The AMoS Film Festival, co-organized by the Municipality of Alonissos and the environmental organization AENAOS THALASSA, was a great success. It took place from October 9 to 12 in Alonissos, the heart of Greece's largest marine park.
The festival attracted the interest of hundreds of visitors and residents of Alonissos, who enthusiastically watched a total of 24 films (7 feature-length and 17 short films), participated en masse in the parallel activities that had been planned, and contributed to its flawless execution.
The festival opened impressively on Thursday, October 9, with a visit by Prince Albert II of Monaco, who accepted the invitation of the Thalassa Foundation visited Alonissos to honor the centerpiece of the most emblematic National Marine Park, talk with the local community, and wish the AMoS Film Festival every success. For their part, the always open and hospitable residents of Alonissos warmly welcomed our guest and his entire delegation, chatted and took photos with him, and offered him commemorative gifts. Prince Albert was welcomed by the Mayor of Alonissos, Mr. Panagiotis Anagnostou, together with members of the Municipal Council. This was followed by a performance of traditional dances by the Alonissos Cultural Association, a demonstration of how to make the traditional Alonissos cheese pie, a visit to MOm's information center, and a light lunch. During the lunch, Prince Albert, with the assistance of the Thalassa Foundation, spoke with dozens of representatives of the local community, such as coastal fishermen, port authorities, teachers, scouts, and employees of the Marine Park Management Unit, and said he was impressed by the locals' relationship with the marine environment, their determination to work together to protect their natural capital, and their unparalleled hospitality. Prince Albert II was accompanied by the Secretary General for the Natural Environment and Water, Mr. Petros Varelidis, the Honorary Consul of Monaco in Greece, Dr. Vasilis Apostolopoulos, the President of NECCA, Ms. Maria Papadopoulou, the Mayor of Skiathos, Mr. Thodoris Tzoumas, and others.
On the evening of the same day, the film screenings began with the Alonissos Scouts' documentary on the Alonissos National Marine Park, historically opening the first film festival on the marine environment. The turnout was so large that the organizers were forced to add seats to the event hall of the Alonissos Elementary School, where the feature-length films were screened. During the festival, films for all tastes were screened: documentaries (Planète Méditerranée and Maya and the Wave), action films (All is Lost and The Life of Pi), arthouse films (The Life Auatic), and animation (Moana). At the same time, short films were screened at the Alonissos Town Hall Amphitheater for fans of the genre. All films focused on the marine environment and were selected based on strict quality criteria.
As part of AMoS, parallel activities were also organized with the aim of informing and raising awareness among participants about the marine wealth of the region. More specifically, under the guidance of artist Yioula Koutsoubou, festival visitors contributed to the creation of mosaics with motifs inspired by marine organisms, which were placed in central locations (school, port) in Patitiri, Alonissos, while also participating in educational "cruises" to learn about the National Marine Park of Alonissos Northern Sporades and in cleaning up its islets.
On the evening of Sunday, October 12, after four days filled with cinema, artistic creation, fruitful exchanges of views, information, interaction, and environmental awareness, the festival organizers and visitors gathered for a lively farewell party, where we renewed our appointment for the next AMoS Film Festival.
The organization AENAOS THALASSA would like to thank all those who participated in the festival, especially the residents of Alonissos, who embraced this new initiative with such enthusiasm. Through their active participation in the film screenings and parallel events, as well as their encouraging comments, the local community demonstrated its extroversion, its long-standing commitment to actions for the marine environment, its special relationship with artistic creation, and its desire to promote Alonissos as a center of ecology and culture. We would like to express our special thanks to the Municipality of Alonissos and the Cultural Association of Alonissos for their excellent cooperation in the flawless co-organisation of the AMoS Film Festival, Volunteer Rescue & Health Missions Team (EODIA) Branch in Alonissos, the Alonissos Scouts, the Alonissos Fishing/Agricultural Association, the Port Authority, the Fire Department and Police of Alonissos , MOm, Father Loukas, the medical staff of the Alonissos Health Center, and the school administrations of the island.