This week’s cinematic lineup lands in Athens with a flavorful mix: Spanish-speaking gems, a much-anticipated horror sequel by Oscar-winner Danny Boyle, and a trio of re-releases that are nothing short of emblematic — from Ingmar Bergman’s introspective circus drama and Roberto Rossellini’s cornerstone of Italian Neorealism Rome, Open City, to a Hollywood classic filmed on Greek soil with Sophia Loren as its radiant star.

“28 Years Later”: Boyle’s Bloody Universe Expands

Danny Boyle returns to the dystopian nightmare he created in 28 Days Later (2002), delivering 28 Years Later — a grim new chapter set on an island in quarantine where infected and uninfected coexist in fragile segregation. As the world crumbles further, a young boy’s quest to save his mother takes us into a chaotic no-man’s-land, with a tense father-son thread at its core. Boyle, also behind Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire, steers this cult universe back to relevancy with new emotional stakes and razor-sharp tension.

Where to watch: Aigli Zappeou, Aigli 3D digital cinema, Cine Pallini, Village cinemas, Alsos cinema, Tria Asteria 3D digital, Aello, Electra cinema, Arcadia, Nana, Cine Argyroupoli, Nea Maskot, Cine Floisvos, Sporting digital cinema, Cine Foivos, Escape center, Options cinema, Trianon cinema, Cine Paradeisos, Cine Perama, Cine Selini, Cine Kekrops, Sisy digtial cinema, Alex digital cinema

Spanish Voices: One Comedy, One Thriller — Both Worth the Ticket

Two fresh Spanish-language releases explore radically different terrains.
In The Other Way Around (Volveréis), director Jonás Trueba — son of veteran filmmaker Fernando Trueba — playfully dissects love and long-term relationships through a breakup party. The bittersweet comedy follows a couple married for 15 years as they amicably part ways with wine, guests, and awkward truths.

Where to watch: Cine War musuem, The Greek Film Archive, Cine Psychiko, Cine Artemis, Diana, Anoixis, Cine Amyntas, Cine Aloma, Cine Dionysia, Cine Philip, Cine Varkiza

At the opposite end, Undercover (La infiltrada), based on a real-life espionage case, delivers a taut thriller. Director Arantxa Echevarría crafts a high-stakes story about a female Spanish National Police agent who lived undercover in ETA for eight years. The film premiered at this year’s FeCHA Festival and now hits local screens with all the tension of a ticking bomb.

Where to watch: Dexameni, Ellinis, Cine Filothei, Margarita, Cine Chloi, Cine Nostalgia, Cinea Aello, Cine Lila, Cine Aloma, Sporting digital cinema, Cine Akti, Nana, Cine Korali, Cine Mariel

Still frame from the film “La Infiltrada”.

Pixar in Orbit: “Elio” Blasts Off

Animation lovers get a treat with Elio, Pixar’s latest cosmic adventure. The film follows a space-obsessed kid who is accidentally mistaken for Earth’s ambassador during a galactic summit. What follows is a journey through alien cultures — and self-discovery.

Where to watch: In most cinemas with Greek audio

Four Timeless Re-Releases Hit the Big Scree

Sawdust and Tinsel (Gycklarnas afton, 1953 – dir. Ingmar Bergman)

A haunting, emotionally charged portrait of love, humiliation and survival, Bergman’s early masterwork follows the crumbling world of a traveling circus troupe in turn-of-the-century Sweden. Through the lives of a worn-out ringmaster, his estranged wife and his lover, Bergman offers a raw meditation on human fragility and the theatre of existence — a film that laid the emotional groundwork for his later masterpieces.

Where to watch: Cine Panathinaia, Cine Karmen, Stella cinema, Cine Daphne

Rome, Open City (Roma città aperta, 1945 – dir. Roberto Rossellini)

A landmark in Italian neorealism and a visceral response to the horrors of war, Rossellini’s Rome, Open City captures the human cost of resistance during the Nazi occupation of Rome. Shot just months after the liberation of the city and based on real accounts, it blends documentary urgency with dramatic power. Anna Magnani’s unforgettable performance grounds a film that remains a cinematic testament to courage and sacrifice.

Where to watch: Atenee

Boy on a Dolphin (1957 – dir. Jean Negulesco)

The first Hollywood feature shot in Greece and Sophia Loren’s English-language debut, Boy on a Dolphin combines sun-kissed romance with a treasure-hunt plot. Loren, playing a spirited sponge diver, becomes entangled between an American archaeologist and a shady art collector. With scenes filmed in Athens, Hydra, and Epidaurus — and a memorable taverna serenade — the film captures mid-century Greece through a glossy yet nostalgic lens.

Where to watch: Cine Paris

Alphaville (1965 – dir. Jean-Luc Godard)

Godard’s radical fusion of science fiction and noir follows secret agent Lemmy Caution as he infiltrates a technocratic city ruled by a sentient computer. Shot in Paris without special effects, Alphaville is a cinematic manifesto against dehumanization and authoritarian control. Combining dystopian philosophy with genre play, it’s one of the French New Wave’s most daring and intellectually provocative entries.

Where to watch: Cine Amiko, Cine Zephyros, Riviera, Anoixis, Oasis