The festival features the work of young film directors from all over the world establishing Thessaloniki as a meeting-place between filmmakers and Greek audiences.

The following sections  are included within the framework of the festival:
Official international competition for first and second full length feature films,
Official non-competitive section for Greek films,
International informative section, a panorama of films from around the world, entitled "New Horizons",
A retrospective devoted to the work of a leading international filmmaker,
A special section dedicated to films from the Balkan region under the name "Balkan Survey".