Oscar-winning Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski presented his highly anticipated new film Homeland at a memorable Athens premiere held under the full moon at the courtyard of the Byzantine and Christian Museum.
The screening took place on Saturday, August 29, as part of the 32nd Athens International Film Festival – Premiere Nights, in collaboration with distributor Spentzos Film.
Festival artistic director Loukas Katsikas welcomed audiences alongside Spentzos Film representatives Fotini Chatzivasileiou, marketing manager, and Dimitra Argyraki, communications manager.
Introducing Pawlikowski, Katsikas expressed his pride in screening what he described as “the best film of 2026” at the festival. He praised Homeland for its minimalist style, understated storytelling and faith in the enduring power of art and culture.
Pawlikowski, who received the 2026 Cannes Film Festival Best Director award for Homeland, received a warm reception from the Athens audience. He thanked the festival for bringing the film to Athens, a city he described as his “second home.”
Addressing the audience, the director explained that the film does not seek to teach its viewers but instead aims to offer “food for thought” in an increasingly complex era.
After the screening, Pawlikowski joined Katsikas for a discussion about the film’s origins and sources of inspiration. He spoke about his nostalgia for the pre-digital world and for a time when people experienced life in a more physical, “analog” space.
“I feel a real nostalgia for the time when things happened in the ‘analog’ space,” Pawlikowski said, reflecting on a world before everything moved into the digital sphere. He described this as a longing for a three-dimensional world with greater clarity, without the constant torrent of information and noise that surrounds modern life.
The premiere attracted prominent figures from Greek cinema, museums and the arts, as well as representatives of cultural institutions and organisations and friends and collaborators of the acclaimed filmmaker.
Among those attending were EKOME CEO Leonidas Christopoulos, OPANDA president Roxani Bei, Mayor’s Office director Maro Banteka, deputy mayor for Municipal Police and Public Spaces Eleni Zontirou, Zappeion Megaron board president Lefteris Giovanidis, National Gallery – Alexandros Soutsos Museum director Syrago Tsiara and former Culture Minister Stavros Benos.
Leading film critic and longtime supporter of Premiere Nights Giannis Bakogiannopoulos also attended the screening.
Filmmakers Giorgos Zois, Eva Stefani, Giannis Sakaridis, Ilias Giannakakis, Renos Charalambidis and Vasilis Loules were also present, alongside documentary filmmaker Marianna Economou and actors Themis Bazaka, Giorgos Karamichos, Christos Stergioglou and Penelope Tsilika.
Homeland will open in Greek cinemas on September 3, distributed by Spentzos Film.
The 32nd Athens International Film Festival – Premiere Nights will run from September 30 to October 11, 2026.
