GREEK FILM & TELEVISION TECHNICIANS GUILD – AUDIOVISUAL SECTOR
PRESS RELEASE
26 June 2026
European Film Awards in Greece: Success Has a Name, but the State Suffers from "Amnesia"
It was with great satisfaction that we learned of the official announcement that the European Film Awards (EFA) will be coming to Greece. This is undoubtedly a cultural event of global significance that places the spotlight on the Greek film community.
However, behind the celebratory announcements issued by the official bodies, namely the Ministry of Culture and the newly established EKKOMED, lies a moral debt that is being deliberately—or through negligence—overlooked.
Bringing an event of this magnitude outside its permanent host city does not happen overnight through bureaucratic procedures and official paperwork. It is the result of persistent, systematic, and discreet groundwork, lobbying, and international networking. In this particular case, that effort began as early as 2021, and it has a specific name: Spiro N. Taraviras.
As a distinguished member of the European Film Academy, director and producer Spiro N. Taraviras believed in this vision, opened doors, built bridges, and convinced the Academy of our country's potential long before the state authorities recognized the importance of the initiative and assumed responsibility for its institutional implementation.
It is, at the very least, unfair and petty that, at the very moment of its successful realization, the institutional supporters—who, of course, have the responsibility to finance and embrace the event—should present themselves as its sole creators, while erasing from the public narrative the person who laid its foundation stone.
The private initiative, professional standing, and vision of the industry's professionals cannot serve as the "fuel" for the public relations strategies of successive administrations without even the slightest acknowledgment.
The greatest credit belongs first and foremost to those who worked behind the scenes when everything was still nothing more than an idea on paper. And the film community knows, remembers, and has a duty to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's.
ETEKT-OT
The GREEK FILM & TELEVISION TECHNICIANS GUILD – AUDIOVISUAL SECTOR (ETEKT-OT) is one of the oldest and most historic professional associations in the Greek audiovisual industry, having been founded on 8 July 1948.
ETEKT-OT represents professionals across all sectors of the film and television industry, including Production Management & Administration, Directing, Cinematography, Sound, Art Direction, Set Design & Costume, Editing, Electrical & Lighting, Camera, Construction, Make-up & Hair, Special Effects, Motion Picture Laboratory Services, and Television
Tags
ΚΙΝΗΜΑΤΟΓΡΑΦΟΣ