This year, the festival welcomed 9,000 attendees, with over 3,600 students from schools across Attica joining school screenings and educational programs. Among the participants were students from Thirassia Secondary School, along with dozens of students from Kilkis, Thessaloniki, Pyrgos, Chania, Patras, Volos, and Rethymno, who contributed as members of the festival’s program committees (Kids’ & Teens’ Picks).
The festival officially kicked off on Friday, November 22, 2024, with Weekend Rebels by Marc Rothemund, a heartwarming film about a 10-year-old boy on the autism spectrum who convinces his father to visit every football stadium in Germany to find his favorite team. The premiere was simultaneously screened at the Athens Concert Hall and, in collaboration with the “Νέα Κινηματογραφική Λέσχη Καλαμάτας”, at the Reading Room of the Kalamata Public Library. This initiative was supported by the Captain Vassilis and Carmen Constantakopoulos Foundation.
Special highlights included programs designed for the youngest audience, such as Baby & Me (for babies and toddlers aged 0–3), Shorts for Tots (short animated films without dialogue for children aged 2+), and the beloved Live Dubbing, an inclusive event accessible to individuals on the autism spectrum. This year’s live dubbing team proudly welcomed Aria Papanikolaou, a talented young woman on the autism spectrum, and the daughter of the former basketball player Dimitris Papanikolaou, who got to fulfill her dream of becoming a voice actor. The inimitable Elena Charalampoudi also was part of this year’s Live Dubbing.
The Athens Concert Hall hosted the festival’s first VR screening, showcasing “The Journey of Piraeus”, the film explores family histories that are closely linked to the development of Piraeus.
The festival’s educational workshops, held at the Athens Concert Hall, the Museum of Cycladic Art, and Kifisia Cinemax 1 & 2, were a resounding success, selling out quickly. Topics ranged from the magic of sound effects in cinema and stop-motion animation techniques to documentary filmmaking.
This year also marked the successful launch of the ATHICFF PLAYROOM powered by ΔΕΗ at the foyer of the Dimitris Mitropoulos Hall in the Athens Concert Hall. Children enjoyed face painting, educational games, a creative clothing upcycling workshop, and learned about the power of alternative energy sources at the dedicated UTOPIA by ΔΕΗ.
In its 7th year, the festival introduced the Young Reporters program, where 20 teens aged 14–17 captured the festival’s energy through interviews, reports, videos, and photos.
For the second year, the festival hosted the ATHICFF for Professionals, featuring seminars, workshops for emerging filmmakers, and networking sessions with industry professionals from Greece and abroad.
