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59th TIFF AGORA (November 3-10, 2018 – Warehouse C)

59th THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL || 1-11/11/2018

AGORA (November 3-10, 2018 – Warehouse C)

15 projects in the 14th CROSSROADS CO-PRODUCTION FORUM

12 films in the AGORA WORKS IN PROGRESS

220 international titles in the AGORA FILM MARKET

 

Introducing the Agora ambassador

The 59th Thessaloniki International Film Festival presents a new initiative that aims to further enrich its well-established Agora section. Celebrated Greek singer-songwriter and film devotee Foivos Delivorias becomes the first Agora ambassador that will promote the section’s events and goals, collaborating with the film professionals who will attend this year’s edition. He will also present the Agora awards ceremony that will take place Friday, November 9th, 2018.

TIFF’s AGORA (November 3-10, 2018), supported by Creative Europe-MEDIA, is an industry event offering various networking opportunities for the global film industry in an informal, welcoming and professional atmosphere. As an international meeting and trading event, AGORA runs parallel to the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and offers to its visiting industry professionals a variety of industry activities which focus on the countries of Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean region:

  • The Agora Film Market with a Digital Video Library (Nov. 3-10)
  • The Agora Training Day (Nov.6)
  • The Crossroads Co-Production Forum (Nov. 7-10)
  • The Agora Works in Progress - Screening of films in post-production (Nov. 8)
  • The Thessaloniki Locarno Industry Academy (Nov. 5-10)

Moreover, TIFF’s AGORA organizes a series of additional activities which contribute further in reinforcing its role and potential in the international festival circuit: 

Thessaloniki Locarno Industry Academy International (November 5-10, 2018)

Thessaloniki International Film Festival in collaboration with the Festival del Film Locarno launched in 2016 the Thessaloniki Locarno Industry Academy International in the South Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean. The third edition will take place in Thessaloniki from November 5-10, 2018, during the 59th TIFF’s Agora. The Thessaloniki Locarno Industry Academy is a training program created to help young professionals of the cinema industry –sales agents, distributors and new media professionals– to extend their experience and networking in the fields of international sales, marketing, distribution and programming.

The Thessaloniki-Locarno Industry Academy International is part of the Locarno Industry Academy International network which include Morelia IFF in Mexico (Morelia-Imcine Locarno Industry Academy International), Australab in Chile (Valparaiso-Locarno Industry Academy International), Cinema do Brasil (Sao-Paulo-Locarno Industry Academy International), Film Society of Lincoln Center / New Directors New Films Festival in the USA (NYC-Locarno Industry Academy International), Metropolis / MC Distribution in Lebanon (Beirut-Locarno Industry Academy International).

This year’s participants are:

Duygu Cumert, Sinema TV, Turkey
Sofia Eleytheriadi, Lionsgate, UK
Elisa May, Mindjazz Pictures, Germany
Ilinka Mihailescu, Voodoo Films, Romania
Christos Politis, Feelgood Entertainment, Greece
Ruta Svedkauskaite, Pluto Film, Germany
Daria Voumard, Locarno Film Festival, Switzerland
Bohdan Zhuk, Kyiv Iff, Ukraine

 
Agora Training Day (November 6, 2018)

The AGORA provides valuable tools to the professionals of the film industry, as well as the environment to develop fruitful collaborations and creative projects. The Training Day event encourages even more the above goals by addressing to all young film directors and producers who will attend the 59th TIFF. They will have the opportunity to meet with well-established professionals who will share with them their knowledge and experiences. This year’s edition Training Day hosts representatives of the Greek Film Centre Hellas Film Commission and the National Centre of Audiovisual Media and Communication to discuss the new founded tax rebate, as well as a delegation of Chinese producers who will discuss co-production opportunities between China and Greece. In addition, presentations on marketing for film projects and completed films, as well as new ways for independent film distribution through Blockchain, will be held.

The AGORA FILM MARKET promotes the majority of the films included in the Festival’s official program selection. In addition, this year more titles from the countries that the AGORA INDUSTRY focuses on will be also presented, even though they are not part of the Festival’s main program. Moreover, the Agora Film Market includes the previews films of the Crossroads participants and a selection of Greek films produced within the last year. This year the Digital Video Library of the Agora Film Market includes 220 films from all over the world, available for viewing by the professionals who participate in the AGORA (producers, distributors, broadcasters, sales agents and consultants), as well as the Greek and international press representatives.

