Programme
Programme
The festival program brings together screenings, exhibitions, talks, performances, and shared experiences across Polichnitos and the surrounding area.
10:00 – 21:00 POLICHNITOS
CULTURAL CENTER
festival Welcome Point
Information, maps and programme guidance.
11:00 – 13:00
PORT OF SKALA
POLICHNITOU
FISHING WORKSHOP
Local fishermen share traditional techniques, tools, and sea knowledge passed down through generations – offering visitors a glimpse into the area’s fishing heritage.
18:00 – 19:00
RIZES & ORIZONTES
SKALA
POLICHNITOU
INPUT & DISCUSSION
Prof. Manos Savvakis, Professor of Sociology at the University of the Aegean in Mytilene, opens the discussion with a keynote on memory, community, and local narratives, followed by questions moderated by Ilir Tsouko. Greek only, no translation provided.
19:00 – 23:00
RIZES & ORIZONTES
SKALA
POLICHNITOU
DOCUMENTARY SCREENING – ON LOOP
At the Edge of the Cape I Panagiotis Vekris I 24 min
In Agios Stefanos, Lesbos, the island’s last traditional potter keeps alive a world of clay, fire, and memory. Greek with English subtitles.
19:00 – 23:00
FORMER SCHOOL
SKALA POLICHNITOU
Photography Exhibition opening
Efi Longinou I Ashutosh Shaktan I Özge Ertürk I Anna Kereszty I Inga Padurari
Outdoor photography exhibition projected onto walls, vacant buildings, and public surfaces, curated by Nina Kapsali.
19:30 – 20:30
SALT PANS
SKALA
POLICHNITOU
SALT PANS WALK & FLAMINGO OBSERVATION
Guided walk through the salt pans, offering visitors the chance to observe flamingos and discover one of Lesvos’ wetland landscapes. Organized by the Natural History Museum of the Lesvos Petrified Forest.
21:00 – 22:30
OLIVE GROOVE
SKALA
POLICHNITOU
Open Air Cinema FEATURE FILM
Callas Darling I Julia Windischbauer I 89 min
A road movie about two women at turning points in their lives, travelling through South-Eastern Europe to Albania – a story of grief, farewell, and unexpected connection. German with Greek subtitles.
22:30 – LATE
BEACH
SKALA
POLICHNITOU
ACOUSTIC BEACH EVENING
Violinist Orfeas Vougioukas and guitarist Antonis Mylonas perform a programme of Asia Minor urban folk traditions, rebetiko, and Greek art music (éntechno).
10:00 – 21:00
ALL DAY CULTURAL CENTER POLICHNITOS
FESTIVAL WELCOME POINT
Information, maps, programme guidance, books exhibition by “Book and Art”. Daily Photo Colorization Workshop from 10:00 – 12:00. Bring an old black-and-white photograph and give it new life through colorization.
10:00 – 21:00
ALL DAY BALLOS HOUSE POLICHNITOS
PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
Mariana Kostandini
RI-PARË is a photography series based on black-and-white family archives from Albania in the 1980s and 1990s. Hand-retouched with golden acrylic, the images open a delicate space between childhood, sisterhood, memory, and the fractures of personal and political transformation.
10:00 – 21:00
ALL DAY YELLOW KAFENIO POLICHNITOS
CURATED ARCHIVE & SOUND INSTALLATION
Archival photographs from Polichnitos, collected by Kyriakos Koukoulas, are presented alongside a sound installation by Georgia Kelaidoni. Curated by Nina Kapsali and Anja Troelenberg.
10:00 – 21:00
ALL DAY POLICHNITOS
INSTALLATION
Ledia Kostandini
“Open to Light” is a textile installation inspired by stairways in Dhërmi, Albania. Created using the ajour technique – stitching with open spaces – the work turns fabric, light, and absence into a delicate reflection on passage and memory. Curated by Anja Troelenberg.
10:00 – 21:00
ALL DAY
POLICHNITOS
POSTCARD TRAIL
Greetings from Polichnitos!
Postcard-sized photographs by local residents are placed throughout the village, inviting visitors to discover Polichnitos. Visitors are welcome to pick a card, write a note, and take a memory of the festival home with them.
