21st CYPRUS FILM DAYS
International Festival

21 – 29 April 2023
Rialto Theatre, Limassol – Zena Palace, Nicosia

“We are both in front of and behind the screen, we are the film itself, we are the screen itself. We are nothing more than the eternal search for things in places where nothing really exists”.

Inspired by the curatorial question “What Now/Now What?”, this 21st edition of Cyprus Film Days International Festival kicks off with an artistic inaugural ceremony, which will be held in the presence of the Deputy Minister of Culture, Mr Michalis Hadjiyiannis.

The Festival opens curtain on Friday, 21st April at 20.00 at the Rialto Theatre with a screening of the Cypriot film IMAN, directed by Corinna Avraamides and Kyriacos Tofarides. This gripping drama connects three stories, each involving characters whose actions mean the difference between life and death. Featuring an eclectic international and Cypriot cast, the film world-premiered at the 63rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival.

The opening ceremony
Curated and directed by Dimitris Chimonas and his collaborators, the opening ceremony is inspired by Sessions, a project of collective queer happenings. Attendees will have a unique opportunity to experience a “ceremonial” arrival, where both viewers and filmmakers are two sides of the same coin.

“Unexpected combinations of imagery and sound create universes on the edges of reality, somewhere between nothing and everything, nowhere and everywhere, between chaos and order. By watching them, we contribute to their completion”. 

The creatives of the opening ceremony:
Concept, written and directed by: Dimitris Chimonas
Production coordination: Lex Gregoriou
Scenic design: Demetris Shammas
Installation & costume design: Orestis Lazouras
Lighting design: Karolina Spyrou
Music & sound composition: Maria Spivak, Emiddio Vasquez
Cinematography & editing: Nikolas Karatzas
Props: Stephani Mourouzi
Drone operator: Charis Varelias
Performers: Elena Kallinikou, Belinda Papavassiliou, Eva Papavassiliou, Chryso Cosma, Panayiotis Pavlides, Stephani Mourouzi, Andreas Patsias

Following IMAN’s screening, the Festival will be hosting an opening party with DJ Coral Bae. This celebratory opening night will be attended by official festival guests, the members of the international jury, members of the film community, as well as organisers’ representatives (Department of Modern and Contemporary Culture – Deputy Ministry of Culture, and the Rialto Theatre), the sponsors and, last but not least, the festival’s loyal audience. 

Cyprus Film Days 2023 will begin to unfold its rich programme of screenings and events starting on the weekend 22 and 23 April in both Limassol and Nicosia. In Limassol, on Saturday 22/04 at 11 am, the jury president, French film director Julie Bertuccelli, will be attending the screening of her documentary film Jane Campion, La Femme Cinéma, which will be followed by a Q&A. In Nicosia, following the 8pm screening of The Eight Mountains, directed by Felix Van Groeningen and Charlotte Vandermeersch, guests are invited to an open party at the neighbouring S//IP Club.

*The Festival’s detailed programme is available at www.cyprusfilmdays.com.

Additional information:

Subtitles:
All films will be screened in their original language with Greek and English subtitles.

Tickets:

• €5 per film
• €30 festival pass (for all screenings)
• Free entrance for students upon display of student card 
• Free entrance for PwD cardholders
• Free entrance for children to the films screened under the Children and Youth section
• All screenings, except those scheduled in the Children and Youth section, are suitable only for persons aged 18+.

Organisers:

Under the auspices: Municipality of Limassol & Municipality of Nicosia
Sponsor: CIPA Film in CyprusHospitality sponsor: Mediterranean Hotel
Media sponsors: Check in City, Cytavision, CyBC
Technical partner: Event Pro
Award sponsor: Authorwave
Official Festival Car: Char.Pilakoutas Group – Nissan
Official Coffee Partner: Caffe Nero

Supporters: Goethe Institute, Bank of Cyprus, University of Cyprus (Graduates’ Office), Cyprus University of Technology, Frederick University, Thinker Maker Space, CYENS Center of Excellence, Xenia Tsolaki Metaxa Private Institute, Directors Guild of Cyprus, Friends of Cinema Society, Limassol Cine Club, Larnaca-Famagusta Cinema Society, Animafest Cyprus, EMEL buses, Cyprus Public Transportation, Pizza Hut, Efimerida Lemesos, Limassol Today, Lemesos Blog, Vestnik Kipra, Limassol Tourism Board, Media What.