There’s nothing more exciting and uplifting than to watch an idealistic private initiative turn into one of the country’s most fascinating and vibrant cultural institutions, expanding its scope and horizons way beyond national boundaries. Syros International Film Festival (SIFF), launched for the first time in 2013, has not ceased to amaze us for almost a decade now with its youthful vigor, its innovative ideas and the fresh breeze it has generated within the film festival field.

SIFF transcends the first-level definition of an “alternative”-oriented festival, crafting an attempt to collectively redefine – hosts, artists and audience joining forces for a mutual cause the very notion of cinematic experience. The injection of the Cycladic landscape into the core identity of the festival, the transformation of the cinema viewing act into a process of well-rounded involvement and active participation, the disengagement from the imperatives dictated by topicality and trending-now mentality, the priority and emphasis placed on new currents, groundbreaking tendencies and subversive artists, are the structural features of a rendezvous that stands out in the summer calendar. Over the last eight years, a series of distinguished directorial guests have honored the cosmopolitan island of Syros, such as the spearhead of modern Portuguese cinema Miguel Gomes, German veteran Peter Fleischmann and the Catalan avant-garde prince Albert Serra.

The 9th edition of the Syros International Film Festival, taking place from June 22 to June 26, in Ermoupoli, as well as in other locations of the island, includes a well-endowed program comprised of movie screenings, audiovisual installations, performances, workshops, open discussions, and other events.

The Festival is held at some of the most celebrated landmarks of the island, giving prominence to its character and cultural legacy: the majestic open-air movie theater “Palace”, the cosmopolitan Miaouli Square, the unique in its aesthetics Tarsanas shipyard and the renowned “makeshift” drive-in in Della Grazia make up a true dream team of venues.

This year’s thematic, bearing the title “Off Season”, urges us to cast a different glance in these times of crisis, as the program’s movies focus not only on the different conceptions of time, but also on the different “speed levels” running through humanity. At the same time, they place emphasis on the pivotal components in the life of the modern man: the mandatory movement and pause, as the well as the management of personal and “free” time, which gradually takes on the shape and the burden of an endangered human right.

The main program includes around thirty short, medium-length and feature films (featuring in the “Off-Season section”), as well as a series of tributes to acclaimed directors and artists. SIFF’s planning is not subject to the limitations of the film market and the movie industry, offering the audience a chance to take delight in a wide gamut of film genres: indie, mainstream, art house, experimental and documentary films will be showcased, in an effort to get a glimpse of the contemporary and ever-changing landscape of today’s cinema.

In addition, SIFF 2021 will host a series of audiovisual performances, including the screenings of silent films accompanied by live music, musical events, as well as expanded cinema events (the term is used to describe a cross-media performance that expands the definition and the notion of movie viewing).

The Festival’s events will take place at open-air locations, in full compliance with the health safety protocols that will be in effect at the time. More information and details on the program’s final version are scheduled to pop-up any time now. Stay tuned!