Iris Close-Up | Masterclass with Anna Hints

What does it take to create work that burns with passion, and how can you keep that fire alive without burning out?

Anna Hints, director of “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” – winner of Best Director at Sundance and the European Film Academy Award for Best Documentary 2023 – joins us at the Upper Stage of the Onassis Stegi for an intimate moderated conversation about the inner life of a filmmaker, in a masterclass titled “Creative Fire.” From the rituals and silences that feed creativity, to the cost of radical vulnerability on screen, Anna Hints reflects on how to stay creatively alive in a world that demands constant output.

The discussion will be moderated by film critic Leda Galanou (Flix.gr).

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.

This year’s edition also forms part of the wider cultural program leading up to the European Film Awards – Athens 2027, which will bring Europe’s most prestigious film event to the Greek capital in January 2027. Iris Close-Up and a series of forthcoming initiatives are included in a broader program developed by the Hellenic Film Academy in collaboration with and supported by the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center (EKKOMED), the organization responsible for hosting the European Film Awards in Greece.