In a modest event held on Monday, December 2, during the 27th Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People, in the city of Pyrgos in Peloponnese, the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center – Creative Greece announced the relocation of the International Centre for Films for Children and Young People (Centre International du Film pour l’ Enfance et la Jeunesse – CIFEJ) to Athens, after 14 years based in Tehran, Iran.

The initial discussions regarding CIFEJ’ relocation began 2.5 years ago and were successfully finalized in the recent months, through the efforts of the Ministry of Culture and Minister Lina Mendoni, the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center – Creative Greece (H.F.A.C. – Creative Greece) and the Greek CIFEJ members, including founding member and Honorary President, Athena Rikaki, as well as current CIFEJ President, Vassilis Karamitsanis.

CIFEJ will be hosted and supported by H.F.A.C. – Creative Greece.

Leonidas Christopoulos, CEO of Creative Greece, stated that “the relocation of CIFEJ’s HQs to Athens from Tehran is part of the broader strategy by the Ministry of Culture and Creative Greece to establish Greece a significant international key player in the film and audiovisual sector. We will continue to promote our country with the same enthusiasm on the international and European audiovisual stage”.

CIFEJ’s President, Vassilis Karamitsanis, pointed out that “the relocation of CIFEJ’ s HQs to Athens, besides the obvious conveniences provided by the operation of our global organization in the Mediterranean and at the heart of European developments, symbolizes a return to the historical roots of democracy and humanism for children worldwide”.

Pantelis Panteloglou, President of the European Children’s Film Association – ECFA and Artistic Director of the Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People, stated that “the responsibility for hosting CIFEJ in Greece by Creative Greece should also signify a shift in the approach to film and audiovisual education in Greece. I wish CIFEJ good luck in its new endeavor and to Creative Greece for taking on this important role”.

It is noteworthy that CIFEJ is the only leading international, non-governmental network for professionals in the audiovisual sector who work with children and young people. Its primary objective is to promote excellence in both audiovisual and film production and education, advancing multicultural, entertaining, artistic, educational and informative projects, specifically designed for children and young audiences.

Currently, CIFEJ operates with over 100 members, comprising professionals from the field of children’s and youth cinema (directors, producers, festival organizers, academics, educators, etc.) from all continents.

Established in 1955 in Brussels under UNESCO’s auspices, CIFEJ relocated to Paris in 1960. In 1990 the Centre’s headquarters moved to Montreal, Canada, and subsequently to South Africa and Iran.

Greece, through H.FA.C. – Creative Greece, takes on an international role in the realm of children’s and youth cinema with the goal of promoting film production and film education. To this end, a study will be conducted through the newly established Creative Hub of the organization, which will gather global data on children’s and youth film production via the Creative Sector Observatory. For more information, please contact: creativehubgr@ekkomed.gr