Summary
- Greece and Switzerland are the two Focus countries at Venice Production Bridge 2026.
- The Greek programme is supported by EKKOMED.
- Five projects with Greek participation are in the Venice Gap-Financing Market.
- The Mysteries of Eleusis and Visitor expand Greece’s presence in immersive programmes.
- Venice Production Bridge runs from September 3 to 9, 2026.
What does it mean for Greek cinema to go to Venice not only with films, but also with production plans, creators, companies and filming locations?
Greece is one of the two Focus countries, alongside Switzerland, at Venice Production Bridge 2026, running from September 3 to 9 during the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The special programme is supported by the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center, EKKOMED, and spans films in development, immersive projects and production services.
The choice has practical importance because Venice Production Bridge is not another screening programme. It is the Festival’s professional market, where projects seek co-producers, financing, distribution, sales and partnerships before reaching the screen.
What Focus Country Status Means
The Focus programme directs the international industry’s attention towards selected audiovisual sectors. Greece and Switzerland were chosen for 2026, with dedicated panels, meetings and networking activities presenting each country’s production ecosystem.
The Greek presence is not limited to directors. The delegation includes representatives of funding bodies, producers, broadcasters and platforms, sales agents, distributors, VR/XR/AR professionals and post-production companies. This allows the market to see a complete industry rather than a set of isolated titles.
Five Greek Projects at the Gap-Financing Market
The Venice Gap-Financing Market, running from September 4 to 6, presents 65 projects selected from more than 370 applications. Its main section includes 37 fiction and documentary projects, nine of them from the two Focus countries.
Greece is represented by five projects: African Grey by Yorgos Goussis from Plankton Films; Lionfish by Thanasis Trouboukis from asterisk* and Studio Zentral; Patrimonial Fears and Other Illusions by Elina Psykou with Jungle Films, Homemade Films, StudioBauhaus, Studio Ruba and Bark Like a Cat Films; The Smuggler by Kaveh Bakhtiari, with Greek participation from Homemade Films; and Wake by Thelyia Petraki from Filmiki & Out the Box.
Participation at this stage is crucial because projects arrive in Venice with an advanced financing plan and seek the remaining partners or capital needed to move into production.
Greece in the Immersive Selection
The 14-project immersive selection includes The Mysteries of Eleusis by John Fitzgerald and Simon Critchley, produced by Techno Firma and Onassis Onx, as a Focus on Greece project. The section covers interactive installations and virtual, augmented or mixed-reality works that have already secured part of their financing.
Visitor by Spyros Boukas, produced by asterisk*, also appears in Biennale College Cinema – Immersive as a Greece-Luxembourg co-production. These projects show that Greece’s Venice activity extends beyond conventional film production.
From Books and Streamers to Filming Locations
Focus on Greece extends to the Book Adaptation Rights Market, where recent publications are presented for possible film or television adaptation, and to Final Cut in Venice for co-productions in post-production.
It also includes meetings with international platforms at Meet the Streamers, while Greek filming locations are presented at the VPB Locations Market. Greece is therefore introduced as a source of stories, talent, technical services and production environments.
Why the Venice Market Matters
Festivals draw public attention through premieres and awards, but professional markets are often where the future of a project is decided. Bringing together producers, sales agents, distributors, platforms and funders creates opportunities that are difficult to achieve through fragmented contacts.
For Greek companies, the value will become visible after the event: in co-productions that advance, markets that open and international projects that choose Greece for development, filming or post-production.
Dates and Key Numbers
Venice Production Bridge runs from September 3 to 9, 2026, within the Festival’s September 2–12 schedule. The Venice Gap-Financing Market runs for three days, from September 4 to 6.
This year’s selection includes 37 feature-length fiction and documentary projects, 14 immersive projects, 11 Biennale College Cinema – Immersive projects and three Biennale College Cinema projects. In total, 65 projects were selected from more than 370 applications.
What We Think
Focus country status matters because it gives Greek production a single, recognisable framework in front of international professionals. The range of activities, from film development and immersive work to filming locations, shows more than a conventional national pavilion could.
The meaningful measure of success, however, will not be the number of meetings or the publicity generated during the event. It will be the partnerships that survive after Venice, the projects that complete their financing and Greece’s ability to turn attention into sustained international activity.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Venice Production Bridge 2026 take place?
From September 3 to 9, 2026, during the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.
Which are the 2026 Focus countries?
Greece and Switzerland. Focus on Greece is supported by EKKOMED.
Which Greek projects are at the Gap-Financing Market?
African Grey, Lionfish, Patrimonial Fears and Other Illusions, The Smuggler and Wake.
Is Greece represented in the immersive programmes?
Yes. The selected works include The Mysteries of Eleusis and Visitor.
