Animegaron 2025-2026
“ROE,” inspired by dreams and the subconscious, seeks to capture the absurdity and discontinuity of dreams in relation to the equally absurd nature of reality: in a dreamlike world, a girl sleeps beside a spring where water flows from the mouth of a marble panther. When the water stops, the girl wakes, and a glowing sphere appears, which she swallows — setting off a chain of strange events that leaves the impression the same story will repeat itself. The film’s circular structure mirrors the way experiences and memories recur and transform over time. At the same time, it explores friendship as well as one’s deeper relationship with oneself.
The film “ROE” is being showcased on Megaron the Athens Concert Hall’s social media channels, featuring the ten best compositions selected by the jury.
The First Prize in the Animegaron 2026 International Composition Competition went to Stylianos Athanasopoulos of Greece, the Second Prize to Eleni Exarchou (Greece), and the Third Prize to Anastasia Souka Simou (Greece). The three Animegaron winners receive cash prizes and will be supported through a broad range of promotional activities. The jury also awarded a First Honorable Mention to Gavriil Farilekas of Greece and a Second Honorable Mention to Aliak Bedirian (England).
This year’s jury included:
• Giorgos Lazaridis – pianist, composer, Assistant Professor at the Department of Music Studies, University of Macedonia
• Nikos Xanthoulis – composer, soloist on ancient Greek lyre and trumpet
• Anastasia Manou – producer
• Dimitris Maragkopoulos – composer, head of the Bridges series at the Athens Concert Hall, Professor Emeritus at the Department of Music Studies, Ionian University
• Evanthia Reboutsika – composer, violin soloist
With many thanks to Zorzes Katris for his voluntary contribution to the organisation of this year’s competition.