CROSSROADS, the Co-Production Forum headed by Marie-Pierre Macia, has selected 15 projects this year, based on the quality of the script, the creative team and the likelihood of it being produced. All selected projects are either produced or co-produced by a country in South-eastern and Central Europe or the Mediterranean area, or contain story elements linked to these regions. The selected projects come from the following countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, France, FYROM, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Turkey and UMNI Kosovo.

The producers of these 15 projects will be introduced to a variety of industry professionals from all over the world. The program is varied and provides opportunities to meet other producers, distributors, broadcasters, sales agents and consultants. Crossroads’ goal is to support the producers of feature-length film projects that are linked to the Mediterranean and Balkan regions in finding the right partners to finance and accomplish their projects.

The Crossroads Awards are:

  • The Greek post-production house Two Thirty Five (2|35 Inc) offers the main prize of a co-production award (image and sound) to the winning project.
  • The Centre national du cinéma et de l’ image animée (CNC) offers 8.000 euro for script development.
  • The ARTE Kino International Prize offers 6.000 euro to one of the projects.
  • The Producers Network of the Cannes Film Festival offers a free accreditation for the 2019 edition.
  • Sofia Meetings of the Sofia IFF will select one project to be presented in March at the Sofia Meetings 2019.
  • The Mediterranean Film Institute Script 2 Film Workshops offers a scholarship for its 2019 Workshop to one of the projects.
  • The French firm Initiative Film will offer script consultation to one Greek project.
  • CINEMED will include at least one Greek project in the Development Grant selection according to its state of development and follow the films from Crossroads and Works in Progress in regards to its program selection.
  • Heretic Asterisk* will offer Packaging and Project Marketing Strategy.
  • The new award by EAVE, THESSALONIKI EAVE Marketing Workshop Scholarship will select one project for its 2019 Marketing Lab.


Crossroads also collaborates with MIDPOINT - A Training and Networking Platform for Film and TV Development.

The 2018 Crossroads jury consists of:

Ada Solomon– Producer, Hi Film Productions – Romania
Pascal Diot – Head of the Venice Production Bridge, Venice FF – Italy
Alexis Hofmann – Sales Agent, BAC Films – France
Annamaria Lodato –International Relations, ARTE – France 

This year’s projects are:

  1. 40 Days, Director-Producer: Penny Panagiotopoulou - P.P. Productions, Co-production: Twenty Twenty Vision, Manny Films, Greece-Germany-France
  2. BARBAROSSA, Director: Sotiris Goritsas, Production: Iraklis Mavroidis, Angelos Venetis – Boo Productions, Greece
  3. BEGGAR, Director: Nadejda Koseva, Production: Vladimir Andreev – Borough Film, Bulgaria In collaboration with Sofia Meetings
  4. COZ YOU’RE UGLY, Director: Sharon Angelhart, Production: Assaf Amir - Norma Productions, Israel
  5. DOMINA MARIS, Director: Silvia Perra, Production: Luca Cabriolu - Ombre Rosse Film Production, Co-production: Sandra da Fonseca - Blue Monday Productions, Italy-France
  6. EVERYTHING IN ITS RIGHT PLACE, Director: Berrak Çolak, Production: Engin Palabıyık - Harikulade Film & Müge Özen - Solis Film, Turkey
  7. INCHALLA BOY, Director: Amjad Al Rasheed, Production: Rula Nasser, Aseel Abu Ayyash – The Imaginarium, Jordan
  8. THE LAND WITHIN ME, Director: Fisnik Maxhuni, Production: Britta Rindelaub, Jasmin Basic - Alva Film Production, Switzerland-UNMI Kossovo
  9. M (working title): Director: Vardan Tozija, Production: Darko Popov – Focus Pocus Films, Co-production: Miroslav Mogorovic- Art & Popcorn, FYROM-Serbia
  10. MAYSOON, Director: Nancy Biniadaki, Production: Christopher Zitterbart – Watchmen Productions, Germany In collaboration with MFI Script 2 Film Workshop
  11. MIGNON, Director: Sofia Georgovassili, Production: Vasilis Chrysanthopoulos - Plays2place, Co-production: Irina Andreea Malcea – Luna Film, Greece-Romania
  12. THE NIGHTSIREN, Director: Tereza Nvotová, Production: Peter Badač - BFILM,  Co-production: Moloko film, Slovakia-Czech Republic
  13. REGRET, Director: Kosta Đorđević, Production: Miloš Ivanović - Kinematografska kuca, Serbia In collaboration with MIDPOINT
  14. THE VOICE OF AN ANGEL, Director: Telémachos Alexiou, Production: Anja Wendell -  Czar Film, Co-production: Fenia Kossovitsa – Blonde, Germany-Greece
  15. VORTEX, Director: Chrysanthos Margonis, Production: Eleni Kossyfidou - Blackbird Production, Greece

The AGORA WORKS IN PROGRESS are closed sessions for Thessaloniki’s invited industry professionals, presented to sales agents, distributors, producers and festival representatives. This year 12 films are produced or co-produced by the following countries: Algeria, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey and the USA.

