The 31st Greek Film Festival will conclude its Melbourne and Sydney programs with Electra (Ηλέκτρα), Dimitri Tarlow’s striking contemporary interpretation of Sophocles’ enduring tragedy.

Premiering at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus in 2025 before touring Greece and Cyprus, the production has now been adapted for the screen, bringing one of the great works of ancient Greek drama to Australian audiences.

Directed by Tarlow, Artistic Director of Athens’ Poreia Theatre, Electra marked his directorial debut at Epidaurus. His production takes Sophocles’ tragedy into a dark, contemporary world, combining a noir aesthetic with elements of “dark cabaret” to explore themes of justice, revenge, violence and resistance.

At the centre of the story is Electra, daughter of Agamemnon, living with the grief and fury of her father’s murder at the hands of her mother, Clytemnestra, and Aegisthus.

When her brother Orestes returns, the siblings set out to avenge their father, continuing the bloody history of the House of Atreidae. But Sophocles’ tragedy goes beyond a simple story of revenge, asking what happens when the pursuit of justice demands further violence, and whether vengeance can ever bring an end to a cycle of bloodshed.

Tarlow’s interpretation places these questions within a world marked by authoritarianism and social injustice. Electra emerges not simply as a victim of her family’s fate, but as a fierce and uncompromising figure of resistance, caught between her demand for justice and the consequences of achieving it.

The production stars Loukia Michalopoulou as Electra, alongside an ensemble cast, with music forming an integral part of the atmospheric production.

Following 13 days of Greek cinema, the special presentation of Electra will bring the 31st Greek Film Festival to a close in Melbourne and Sydney on Sunday, October 25.

Melbourne Closing Night

The Melbourne Closing Night event will be presented simultaneously across six cinemas: The Astor Theatre, Palace Balwyn, Palace Cinema Como, Palace Penny Lane, Palace Westgarth and Pentridge Cinema.

Sunday, October 25

• Palace Balwyn Cinema – 6:00pm
• Palace Westgarth – 6:15pm
• Palace Cinema Como – 6:30pm
• Palace Penny Lane – 6:30pm
• Pentridge Cinema – 6:45pm
• The Astor Theatre – 7:00pm (Closing Night Gala)

Tickets: https://greekfilmfestival.com.au/melbourne/films/view/696

Sydney Closing Night

Sunday, October 25

• Palace Norton Street – 6:30pm (Closing Night Gala)

Tickets: https://greekfilmfestival.com.au/sydney/films/view/696

Electra will also close the Sydney program, bringing the Festival’s 2026 season in both cities to an end with a contemporary presentation of a story first performed more than two millennia ago.

The 31st Greek Film Festival runs from October 13–25, 2026, in Melbourne and Sydney, presenting more than 50 films celebrating Greek storytelling, from major new releases and Australian premieres to documentaries, restored classics and emerging filmmakers.