A still from Best Friends Forever, the Konstantinos Mousoulis comedy that will open the Greek Film Festival on October 13 in Melbourne and Sydney. Photo: Supplied

The 2026 program opens with Best Friends Forever, a comedy of weddings and chaos, screening across Sydney and Melbourne from October 13

Hard to believe, but the Greek Film Festival has been going strong for 31 years. The 31st Greek Film Festival will launch its 2026 program on Tuesday, October 13, with Konstantinos Mousoulis’ hit comedy, ‘Best Friends Forever’.

It has been a reflection of Greece and its various realities — from the end of PASOK’s reign in the ’90s, to the collapse of the nation during the Greek Financial Crisis, to the reinvention of Greece since 2017 as a dynamic and entrepreneurial nation.

The Festival has sought to show films that unflinchingly deal with Greece’s history, as well as contemporary realities, through the lives of people. It has showcased films of love, sex, crime, and death and comedies – all the essentials of Greek life.

Presented by the Greek Community of Melbourne and the Greek Orthodox Community of NSW, the annual Festival runs in Sydney and Melbourne from October 13-25 across multiple screens. It then plays in other cities across Australia in the weeks that follow.

For Jorge Menidis, Executive Officer at The Greek Community of Melbourne, the Festival has always been about something deeper than the technical craft on screen.

“The Greek Film Festival is more than just a cinephilic fascination with the technical abilities of a community of filmmakers,” Mr Menidis told Neos Kosmos.

“The Festival offers us an intimate insight into the heart of a society that, for many of us, is equally distant as it is important.”

A desire for connection, he adds, drives the Festival’s organisers year after year.

Best Friends Forever, a big-hearted Greek comedy written and directed by Konstantinos Mousoulis. Photo: Supplied

“We curate and produce the Film Festival because we thirst to connect with that society. We — in the main, the Greeks of the Australian diaspora — crave that ‘inside baseball’ understanding that the storytellers of the Greek film community can and do offer.”

The Festival’s 2026 program begins with the Australian premiere of Best Friends Forever, a big-hearted Greek comedy written and directed by Konstantinos Mousoulis. The Festival organisers, in their media release, describe it as “packed with humour, heart” and “unforgettable characters.” The film follows a series of intertwined stories centred around a wedding that unravels before it even begins. A well-intentioned favour becomes a chaotic journey to Crete, where misunderstandings, family tensions and unexpected twists test friendships in ways no one could have imagined.

The film features an ensemble cast, including Thanasis Tsaltampasis, Agorasti Arvaniti, Doretta Papadimitriou, Thanasis Alevras, Matina Nikolaou, Zisis Roumbos, Chrysa Michalopoulou, Giannis Apergis, Takis Papamattheou, and Australian actor Louis Mandylor. According to the organisers, it is “a celebration of friendship, loyalty and the unpredictable consequences of trying to do the right thing.” “Best Friends Forever is the perfect way to launch this year’s Festival,” said Menidis.

Asked by Neos Kosmos whether the Festival sets out to showcase the “best” or most accomplished Greek cinema has to offer, Menidis was unequivocal.

“Is it the best or better filmmaking than any other? I’m not sure that it matters,” he says.

“It is explicit and familiar and compelling and, quite frankly, a whole lot of fun. Hence, we do it again.”

The Festival’s Opening Night has traditionally been a celebration of film, fun, and the insight into Greek society that the Film Festival presents.

In Melbourne, the Festival’s opening night will screen simultaneously at Palace Pentridge, Palace Como, Palace Balwyn, Palace Penny Lane (Moonee Ponds) and Palace Westgarth, with the traditional Opening Night Gala held at The Astor Theatre in St Kilda. In Sydney, the Opening Night film and Gala will be held at the much-loved Palace Norton Street cinemas.

The Festival provides the diaspora a window into Greece, Greeks, and, at times, ourselves. And it does so always with an eye on being exciting, challenging and entertaining. The complete Festival program, featuring dramas, comedies, documentaries, audience favourites and special events, will be unveiled soon. Far from a small festival, the 31st Greek Film Festival will feature over 45 feature films, documentaries and special events in total.

Opening Night tickets are now on sale at www.greekfilmfestival.com.au

Home

Still going strong: Greek Film Festival marks 31 years