The awards for a film in post-production include:

  1. The Eurimages Lab Project Award for unconventional projects which amounts up to €50,000. Through the Lab Project Award, Eurimages is investing in new forms of cinematographic expression and actively participating in the renewal of European cinema.
  2. Greek post-production house Graal provides a post-production award in kind services to one film participating in the Agora Works in Progress section.
  3. The Greek music company MuSou offers the music and sound award (composition and production of an original film score, music supervision, and assistance in licensing of commercial music for use in the film and audio post-production services).

 The 2018 Agora Works in Progress Jury consists of:

Lorenzo Esposito, Film Programmer, Cinéma du Réel – Italy
Sofia Exarchou – Film Director – Greece
Valeska Neu – Sales Agent, Films Boutique – Germany
Tamara Tatishvili – Eurimages Representative – Georgia 

This year’s films are:

  1. ALASKA Director: Alain Raoust, Production: Tom Dercourt – Cinema Defacto, Co-production: Terratreme Filmes, France-Portugal
  2. ΤHE CANDIDATE Director: Ercan Kesal, Production: Kerem Catay, Yamac Okur, Suzan Guverte – Ay Yapım, Poyraz Film, Turkey
  3. THE CONSPICUOUS PARTS Director: Assaf Gruber, Production: Assaf Gruber, Co-productions: Filmblades, Talking Projects, Cyprus-Belgium-Germany-France
  4. COOK F—K KILL Director: Mira Fornay, Production: Viktor Schwartz - Cineart Tv Prague, Co-production: MIRAFOX, Czech Republic-Slovakia
  5. FREEDOM LANDSCAPES Director: Marta Popivoda, Production: Dragana Jovovic - Theory at Work, Co-production: Marta Popivoda, Serbia-German
  6. IN THE STRANGE PURSUIT OF LAURA DURAND Director: Dimitris Bavellas, Production: Gina Petropoulou – Vox Documentaries, Co-production: Alatas Films, 2|35, Cekta, Fantasia Audiovisual Ltd, Novi Film Greece-Serbia-Bosnia & Herzegovina
  7. THE KING OF THE FOREST Director: Szabolcs Tolnai, Production: Szabolcs Tolnai – Atalanta Doo, Co-production: Kép-Árnyék Bt, Serbia-Hungary
  8. OROSLAN Director: Matjaž Ivanišin, Production: MihaČernec – Staragara, Co-production: i/o post, Slovenia-Czech Republic
  9. PAPICHA Director: Mounia Meddour, Production: Patrick André - High Sea Production, Co-production: The Ink Connection, France-Algeria
  10. SQIZO Director: Duccio Fabbri, Production: Laura Romano – FilmAffair, Co-production: Les Films d’Ici, Italy-France-USA
  11. UNDERGROWN Director: Marta Ribeiro, Production: Joana Peralta – VIDEOLOTION, Portugal
  12. A SIMPLE MAN Director: Tassos Gerakinis, Production: Nikos Moustakas – Bad Crowd, Co-production: Arizona Productions, Greece-France (Out of Competition) 

In addition, Agora presents two new initiatives for film professionals:

Friday November 2: Europa Cinemas Innovation Day Lab

(Takis Kanellopoulos Theatre, Cinema Museum, Port, 10:00-18:00)

Thessaloniki IFF, Europa Cinemas and the Greek Cinema Federation exhibitors co-organize the Europa Cinemas Innovation Day Lab with the topic “Cinema-Goers of Today and Tomorrow: How to Develop and Renew Audiences“. The Workshop is dedicated to cinema exhibitors and presentations will be held by Nina Peče, Director of Kinodvor (Slovenia) and Marynia Gierat, manager of Kino Pod Baranami (Poland).

Saturday November 10: Children’s films in South-eastern Europe
(Warehouse C, Port, 12:00 – 14:00)

Thessaloniki IFF, acknowledging the importance of young audiences for the present and the future of the audiovisual industry in the wider region, presents the study “Films for Kids in South-eastern Europe: A state of play" to the industry professionals attending Thessaloniki. The results of the study will be discussed taking the first step in ensuing ideas and solutions for this important issue.

For more information please contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.