10:30 – 13:30
CULTURAL CENTER Polichnitos
ARCHITECTURAL WALK
Guided by “Parea at Lesvos”, participants explore Polichnitos’ traditional character, historical buildings, and local architecture –including a visit to a traditional village house with a performance by the Nifida Association.
Register in advance at info@polichnitosfest.com
13:30 – 14:00
KYVELIA SQUARE POLICHNITOS
TRADITIONAL DANCE WORKSHOP
A participatory workshop by Ballos inviting visitors to learn and join traditional dances rooted in local cultural heritage.
17:00 – 18:00
CULTURAL CENTER Polichnitos
PUBLIC DISCUSSION
Return to the Villages: Memory, Rural Abandonment, and New Ways of Living in the Countryside. Speakers: Nikos Sergis (professor University of the Aegean) and Kyriakos Koukoulas (folklorist). Moderated by: Maria Chatzigeorgiou (journalist, Sto Nisi). Greek language only.
19:00 – 23:00
Polichnitos
PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
Stefanos Paikos I Eleni Albarosa I Antonio Pasvantis I Tako Robakidze I Akis Katsudas I Maria Sturm I Marlena Waldthausen I Ilir Tsouko
Outdoor photography exhibition projected onto walls, vacant buildings, and public surfaces, curated by Nina Kapsali.
20:00 – 21:00
CΗURCH OF AGIOS GEORGIOS Polichnitos
OPEN-AIR CINEMA – SHORT FILMS
The Man on the Left I 2022 I Maria Tsagkari I 25 min
Visual artist Maria Tsagkari traces the life and music of her great-grandfather, rebetiko violinist Nikos Syrigos. Greek with English subtitles.
Athos. The Colors of Faith I 2013 I Stratos Kalafatis I 10 min
Photographer Stratos Kalafatis enters the secluded monastic world of Mount Athos.
FROM 21:30
KYVELIA SQUARE POLICHNITOS
LIVE CONCERT
A concert by Pagliavlel, a local ensemble from Lesvos featuring the island’s characteristic pairing of santouri and violin, performing traditional repertoire, rebetiko, and smyrnaic music.
09:00-12:00
FROM DAMANDRI MONASTERY TO THERMAL SPRINGS Polichnitos
NATURE WALK
A scenic hike from Damandri Monastery to the Polichnitos Hot Springs, offering views of southern Lesvos and combining nature, local history, and relaxation.
10:00 – 21:00
ALL DAY CULTURAL CENTER POLICHNITOS
Festival Welcome Point
Information, maps and programme guidance.
10:00 – 21:00
ALL DAY THERMAL SPRINGS POLICHNITOS
INSTALLATION
Dionisis Christofilogiannis
Taking its name from the traditional wooden bread shovel used in wood-fired ovens, “Pyrífte” is an installation that transforms an everyday object of domestic craft into a contemporary reflection on memory, tradition, and Greek cultural heritage. Curated by Anja Troelenberg.
18:00 – 20:00
CENTRAL SQUARE POLICHNITOS
TRADITIONAL GAMES FOR KIDS
An interactive activity introducing traditional games by Oxygen Academy.
19:00 – 22:00
MYTHOS HOTEL Nifida
PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
image2meaning
Photographs created by participants of the 2026 image2meaning workshop, held for the first time in Polichnitos. The images capture impressions from the village and its surroundings. Curated by Dario Veréb, edited by Romina Ruda.
19:00 – 22:00
MYTHOS HOTEL Nifida
PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION
Anna Adamo I Francesco Merlini I Pat Kane I Orestis Seferoglou
Photography exhibition presented as a wall projection, curated by Nina Kapsali.
21:00 – 22:00
MYTHOS HOTEL Nifida
OPEN-AIR-CINEMA BY THE SEA
Sifnos Island Is Changing I 2026 I Maria Sidiropoulou I16 min
On the island of Sifnos, rapid construction and growing tourist pressure are transforming the landscape, everyday life, and the island’s sense of identity. Through the voices of local residents, this short documentary asks what is at stake when a place changes faster than its community can shape or control. Greek with English subtitles.
22:00 – LATE
BLU
BEACH BAR
Nifida
Farewell Beach Celebration
Arteco from Lesvos closes the festival with a house and dance music set for everyone who wants to keep moving.