Istanbul to Host Fourth Edition of Greek Cinema Days

Istanbul will once again celebrate Greek cinema this December as the fourth edition of Greek Cinema Days takes place from Dec. 2 to 7 at the Pera Museum. The festival will focus on landmark films of 1990s Greek cinema, featuring screenings, masterclasses, and a new short film competition.

The festival will open with Pantelis Voulgaris’s 1998 film It’s a Long Road, the emotional conclusion of a celebrated trilogy, and will close with Theo Angelopoulos’s influential The Suspended Step of the Stork.

Masterclasses and Talks

Alongside the screenings, festival attendees can participate in a series of masterclasses and discussions:

• Dec. 5: Vasileios Terzopoulos, programmer of the Drama International Short Film Festival, will share his professional insights.

• Dec. 6: Contemporary Greek filmmaker Dimitris Indares will present Cinema Insisting on Narrative—Preserving the Coherence of the World.

• Dec. 7: Director Yesim Ustaoglu will hold a session with Waiting for the Clouds screenwriter Petros Markarisfollowing the film’s screening.

Short Film Competition Introduced

For the first time, the festival will host a Greek short film competition, featuring 75 short films judged by producer Asli Filiz, director Huseyin Karabey, and festival programmer Vasileios Terzopoulos. Winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Dec. 7.

Feature Film Lineup

Thirteen feature films from the 1990s that shaped contemporary Greek cinema will be screened:

• It’s a Long Road (1998)

• End of an Era (1994)

• Valkanizater (1997)

• The Years of the Big Heat (1991)

• Jaguar (1994)

• Nights, Gambled Away (1997)

• Desire (1995)

• A Drop in the Ocean (1996)

• Fanouropitta (1991)

• Radio Moscow (1995)

• Like a Prairie Cock in Wyoming (1995)

• Truants (1996)

All screenings, talks, and events will take place at the Pera Museum in Istanbul from Dec. 2–7, offering audiences a unique opportunity to explore the richness of Greek cinema from a formative decade.