Ethnofest – Athens Ethnographic Film Festival returns for its 16th edition, taking place from 25 November to 7 December 2025, presenting documentaries from every corner of the world. Screenings will be held at Astor Cinema (25–30 November), the Greek Film Archive (1 December), and online via the festival’s platform (1–7 December).
At its core, Ethnofest remains devoted to the human experience in all times and places. Staying true to its vision, the festival approaches cinema as a space of empathy and dialogue — a lens that becomes a tool for understanding both the self and the other. This year’s edition finds our world once again amid consecutive crises, with the genocide in Palestine ongoing, in an era of turbulence, fear, and polarization. Within this complex and often alienating landscape, Ethnofest reaffirms the need for observation and reconnection, continually turning its gaze inward to rediscover, within the familiar and the everyday, the traces that shape human experience and illuminate the many facets of collective coexistence and creation.
Renewed with a Greek Competition Section
For the first time, Ethnofest introduces a new competition section, “Initiations: Student Films in Greece.” The section aims to actively support and promote emerging voices and local productions. Student films created within academic programs in film and social sciences will compete for a €500 award.
The Jury includes Panos Gkenas, Fili Olsewski, and Mel Kalfanti.
Opening Film
The 2025 edition opens on 25 November in collaboration with the Greek Section of Amnesty International, with the Greek premiere of Lamia Chraibi’s documentary CIRCO. The screening coincides with the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and follows the story of Richard, a young artist from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, who searches for his identity and place in the world through art and community.
CIRCO (2024, Canada/Brazil, 88’) – Directed by Lamia Chraibi
In Rio de Janeiro, Richard dreams of dazzling audiences in the world’s greatest circuses. But when his adoptive mother expels him from home, his life is turned upside down. His once-clear dream begins to fade as he embarks on a long journey of self-discovery. A vibrant community of drag queens becomes his refuge, opening a new path as he transitions in Asilah. Amid uncertainty, the spirits of Candomblé offer him hope, while his sister remains a steady pillar of support. With an intimate, observational approach, Circo immerses us in the lives of Brazil’s favela residents as they struggle to shape their own futures.
Tickets and Access
Screening tickets cost €6 (or €4 for students and unemployed visitors), while online screenings will be available for €3 per film. Free-entry events will operate on a first-come, first-served basis.
The festival is organized by the Anthropological Association of Athens – Ethnofest, under the auspices and with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture, with the support of the French Institute of Greece and the Embassy of Spain, in collaboration with Amnesty International Greece and the Laboratory of Ethnomusicology and Cultural Anthropology (Department of Music Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens).
For more information and updates, visit www.ethnofest.gr