**What’s on at the 2nd Larnaca Film Festival**
Larnaca is set to host its second annual Film Festival, a vibrant celebration of cinema and culture that promises an engaging lineup of events from August 27 to 30. Organized by the Larnaca Film Club and supported by the Deputy Ministry of Culture and the Larnaca Municipality, this year’s festival expands its offerings, featuring a diverse program of film screenings, live music, workshops, and walking tours across various parks, squares, and neighborhoods in the city.
The festival kicks off on Thursday, August 27, with an opening ceremony at the Larnaca Municipal Garden. The evening will begin at 8 PM with a concert by the Aurora String Quartet, which will perform musical themes from iconic films, under the artistic direction of Artemisia Vassiliou. Following the concert, at 8:30 PM, attendees will enjoy the first film screening of the festival, featuring the acclaimed movie *La Belle Époque*.
On the second day, Friday, August 28, the festival will host a workshop designed for educators, titled *Film & Literature: A Hands-on Workshop for Educators*. This workshop will take place at the Larnaca House of Letters and Arts, starting at 9:30 AM, and will be led by trainer Maria Leonida. Participants will explore the relationship between film and literature through practical examples, focusing on the direction and screenplay of a film based on a book. This workshop is free, but prior online registration is required due to limited space.
In the afternoon, festival-goers can participate in a walking tour named *One Neighbourhood-Many Faces*, which will begin at 6:45 PM. Led by Andria Efthymiou, the tour will explore the revitalized Tourkomahala area, known for its artistic community, before concluding at Mesogeios Park, where the family film *Dancing Queen* will be screened at 8 PM.
Saturday, August 29, will feature another workshop, this time aimed at teenagers aged 11 to 15. The workshop, titled *One Object, Five Perspectives*, will commence at 10 AM at the House of Letters and Arts. Participants will work in small groups to create staged photoshoots that incorporate symbols and stereotypes from film and television. Like the previous workshops, this session is free and requires registration.
Later that evening, Salina Park will host the *Common Ground Cinema Experience*, featuring parallel screenings of short films at three different outdoor locations. The films to be shown include *Ebb & Flow*, *What If They Bomb Here Tonight?*, *One Last Time*, *Crow Man*, and *There Is No Other Cyprus*. Following the screening of the documentary *There Is No Other Cyprus*, a discussion with the filmmakers will take place, in collaboration with PRIO Cyprus.
The festival will conclude on Sunday, August 30, with the walking tour *Larnaca in the Foreground*, also led by Andria Efthymiou. This tour will start from Europe Square at 6:45 PM. The final film screening will feature the Cypriot film *Thank You for Banking With Us* at Zouhouri Square at 8 PM. The festival will wrap up with a concert by Kontovourkis & Co at 9:30 PM, providing a fitting end to the four-day celebration of film and culture.
The 2nd Larnaca Film Festival promises to be a highlight of the city’s cultural calendar, offering a platform for filmmakers, educators, and the community to engage with the art of cinema. For more information and to register for workshops, visit the festival’s official website at www.larnakacinema.com.