Call for Submissions
Athens Summer School in Visual Ethnographic Practices
In collaboration with the University of Amsterdam (UvA)
June 29 – July 19
Apply here
Deadline: Friday, April 3
Interviews: Friday, April 16 – Saturday, April 17
Notification of Successful Applicants: Monday, April 20
Ethnofest, in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam (UvA), invites applications for the 2026 Athens Summer School in Visual Ethnographic Practices, an intensive, practice-based programme dedicated to ethnographic, research-driven, and socially engaged audiovisual practices.
Taking place in Athens, the summer school offers participants the opportunity to work with the city as a living field, engaging with locally grounded practices, domestic contexts and everyday realities, while situating their work within broader international dialogues in visual anthropology and multimodal ethnography.
Still from our Athens walk in 2024 © Christina-Thalia Pappa
About the Summer School
Visual ethnographic research and multimodal practices have become essential tools for exploring contemporary social life and for expanding how situated knowledge can be produced, shared and experienced. The Athens Summer School in Visual Ethnographic Practices foregrounds practice as research, bringing together theory, fieldwork and creative experimentation.
The programme is designed for those interested in exploring how ethnographic thinking can take shape through moving image, sound, writing and hybrid forms. Working in small groups, participants will collaboratively design and develop their own small-scale research projects, engaging closely with fieldwork, creative inquiry and collective decision-making. The summer school emphasizes process, hands-on learning, situated research and critical engagement over the production of a polished or industry-ready film.
Structure & Methodology
Over three intensive weeks, participants will:
- Attend courses, masterclasses,
- Workshops and film screenings.
- Plan and conduct small-scale ethnographic fieldwork.
- Work in small groups and engage in collaborative research.
- Engage in feedback sessions.
- Work with audiovisual tools through hands-on exercises.
* The programme is practice-based. Final projects may take different forms, including (but not limited to):
- A short documentary
- An audio work
- A treatment or project dossier
Tutors
The summer school is led by an international team of researchers, filmmakers and educators, an example of whom are the following (more names to be announced soon):
International collaborators
Lana Askari
Assistant Professor at the University of Amsterdam, visual anthropologist and documentary filmmaker focused on political anthropology, migration, futures and the SWANA-region.
Philip Cartelli
Media anthropologist and filmmaker, whose work bridges sensory ethnography, experimental documentary and academic research.
Alexandra D’Onofrio
Research Associate at Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology/ University of Manchester. Visual anthropologist and documentary filmmaker specialising in participatory, collaborative and community-based methodologies.
Zacharias Mavroeidis
Award-winning film director and screenwriter. Established scriptwriting instructor and consultant.
Summer School Team
Konstantinos Aivaliotis
Assistant professor at the University of the Aegean, festival expert and visual anthropologist with extensive experience in ethnographic cinema, film festivals and film markets.
Andreas Anastasiades
Researcher and documentary filmmaker, whose work spans feature-length and short nonfiction films, with a strong focus on contemporary social realities and collaborative production.
Konstantina Bousmpoura
Anthropologist, filmmaker and human rights activist, working at the intersection of dance, politics, and transfeminist social movements through long-term ethnographic practice between Athens and Buenos Aires.
Who Can Apply*
The programme is open to final-year BA students, MA students, and PhD candidates.
Any candidate not listed in the categories above but associated with a research or audiovisual project can email us at [email protected].
The working language of the summer school is English.
Applications must be submitted via the online form here.
Please ensure all required materials are submitted by the deadline.
Timeline
Application Deadline: Friday, April 3
Interviews: Friday, April 16 – Saturday, April 17
Notification of Successful Applicants: Monday, April 20
Students are encouraged to bring their own equipment and laptops in order to make their training process smoother; however, the summer school will provide in-rotation cameras and audio equipment. Please fill in the relevant section of the application form.
Costs and subsidies
The total cost of the course is 950€ for EU and international students. Greek students are eligible for a concession fee of 700€. Students are expected to cover their flights from their country of residence to Athens and back, as well as the costs of accommodation, lunch, and dinner. Upon confirmation of the participants, the selected students will be contacted to discuss the prospect of sharing accommodation.
What to expect
Participants can expect an intensive and collaborative learning environment designed as a unique, potentially life-changing experience that combines deep immersion in local cultures with rigorous academic and creative challenges. The programme places a strong emphasis on ethnographic process and situated practice, encouraging participants to engage critically with their surroundings and with one another. Through sustained discussions, experimentation, and peer exchange, students will work with Athens not simply as a backdrop but as an active field of inquiry. Throughout the programme, supportive supervision and collective reflection create the conditions for meaningful learning, personal growth, and the development of thoughtful, research-driven work.
You can find the application form here.
Deadline: Friday, April 3
For further information, please contact: Leda Dialyna | Summer School Coordinator | 📧 [email protected] | 🌐 www.ethnofest.gr