Founded in 2013, SIFF brings Greek and international independent film to Syros every summer through two competition sections, thematic screenings, workshops, talks and parallel exhibitions. Both traditional and re-purposed spaces around Syros (especially in the main town, Hermoupolis) are used for screenings in an effort to bring attention to the island’s rich historical, cultural and architectural past and present. In the years to come, SIFF aims to make Syros a destination for film and visual art in Greece and the broader region.
The Onassis Cultural Center/Onassis Foundation is the main sponsor of SIFF’s 2015 edition (3-12 July). Other partners include to US Embassy in Athens, the Romanian Embassy, the Aegean Region, the Syros Municipality and the Greek Film Center.
Below is a list of highlights from the 2015 program:
• SIFF’s inaugural lecture series hosted at the Apollon Theater, exploring the transition from film to digital. Speakers include directors Peter Greenaway, Albert Serra and Eva Stefani.
• Maki Opening NIght. French cinema performance group Maki will orchestrate a live performance of 16mm projection in the shadow of the historic lighthouse island opposite Hermoupolis.
• The first major retrospective of Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu (Cannes, Camera d’Or, Jury Prize, and Un Certain Talent) in collaboration with the Romanian Embassy.
• “Where: Cinemas of Place”: a thematic program consisting of films contemporary and classic, documentary and fiction, Greek and international, short and long. The program draws films together based on their novel and fascinating relationships to the notion of place.
• A constructed drive-in cinema screening a selection of road films (a special event within the Cinemas of Place program), ranging from classics to obscure gems.
• “One Off,” a non-traditional look at American cinema through the films of directors that only ever completed one film.
• Two awarded international competitions, one of debut fiction films and the other of short films from the Mediterranean region. The feature competition is sponsored by 2|35, an Athens based production company. The three-member jury will be announced shortly.
• A live scoring music event in collaboration with the Greek Film Center and acclaimed composer Nikos Kypourgos.
To find out more please visit the Syros International Film Festival webpage.
