What links Thessaloniki and Elefsina apart from their ports? Establishment of the European Capital of Culture and henceforth the Thessaloniki Film Festival. The communication channel opened by the two cities turns Elefsina into a lively and open cinematic process, at the same time inaugurating a new institution that it will inherit, the Documentary Film Festival.

The series of events, culminating in a closing ceremony at the historic and soon to be restored Sine Eleusis site, includes a partnership between “European Capital of Culture Eleusis 2023” and to Thessaloniki Film Festival. After Philippos Koutsaphtis, who deeply and effectively captured the place and secrets of Elefsina in the landmark film The Unpolished Stone, new creators take over to capture the current physiognomy of the city in the seventh art.

Sillas Tzoumerkas is behind the concept of an on-site film production open to the public, which is part of the program of events next April. “Mystery 84 (St. George’s Day) Live Cinema-Working Class-Sirens”, which will take place in collaboration with Thessaloniki Film Festival, “explores both the concept and image of the working class in Europe today, as well as both the aesthetics of live cinema, then there is cinema that is created or reacts in real time with real-time methods,” explained 2023 Elefsis Artistic Directors Michael Marmarinos and FKTH Orestis Andreadakis yesterday in Thessaloniki, as well as director Sillas Tzoumerkas.

During the big holiday, on the feast of St. George (21-23/4), “Elefsina” will be transformed into an open film workshop with a three-day film marathon, six hours of public performances (Karel Oh, Matt Adams, Donatella dela Ratta, Blast Theory, etc.), performance and filming of two real-time films by Sylla Zumerkas and Eke Margaret Lerenkrauss, which will be shown in a pop-up cinema. The partnership of the two cultural organizations will culminate with the Documentary Film Festival “Mystery 23 Cine Eleusis: Realities on the Spot”, which will be the official closing ceremony of the Capital of Culture. The first documentary film festival (November 17–22, 2023) will be held at the renovated Eleusis cinema, as well as at other venues in the city. The Film Institute will continue to screen films on environmental, political and, above all, labor issues, as well as side events (performances, discussions, educational workshops).

The official premiere of The Eleusinians (November 21) is scheduled for the new documentary film festival, with which director Philippos Koutsaftis returns to Eleusis to get to know the modern city.