The Panorama of European Cinema, one of Greece’s longest-running film festivals, is facing an uncertain future ahead of its 39th edition, after the European funding that has supported the event in recent years was not renewed.

Founded in 1987 and directed by film critic Ninos Feneck Mikelides throughout its history, the Athens-based festival has become a longstanding platform for European and international cinema, combining new films with retrospectives, tributes and programmes devoted to the history of cinema. FIPRESCI has regularly been involved with the festival, including through its international jury and prize. The organisation described the Panorama in a recent statement as a “vital meeting place for filmmakers, critics and audiences”, and expressed concern about its uncertain future.

According to an international appeal circulated by the festival’s supporters, the funding in question came through Greece’s European Structural and Investment Funds (ESPA). The appeal says that this support, which had been provided to the festival for several years, has not been renewed despite what it describes as previous verbal assurances that it would continue. The festival is now seeking a solution that would allow its 39th edition to take place in 2026.

The appeal has brought together a broad group of Greek and international film professionals, including directors Ken Loach, Costa-Gavras, Atom Egoyan, Alexander Payne, Emir Kusturica, Elia Suleiman, Nick Broomfield and Icíar Bollaín as well as actresses Valeria Golino and Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, plus screenwriter Paul Laverty. Greek filmmakers, producers, actors, cinematographers, critics and distributors have also added their names to fight for the cause.

The campaign argues that the festival’s disappearance would represent a loss that would have an impact beyond Greece, pointing to its nearly four decades of activity and its role in presenting European cinema to Greek audiences. The Panorama held its 38th edition in November 2025, with a European competition featuring 12 titles and a FIPRESCI jury.

FIPRESCI has now formally joined the appeal. In a statement signed by president Ahmed Shawky on behalf of the federation’s board, the organisation said that the Panorama has, “for nearly four decades”, contributed to Greece’s film culture by providing a space for filmmakers, critics and audiences to meet and engage with European and international cinema. The federation added that the loss of a festival with the Panorama’s history would be felt “not only by Greece, but also by the broader European cinematic community”, and expressed its solidarity with Mikelides and the festival team while calling for a sustainable solution.

The European Film Academy has also expressed its support. CEO and director Matthijs Wouter Knol praised Mikelides’ four decades of work, and the festival’s contribution to connecting audiences and industry professionals with European cinema, from contemporary works to classics. The Academy’s support comes at a particularly significant moment for Athens. The 39th European Film Awards will take place at the Greek National Opera at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center on 16 January 2027, marking the first time the ceremony has been held in southeastern Europe.  The Panorama is included among the Athens-based organisations participating in this wider programme.

The European Film Academy’s promotional programme currently lists a European cinema tribute exhibition, running from 15 January-15 February 2027, as a collaboration with the Panorama of European Cinema. In his letter, Knol said the Academy had also been discussing further cooperation with the festival around its November edition and the January exhibition.

The Panorama is organised by the Centre of European Cinema, with Mikelides as festival director. Its team also includes Vassilis Mazomenos, responsible for its educational programme and Agora. For the moment, the festival’s supporters are calling for public and institutional action to secure the upcoming edition. No alternative funding solution has been publicly announced.