Iris Awards 2026 at the Onassis Stegi

The ceremony of the Hellenic Film Academy’s Iris Awards 2026 is also taking place this year at the Onassis Stegi. This year’s ceremony of the “Greek Oscars,” hosted by Zeta Makrypoulia and Thanasis Alevras and directed by Zacharias Mavroeidis, is themed around the phrase “Our Lives in Light” and revolves around the concept of light as an inseparable element of the art of cinema. Onassis Culture is present at this year’s event, hosting the awards and also accumulating a total of 22 nominations through productions and co-productions for this year. Meanwhile, the Best First-Time Director award will be presented by the Artistic Director of the Onassis Foundation, Afroditi Panagiotakou.

Additionally, as part of the Iris Awards program on June 17, two masterclasses organized by the Hellenic Film Academy will be hosted on the Upper Stage: one by the award-winning actress Vicky Krieps and another by Estonian director Anna Hints.

The multi-awarded documentary “Bull’s Heart,” an Onassis Culture production directed by Eva Stefani, received a nomination for the Documentary Award. In the film, filmmaker Eva Stefani follows the preparation and touring of “Transverse Orientation,” a performace by the leading Greek artist Dimitris Papaioannou, as it travels tour across theatrical stages in Europe, and observed from a close distance the choreographer and his collaborators in their effort to give shape and breathe life into the work.

The short film “Albgreko,” an Onassis Culture Production directed by Ilir Tsouko, has received a nomination for the Best Short Documentary Award after a successful run at international film festivals around the world – a tender film that unfolds human stories that are neither exclusively Albanian nor exclusively Greek. The Onassis Culture co-productions ”Broken Vein,” directed by Yannis Economides, “Our Wildest Days,” directed by Vasilis Kekatos, and “Gorgonà,” directed by Evi Kalogiropoulou, are also competing in this year’s awards.

In the lead-up to the 2026 Iris Awards, the Hellenic Film Academy is launching Iris Close-Up, a new public programme of conversations and masterclasses featuring some of the most compelling voices in contemporary international cinema. Conceived as a platform for dialogue, inspiration, and exchange, Iris Close-Up expands the scope of the Iris Awards beyond the annual ceremony, creating opportunities for meaningful encounters between Greek and European film professionals while strengthening the international visibility of Greek filmmaking.

The inaugural edition of Iris Close-Up welcomes two exceptional and internationally acclaimed European artists: filmmaker Anna Hints and actress Vicky Krieps, who will each present a masterclass at the Upper Stage of the Onassis Stegi on Tuesday, 16 June. Admission is free to the public.