All eyes were on Jim Jarmusch during the opening ceremony of the 54th Thessaloniki Film Festival, which took place at a packed Olympion Theatre. The American filmmaker attended the screening of his latest film Only lovers left alive, which opened this year's edition of the Festival.
Actress Eleni Roussinou was the host of the ceremony. Roussinou stars in Miss Violence, a film by Alexander Avranas, which is part of the 54th edition official program.
In his speech Festival director Dimitri Eipides said: "I believe that the 54th edition of the Thessaloniki Film Festival is particularly strong, despite the fact that the Festival is not immune to the difficulties troubling our country. I am proud that 80% of the Festival's budget comes from European funds without burdening the state budget. This year's film line-up features a total of 150 films from 54 countries. The festival will host 300 foreign and 200 Greek participants, and has organized tributes to independent filmmakers and to 20 years of Balkan Survey. Audiences will have the opportunity to watch films by beloved directors and from the increasingly powerful domestic film production."
Mr Eipides then welcomed Greek-American filmmaker Alexander Payne, who is the president of the international jury in this year's Festival. He then introduced the other members of the jury: Scott Foundas, film critic at Variety, Ada Solomon, producer, Edouard Waintrop, artistic director at the Quinzaine des Realisateurs at the Cannes International Film Festival, and musician-composer Konstantinos Vita, who will also give two concerts in the framework of this year's Festival.
Mr. Eipides also expressed his thanks to the European Regional Development Fund - Central Macedonia Operational Program 2007-2013, to the European MEDIA program, to the Ministry of Culture and Sports, to Greece's Public Television and to the Festival sponsors, who, as he noted, "continue in these difficult times to provide their support."
Taking the floor, Yiannis Andrianos, deputy minister for Culture and Sports, welcomed the "Festival's distinguished guests" on behalf of Greek prime minister Antonis Samaras and Minister of Culture and Sports Panos Panagiotopoulos. Mr Andrianos added that "the central role of the Festival in Greece's cultural affairs is universally acknowledged." He went on to remark: "This is a very important, internationally acclaimed institution, which also represents a grand celebration of independent cinema. The Festival is also a venue that allows filmmakers, especially emergent ones, to showcase their work, while it provides the opportunity to cinema lovers to enjoy quality films by established directors; it is also an institution that promotes domestic Greek cinema production. It is important that, in the face of the financial crisis, Greek cinema is not only dynamically present, but also succeeds in winning international distinctions. But the recent, steady progress of Greek cinema cannot be used as an alibi for the serious problems that still plague the domestic film industry, primarily the crisis-related lack of funding. The Greek state does support and will continue to support, to the best of its abilities, Greek cinema and culture in general."
Cultural adviser to the PM Demosthenes Davettas addressed a message on behalf of the Greek prime minister. "The prime minister is by your side, both practically and emotionally," he said, adding: "Why do we believe that the Festival is of great importance? The three words in the festival's title give the answer: Festival, cinema, Thessaloniki. The word Festival derives from the Latin festivus, meaning celebratory, denoting a community sharing a common cinematic experience; cinema is not only a sense, but reflects and embodies contemporary life, it is an expression of modernity; and Thessaloniki has historically been and should remain a centre of intercultural dialogue."
Thessaloniki mayor and president of the Festival's board Yiannis Boutaris declared the official opening of the Festival. Mr Boutaris described himself as a "film buff": "I go to the movies very often and I believe that the festival circuit is the breeding ground for all new trends in the art of cinema." Mr Boutaris welcomed the Festival audience and noted that this year's edition takes place after the 48th edition of Thessaloniki's Dimitria Festival, while it also coincides with the 4th Thessaloniki Biennale of Contemporary Art. "What does it mean for a festival to be taking place in a time of crisis? It means that the more its finances are strained, the more impressive its success becomes. The Festival means a lot to Thessaloniki, to filmmakers, and to the audience. We acknowledge the Festival's contribution to the promotion of the city, its extroversion and modern image. We also acknowledge the efforts and perseverance of the Festival's contributors, who succeed in overcoming adversities and achieving a tremendous artistic outcome that aspires to play a leading role in the international festival scene. The support of the Municipality of Thessaloniki is a given and it is substantial - this is exactly why I accepted the position of the Festival president. Our role is to provide a venue to filmmakers and making sure that the festival has everything it needs to succeed. Greek films keep winning prestigious international awards, proving that art can flourish in difficult times, perhaps because artists have their own unique way of listening to the world." In his closing remarks, Mr Boutaris thanked Mr Eipides and his associates, wished the best of luck to the Festival and said he would meet the audience in the theatres.
Under the warm and extended applause of the audience, Mr. Eipides presented Jim Jarmusch, who joined him on stage. "I am proud that my film is launching the 54th Festival. I am honoured to be here," the acclaimed director said, adding: "I would like to thank Dimitri Eipides for his guidance. I have known him for 30 years, and he is a kind of 'godfather' of interesting cinema. I also wish to thank Mr Christos Konstantakopoulos from Faliro House Productions, without whom the film would have been impossible. We were unable to secure funding for the film, but then he appeared like an angel. People like Christos and Dimitri are in the front lines of a new wave of Greek cinema and that is truly fantastic; indeed, I have met here many of its representatives. Thank you for screening my film in the opening night of your remarkable festival."
The screening of Jarmusch's film Only lovers left alive followed the official opening of the Festival. The film, starring Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston, narrates the unique story of two sophisticated rock vampires, Eve and Adam
