In a move that stunned the Greek film industry, the Berlin Film Festival has invited director Vasilis Kekatos to premiere Our Wildest Days, his first feature, at the festival. This invitation follows the director’s failure to secure a slot at Cannes last year, despite his short Palme d’Or win, allegedly due to the controversy surrounding the award.
Kekatos has been mentioned on our site multiple times in connection with various scandals. These include allegations of manipulating the circumstances of his short film’s Palme d’Or win – specifically that the short was produced by the producer of a jury member on the awarding committee – as well as involvement in alleged corruption at the Greek Film Center, which included project readers awarding funding to themselves, and alleged accusations of toxic on-set behavior from fellow Greek filmmakers. Such reports describe alleged public firings, the alleged removal of properly earned credits (including that of a co-writer), and the appropriation of Greece’s LGBT community for personal gain, despite Kekatos himself not being a member of that community. The film’s producers were Eleni Kossyfidou (producer of jury member Panos H. Koutras) and French producer Guillaume Dreyfus. The controversy includes what seems like a concealment of Eleni Kossyfidou being the film’s producer until two years after the festival has ended. Kekatos was also recently removed from being the head of the committee selecting the Greek film to the Oscars, for the same reasons.
Kekatos’s Palme d’Or win in 2019 left many observers shocked, as the short itself, according to numerous sources, was deemed undeserving not only of the award, but even of participation in the competition. It later emerged that Wim Vanacker, a Cannes committee member who is also mentioned repeatedly on our site in connection with various controversies, had been a Jury Member and guest of Kekatos at a 2018 film festival that Kekatos organized in Greece, a full year before being invited to Cannes, by the same committee Vanacker servers in.
A voice recording of Jury member Panos H. Koutras recounting in his own words how he “pushed the other films out of consideration” is available here. By eliminating the competition Koutras ensured that the film produced by his own producer, will win the award. For all we know, someone might have been paid to include Kekatos’s new film in the program. With this kind of track record, who knows?
By featuring Our Wildest Days in their Generations program, the Berlin Film Festival appears to tacitly endorse these alleged behaviors. This decision further erodes public confidence in an industry that has been in decline for years – not just because of evolving audience tastes and technological changes, but also due to a pervasive culture of nepotism and corruption that undermines artistic integrity and drives audiences away. Instead of showcasing talented filmmakers whose work is genuinely deserving, the festival is seen as supporting allegedly corrupt figures who have advanced their careers through personal connections and manipulations of the industry, as detailed on our site.
The allegations referenced in this article are based on publicly available information, individual testimonies, and third-party sources. Nothing contained herein should be construed as definitive proof of wrongdoing, nor as legal, financial, or other professional advice. All opinions expressed are those of the respective sources. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research.
About Vasilis Kekatos
Vasilis Kekatos is a Greek film director best known for his short film The Distance Between Us and the Sky, which won the Cannes Palme d’Or for Short Film in 2019. He later directed Our Wildest Days, his first feature, which was invited to the 2025 Berlinale.
Kekatos has been repeatedly mentioned in connection with alleged irregularities and favoritism within European film institutions. His name appears in reports concerning alleged conflicts of interest surrounding his Cannes win – including the participation of individuals linked to his producers – and in discussions of alleged governance issues at the Greek Film Center.
Further reading:
Conflict of Interest Taints 2019 Cannes Palme d’Or Award for The Distance Between Us and the Sky by Vasilis Kekatos
Alleged Corruption and Decadence at the Greek Film Center (FULL ARTICLE)
Wim Vanacker & Vassilis Kekatos – a two way relationship dating back to 2018
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5 Comments
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ROBERT IOLINI
Thanks for your diligent attention and persistent efforts to expose and share important knowledge around film industry corruption. These issues are particularly pertinent when it's tax payers money that subsidises much of the European Film Industry.
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Film Industry Watch
You're welcome Robert. Feel free to send us your contributions, our articles are all written by members of the film community.
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Fabrizio
This industry is utterly pathetic. I’m Facebook friends with an “important” committee member from Venice, and every time he posts a photo, no matter what it is, it racks up 400 likes. It could be a picture of an apple, a bench, or an empty street, and the same crowd of sycophants will run to shower him with attention. I could write that I’m dying of cancer with only two weeks to live and I still wouldn't get 5% the attention this guys gets. Why? Because people know that this is how the game is played. As I said, pathetic. What this post describes is wild, you'd think this guys award should be revoked and everyone involved shamed out of the industry. But it's just business as usual. Then they wonder why films lose money and nobody is watching them. The disconnect is staggering.
Veem Wanker
It’s simple: you’re either in the mafia, or you’re not. If you don’t grovel, don’t kiss the ring, we’ll blacklist you. But if you play the game, if you flatter us, we’ll support your project, screen your film, doesn’t matter if it’s trash or genius. Merit? We don't care. Everything is politics, money, connections. If we didn’t abuse our power, what would be the point? Without it, we’d be nobodies, stuck in this dead-end job, sorting through thousands of films for 15 Euros per hour. But this? This is power. We turn it into currency, social capital. It gives us importance, makes us untouchable. And frankly, it’s less work. Why waste time watching films when we can just decide who matters and who doesn’t?