In a gesture of great symbolic and practical significance, the Latsis Family has donated a historic property to the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh) to house the Film Department of the School of Fine Arts.

AUTh and its Rector’s Office maintained a long-standing and productive collaboration with the real estate company 3L DOTS Real Estate and its leadership. This partnership ultimately led the company’s shareholders—Spyros, Marianna, and Margarita Latsis—to decide to donate to AUTh a property purchased by their father, Yiannis Latsis, in 1963, a building with deep emotional value for the family.

The donation contract was signed today, May 22, in the University Senate Hall by AUTh Rector Professor Charalambos Feidas and Yiannis Kanellopoulos, CEO of the donating company.

A Property of High Value and Cultural Importance

The donated building is a former tobacco warehouse of significant architectural and historical interest, covering a total area of 4,399.56 square meters on a 3,784 sq.m. plot, located in the Terpsithea neighborhood of Stavroupoli, in the Municipality of Pavlos Melas.

The building consists of a basement, ground floor, two upper floors, and a rooftop structure. It has been used for nearly two decades to serve the needs of the School of Fine Arts as a rented space. The assessed value of the property is €3,289,085.54.

It currently functions as a space for education, creativity, and research, with specially designed areas for labs, screening rooms, classrooms, and offices, supporting both the Film Department and the Department of Visual and Applied Arts.

Strengthening Greece’s First University-Level Film Program

This donation marks a major boost for the Film Department, which was established in 2004 as the first academic institution for film studies in Greece.

With a modern and comprehensive curriculum, the department has gained both national and international recognition for training young creators and elevating Greek film production.

Rector Charalambos Feidas expressed his appreciation:

“I would like to sincerely thank the Latsis Family for their trust and support of Aristotle University. This is a tangible investment in the future of public higher education and culture.

Today marks a milestone for the University and the School of Fine Arts. This donation is of exceptional importance and will significantly enhance the infrastructure of the Film Department and our institution’s overall arts education. The department will now be housed in its own dedicated facilities, forming a solid foundation for its continued development.”

A Legacy of Cultural and Educational Transformation

Representing the Latsis Family, Mr. Hatziandreou noted:

“Thessaloniki’s old tobacco warehouses—buildings rich in industrial and social memory—are being transformed into spaces of culture, education, and creativity. The AUTh Film School has brought new life to this historic building, demonstrating how architectural heritage can be connected with contemporary artistic expression.

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The decision by Yiannis Latsis’s children—Spyros, Marianna, and Margarita—to donate this property is a clear expression of trust in public higher education, and a tribute to their father’s legacy—a man who believed in creativity, solidarity, social contribution, and equal access to education.”