Athens International Film Festival awards Golden Athena to Rakan Mayasi

The 32nd Athens International Film Festival Nights of Premiere concluded with the award ceremony for the International Feature and Documentary competition categories. The top honor, the ‘Golden Athena’ for Best Film, was awarded to ‘Yesterday the Eye Didn’t Sleep’, written, directed, and co-produced by Rakan Mayasi.

Set in the Bekaa Valley on the border of Lebanon and Syria, the film follows the disappearance of a young woman, triggering a cycle of violence between two families. The jury praised the film for its masterful use of cinematic expression, visual composition, and empathetic storytelling.

Additionally, the City of Athens Best Director Award was presented to Marin Atlas for the film ‘La Gradiva’, which previously received the Grand Prix of the Critics' Week at Cannes.