A major cinematic tribute featuring 24 films from Greece, Spain, and Portugal will take place at the Greek Film Archive from Thursday, March 13, to Wednesday, March 19. The program commemorates the triumph of democracy in these three countries, all of which saw the fall of their dictatorships in the mid-1970s.
Greece’s military junta collapsed in 1974, coinciding with Portugal’s Carnation Revolution, which dismantled the Estado Novo regime. Just a year later, in 1975, the death of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco marked the end of his long and brutal rule.
The tribute, titled “The Fall of the Dictatorships and the Breakthrough of New Cinema: Greece – Spain – Portugal,” will showcase 24 landmark fiction and documentary films that capture the political and cultural shifts of the era.
The event is co-organized by the Film Archives of Greece, Portugal, and Spain, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of democracy’s restoration. Screenings will take place at the Greek Film Archive (48 Iera Odos & Megalou Alexandrou St., Kerameikos metro station).
Audiences will have the opportunity to watch works by renowned filmmakers such as Theodoros Angelopoulos, Carlos Saura, Pedro Costa, Manoel de Oliveira, João César Monteiro, and Pedro Almodóvar.
Many of these films were made after the fall of the dictatorships—some even before—signaling a new era in both cinema and society.
The program also features discussions, guest speakers introducing the screenings, and a roundtable event.
The tribute is organized in collaboration with the National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation, the Embassies of Spain and Portugal in Athens, the Camões Institute, and the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, with support from Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center and the Cervantes Institute.
