PRESS CONFERENCE OF THE JURY
The 49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival welcomed the Jury of the International Competition section during a press conference held at Warehouse C, in Thessaloniki’s port, on Sunday, November16th.
The president of the Jury, Michael Ondaatje (Canada), and its members David Robinson (Great Britain), Diablo Cody (USA), Lita Stantic (Argentine), Yesim Ustaoglou (Turkey), Emilie Dequenne (France) and Dionysis Savvopoulos (Grece), said they were all very happy about participating in the Festival and assured everybody that they intend to judge the films without being prejudiced, thinking first as viewers and then as reviewers.
TIFF Director Despina Mouzaki stressed that the identity of a film festival is largely affected by the selection of the International Competition films, as well as by the selection of the jury members who will evaluate and reward the films.
Answering the question about how they would judge the work of others, the President of the Jury, Michael Ondaatje, underlined that a jury consisted of people of completely different backgrounds in terms of profession and culture ensures a democratic procedure. ‘Personal taste may vary but it is always combined with experience and intellect’, pointed out Mr. Ondaatje.
‘I never tried to avoid criticism towards my work, nor have I hesitated to express my opinion’ mentioned Dionysis Savvopoulos, who also mentioned the 1976 Film Festival of Thessaloniki and his refusal to accept the festival’s music award he had won for his work in Pandelis Voulgaris’ film ‘Happy Day’.
‘When a great film makes a good impression on you, it doesn’t leave any room for judging criterions’, quoted David Robinson, while Diablo Cody added that her opinion is formed by the emotional impact of a film. ’What I expect from a film is to move me, to make me forget about things, to drive me into the heart of its story’, said Emilie Dequenne. ’I am looking for honesty, aesthetic value, as well as learning something out of every film’, underlined Yesim Ustaoglou.
Michael Ondaatje stressed that European and Asian films carry great hope for the cinema’s future and that they should be distributed worldwide.
‘Art cannot change the world, but it can influence the minds of the people who can bring a change’, said Dionysis Savvopoulos, when asked about the power of cinema as an art form.
