The 31st Greek Film Festival opened in Melbourne on Tuesday night with a sold-out screening of the 2026 comedy Best Friends Forever (Φίλοι Για Πάντα), drawing more than 800 guests to the historic Astor Theatre.

Opening-night celebrations extended beyond St Kilda, with screenings taking place simultaneously at five other Melbourne cinemas, marking the start of one of the biggest events on the Greek Community of Melbourne’s annual calendar.

The festival was officially opened with speeches by Jorge Menidis, Executive Officer and Creative Director of the Greek Community of Melbourne; Dimitra Georgantzoglou, Consul General of Greece in Victoria; Nick Staikos MP, Victoria’s Minister for Housing, Building and Precincts; and David Davis MP, Shadow Minister for Arts and Creative Industries. Rachel Westaway MP, Member for Prahran, also attended.

The opening addresses highlighted the power of Greek identity and storytelling, as well as cinema’s important role in preserving cultural heritage, sharing experiences and connecting Greek communities across generations and around the world.

Written and directed by Konstantinos Mousoulis, Best Friends Forever proved a fitting choice to launch this year’s festival. The contemporary Greek comedy follows a series of chaotic events involving friendship, relationships and a wedding gone wrong. Its humour and relatable characters were warmly received by the packed theatre.

But the celebrations did not end when the credits rolled.

In a playful nod to the film’s wedding storyline, the Astor Theatre was transformed into a lively Greek wedding celebration, complete with wedding music, dancing and festival staff dressed as brides and grooms. Guests spilled out of the cinema and into the festivities, as traditional Greek music and dancing brought the spirit of a Greek wedding to one of Melbourne’s most iconic venues.

The evening set the tone for what promises to be another successful year for the festival, which continues to grow in both scale and popularity.

Jim Bossinakis, Chair of the Greek Community of Melbourne’s Cultural Committee, said the evening was a fantastic way to launch one of the organisation’s most significant annual events while celebrating the growing international recognition of Greek cinema.

“What a fantastic way to open the 31st Greek Film Festival. To see more than 800 people come together at the Astor, with audiences joining us at cinemas across Melbourne, is an incredible start to one of our biggest events of the year.

“Greece might be a small country, but the stories and cinema coming out of it are truly world-class. We’re seeing extraordinary filmmaking from Greece, and we’re equally proud to showcase the work of Greek filmmakers from diasporic communities around the world, including our own talented filmmakers here in Australia.

“These are communities much like ours in Melbourne, keeping the Greek tradition of storytelling alive through their art. It’s something we’re incredibly proud to support and share with Australian audiences.

“We have a really strong programme this year, with more films, more screenings and new cinemas. We’ve worked hard to bring together a programme that reflects the diversity of Greek storytelling, with something for everybody.”

Now in its 31st year, the Greek Film Festival continues to bring Greek filmmaking to Australian audiences, showcasing established directors, emerging talent and stories reflecting the diversity of Greek experiences both in Greece and across the diaspora.

This year’s Melbourne programme is among the festival’s most ambitious yet, featuring more than 50 films and over 120 screenings across seven cinemas: the Astor Theatre, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Balwyn, Palace Pentridge, Palace Westgarth, Palace Penny Lane and Kino Cinema.

Running in Melbourne and Sydney until 25 October, the festival will also travel to Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, Brisbane and Perth, bringing Greek cinema to audiences across Australia.

From contemporary comedies and powerful dramas to documentaries, restored classics and internationally acclaimed productions, the 2026 programme offers something for every filmgoer.