21st International Film Festival of Cyprus: Five days, one city, a world full of stories
When: 21.09.2026 00:00
Where: 35.185600, 33.382300
Organizer: Admin
A special place in the program is given to Chinese cinema, through special screenings and the World Premiere of “La Croix (The Crossing)” by Hu Xueyang
The 21st International Film Festival of Cyprus - CYIFF returns from September 21 to September 25, 2026, at Melina Mercouri in Nicosia, inviting filmmakers, artists, actors, photographers, creators, cultural professionals and, of course, the public to five days full of images, stories, meetings and creative surprises.
According to a related press release, for 21 years CYIFF “creates a space where international cinema meets Cyprus. A space where a screening can lead to an acquaintance, a discussion to a collaboration and a chance encounter to a new story.”
This year’s program goes beyond the limits of a classic film festival, connecting the seventh art with photography, theater, women’s creation, dialogue, peace, memory and contemporary cultural expression.
At the heart of the festival, the announcement adds, is the International Competition, a polyphonic international competition program with films from different countries and creators who bring stories to Cyprus that deserve to be discovered.
A special place in the program is given to Chinese cinema, through special screenings and the World Premiere of “La Croix (The Crossing)” by Hu Xueyang, adding a particular international dimension to this year’s event.
With the historic memory of Cyprus as a starting point, the special tribute “1974 - Memory, Stories & People” approaches 1974 through cinema and the personal stories of people who lived through the era and still carry its memory.
It is a segment that moves the discussion from events to people, to experiences, to losses and to memories that remain alive.
A particular interest is presented by the documentary “Queen of Cyprus” by Panikos Panagiotou, a film about Cypriot women, loss, resilience, the concept of homeland and the power of a person to rebuild his life.
The story transcends the geographic boundaries of Cyprus and touches the experience of diaspora, memory and personal restart.
Women’s creativity is also at the center of CYIFF through the Women in Film & Television segment.
Women creators, women’s stories and actions that highlight women’s presence, equality and the role of women in cinema make up another important part of this year’s event.The festival runs in parallel with a special community initiative of women through CWEP – Cyprus Women Environmental Peacemakers.
Culture, environment, dialogue and collaboration meet, added to the announcement, as tools of communication and peace, creating a space where art connects with society and the need for coexistence.
The NOSTIMON IMAR unit is dedicated to creators of the global Hellenism and the Greek Diaspora.
Stories of people who left, traveled, created and kept a place inside them. Stories of identity, memory, movement and return, highlighting the enduring relationship of Hellenism with art and cinema.
CYIFF also opens space for photographic art through the exhibition “Things We Pass By”, an invitation to do something we rarely do: to stop. To look again at people, places, moments and details that we usually pass by.
The exhibition brings together the photographic and cinematic gaze, showcasing the power of the image to reveal stories that are in front of us, but we don’t always see them.
The deadline for submitting up to 4 photos, either from a camera or a mobile phone, is September 6.
Photos can be sent to cywift@gmail.com.
A new CYIFF initiative is the Monologue Challenge, which addresses
Tags: film festival, women, cinema, documentary
Source: https://www.checkincyprus.com/article/88853/21o-diethnes-phestibal-kinematographou-kuprou-pente-emeres-mia-pole-enas-kosmos-gematos-istories/
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