The 15th Aegean Film Festival returns to Patmos from July 16 to 24, 2026, celebrating fifteen years of existence with an anniversary program featuring Greek, European, and world premieres of award-winning films from major international festivals, iconic environmental documentaries, and tributes to leading figures in European cinema.

The jury for the competition program consists of Ada Solomon, President of the European Film Academy, and Christian Jeune, Head of the Film Department and Deputy General Manager of the Cannes Film Festival. The third member of the jury will be announced at the start of the Festival.

Greek premieres of award-winning films and documentaries from around the world

In the Festival’s Fiction program, the following stand out among the 11 films: The Panhellenic premiere of the film Rosebush Pruning, directed by Karim Ainouz and written by Efthymis Filippou.

Vanilla, the first feature film by Mexican director Mayra Hermosillo, has won major awards for screenplay and directing, including the Feature Fiction Award at the Adelaide Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Morelia International Film Festival.

The film HEN (Kota) by Hungarian director György Pálfi, a Greek-German co-production filmed entirely in Greece with Greek actors, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

In the documentary section, it’s worth highlighting this gem from China, Dongnan Chen’s Whispers in May, which won the top prize (DOX:AWARD) at the CPH:DOX festival in Copenhagen, as well as the portrait of director Roberto Rossellini, Living Without A Script.

Out of a total of 800 films submitted to the festival’s platform, 14 short film premieres were selected, including For the Opponents, which won this year’s Palme d’Or at Cannes. It should be noted that its Argentine director, Federico Lucas, left Patmos two years ago with the Hippocampus, the festival’s award for Best Aegean Short Film.

ECHOES: The Independent Environmental Program

With free admission for the public, in collaboration with the Green Fund, the ECHOES environmental program presents important international documentaries: Yanuni, by Austrian director Richard Ladkani, which has received rave reviews. Produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, the film follows indigenous activist Juma Xipaia in her fight to protect the Amazon. Also standing out is the impressive Super Nature, directed by Ed Sayers. The film is a collective “love letter” to the natural world, capturing wildlife, plants, water, and geology. Shot entirely on Super 8 film, it impresses with its classic, nostalgic “texture,” and the footage that was gathered is truly remarkable.
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This year, the ECHOES competition program features three feature-length documentaries and nine short films, which will compete for the Sustainability Award. The program is complemented by two thematic panel discussions: “Marine Conservation,” focusing on the protection of the marine environment, and “Rewilding Patmos,” focusing on the reforestation of Patmos.

As Sir David Attenborough turned 100, the independent program ECHOES honors the creator who brought nature into our homes, combining scientific knowledge with cinematic magic. ECHOES has secured and will present the documentary Wild London. After spending a lifetime traveling around the world, he now returns to the British capital—the city where he lives—to reveal how a bustling metropolis can serve as a vital habitat for wildlife.