ATHENS, June 19 (Xinhua) -- The 2026 Chinese Film Festival opened in Athens on Thursday, showcasing a diverse lineup of contemporary Chinese films and further strengthening cultural exchanges between China and Greece.
The four-day event, jointly organized by the Greek Film Archive and the China Film Archive, features eight Chinese films spanning a variety of genres, offering Greek audiences a glimpse into China's vibrant film industry and contemporary culture.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Leonidas Christopoulos, chief executive officer of the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center, and Maria Komninos, president of the board of directors of the Greek Film Archive, underscored the role of cinema in fostering mutual understanding and bringing people from different cultural backgrounds closer together.
Mao Yu, executive deputy director of the China Film Administration, noted that China and Greece have successfully hosted reciprocal film festivals in recent years. He expressed China's readiness to deepen cooperation with Greece in the audiovisual sector and expand people-to-people exchanges through film.
During the festival, the China Film Archive and the Greek Film Archive signed a memorandum of cooperation aimed at enhancing collaboration in film preservation, cultural exchange and industry development. Mao also announced that a Greek Film Festival is scheduled to take place in Beijing next year.
Kostas Mathiopoulos, a coach at a Chinese martial arts school in Athens, said the Chinese Film Festival serves as an important platform for cultural dialogue. Through cinema, Greek audiences can gain a deeper understanding of China's history, values and modern-day society, while strengthening friendship and mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries.
