The China Film Festival 2026 will take place from June 18 to 22 at the open-air Laïs Cinema in Athens, presenting eight contemporary Chinese films in their Greek premieres and offering audiences a broad look at modern Chinese filmmaking.
The festival features a diverse lineup spanning action films, period dramas, noir stories, romances, documentaries, animation, and culinary-themed cinema. Organizers describe the event as an opportunity for local audiences to discover the richness and variety of contemporary Chinese film production.
Blades of the Guardians Wind Rises in the Desert
Beyond its film program, the festival marks the beginning of a new collaboration between the China Film Archive and the Greek Film Archive. The initiative coincides with the 20th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and Greece.
On June 18, the opening day of the festival, the two institutions will sign a memorandum of cooperation extending through 2030. Both archives are members of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) and plan to expand cooperation through cultural exchanges, educational programs, and the sharing of expertise in film restoration and digitization technologies. The agreement is also expected to strengthen cultural relations between the two countries at the archival policy level.
Blades of the Guardians Wind Rises in the Desert
As part of the partnership, a festival dedicated to Greek cinema is scheduled to take place in Beijing next year, with a Greek delegation expected to attend.
The opening ceremony, which will be held by invitation only, will welcome representatives from the Chinese and Greek film sectors as well as a delegation of filmmakers and artists from China. Among the guests will be Wu Jing, one of China’s most prominent contemporary film stars, who is widely recognized as an actor, martial artist, and director.
Boonie Bears The Hidden Protector
Wu Jing gained international attention through the highly successful “Wolf Warrior” franchise, which became one of the most commercially successful series in Chinese box office history and helped establish him as a major figure in Chinese cinema.
The festival will open with “The Blade of Guardians: The Wind Blows in the Desert,” an epic action and martial arts film set during the Sui Dynasty. The film was directed by acclaimed martial arts choreographer and filmmaker Yuen Woo-ping, known internationally for choreographing the fight sequences in “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” and “The Matrix.” The production grossed more than $200 million worldwide.
Night King
The festival is organized with the support of the China Film Administration, the Greek Ministry of Culture, and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Greece.
In addition to the screenings, the Greek Film Archive’s Cinema Museum will be open to visitors from June 19 to 21 between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
