a cash prize of 2,000 euros. The members of the jury that will present the award are: Leonidas Antonopoulos (deputy director of KOSMOS 93.6), Margarita Mytilinaiou (head of ERT’s music radio stations), and Tassos Rossopoulos (composer, deputy director of Third Programme 90.9). Additionally, the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) bestows an award, accompanied by a cash prize of 2,000 euros, to a Greek project participating in the AGORA Works in Progress

The Hellenic Parliament presents its “Human Values” award to a film from the Arrivals International Competition section. The members of the Jury of the Hellenic Parliament TV are: Aris Fatouros, director-producer, Program Consultant; Vasilis Douvlis, director, Head of the Program Department; and Anna Kotzia, Program Selection.

The Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center will award three prizes in the 67th Thessaloniki International Film Festival. More specifically, the awards are the following: New Vision Award by EKKOMED, accompanied by a 6,000 euros cash prize, granted to a debutant director, in a Greek production having its premiere in the official selection (“First Run”) and the Location Award by EKKOMED, accompanied by a 2,000 euros prize, bestowed by the Hellenic Film Commission of the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center, to a location manager (or the director, if no location manager is credited) of a film by a debutant director in a Greek production premiering in the official selection as well as the AGORA Works in Progress Award by EKKOMED, accompanied by a 3,000 euro cash prize, to a Greek project participating in the AGORA Works in Progress.

The J. F. Costopoulos Foundation, on the occasion of its 40th anniversary, instituted in 2019 the J. F. Costopoulos Foundation Award in the context of the Thessaloniki Film Festival. The J. F. Costopoulos Foundation Award is given to the film that contributes to the development of Greek cinema, highlights contemporary concerns, and fuels dialogue through a fully realized creative vision. Eligible films are those in the Greek program that premiere at the Festival. The members of this year’s committee are: Amerissa Basta, filmmaker; Betty Kaklamanidou, Professor at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki; and filmmaker Harry Lagoussis.

For yet another year, Finos Film bestows an award at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, distinguishing a Greek film that premieres at the Greek Film Festival section. The members of the committee of the 67th edition are: Barbara Dukas, Director, Conductor of DISFF Pitching Lab; Spyros Iakovidis, director and screenwriter; and Haris Mazarakis, director and screenwriter. Additionally, Finos Film bestows the Finos Film Award, 3,000 euros to a Greek project participating in the Crossroads Co-production Forum.

The Youth Jury, comprising students from the School of Film at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, will present the Best Film Award and the Special Jury Award. Eligible for these awards are Greek films premiering at the Greek Film Festival. Youth Jury supervisor: Apostolos Karakasis, Professor in Film and Television Theory & History, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. This year’s jury members are: Evangelos Bismpas, Rafailia Chouliara, Eleni Kotta, Aikaterini Tzoiti, and Eleni Xenidou.

The WIFT GR Award is presented by the Greek Chapter of WIFT (Women in Film & Television) to a film from the Arrivals International Competition, Meet the Neighbors+ or Film Forward Competition for the best woman’s contribution and presence in front of or behind the camera. The members of this year’s committee are: Maria Douza, director/scriptwriter, board member of WIFT GR; Marianna Kaplatzi, film curator/film researcher, cultural project manager; and Zoe Manta, cinematographer

The Greek Association of Film Critics (PEKK) awards, as every year, the Best Greek Film that is screened in the official selection of the 67th Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The decision is made by the General Assembly of the members that have attended the Festival. PEKK’s award will be given to a Greek film from the Greek Film Festival 2026 program.

The Municipality of Thessaloniki wholeheartedly supports the city’s bond with the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, the country’s leading film institution. A recent cooperation agreement established two Municipality of Thessaloniki Awards, each worth €5,000, for films at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival.