AGORA (Nov 3-11), the industry section of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, has selected for the Works in Progress 10 films from 7 countries from Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean region.
AGORA, supported by the Creative Europe-MEDIA programme, offers a variety of networking and co-production opportunities for the global film industry. As an international meeting and networking event, AGORA operates in a hybrid format and offers a variety of industry activities, which focus on the countries of the wider Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean region.
The Agora Works in Progress selects projects in the post-production stage, which have a link to the Mediterranean region and Southeastern Europe, and presents them to sales agents, distributors, producers, streaming platforms and festival programmers with the objective to raise finishing funds, secure sales agents and festival premieres, and book meetings with potential partners.
This year’s powerful projects challenge contemporary issues and gaze upon the human condition through gripping imagery, sometimes painfully beautiful storytelling and creative cinematic language. Their common compass navigates us through the subjects of social injustice, exploration of human relationships and common desires and choices people make to treat one another and the environment they inhabit.
Agora Works in Progress - Awards:
The jury is composed of:
Rémi Bigot, Head of the Semaine de la Critique, France, Anna Germanidi, Director of Exhibition and Programming, Modern Films, UK, Markéta Šantrochová, Head of the Czech Film Center, Czech Republic.
TIFF64 AGORA Works in Progress | List of selected films
BEACHCOMBER
Director: Aristotelis Maragkos, Scriptwriters: Aristotelis Maragkos, Chrysoula Korovesi Producer: Konstantinos Koukoulis - ΠLANKTON
Greece
BONDS, ROOTS AND PASSIONS
Director: Sunay Terzioğlu, Scriptwriter: Ferit Karahan, Producer: Timur Harzadın - Denge Yapim ve Danışmanlık
Türkiye
CLEAR NIGHTS
Director/Scriptwriter: Paulo Filipe Monteiro, Producers: Pandora da Cunha Telles, Pablo Iraola - Ukbar Filmes
Portugal
GROWING DOWN
Director: Bálint Dániel Sós, Scriptwriters: Bálint Dániel Sós, Gergő Nagy V.
Producer: Ádám Farkas - CineSuper
Hungary
HALISA
Director/Scriptwriter: Sophie Artus, Producers: Yochanan Kredo, Linor Lavi - July August Productions
Israel
HAPPY PEOPLE
Director: Filip Peruzović, Scriptwriters: Filip Peruzović, Nikolina Bogdanović, Producer: Tena Gojić - Dinaridi Film
Croatia
LULA LEBLANC
Director/Scriptwriter: Stergios Paschos, Producers: Nicholas Alavanos - Filmiki Productions, Marni Films, Co-producers: Ready2Cast, Prosenghisi, Balthazar Films
Greece
MALDIVES
Director/Scriptwriter: Daniel Bolda, Producer: Nicholas Alavanos - Filmiki Productions
Co-producer: Daniel Bolda - Edelweiss
Greece
MEAT
Director/Scriptwriter: Dimitris Nakos, Producer: Thanos Anastopoulos - Fantasia Ltd, Co-producer: Foss Productions
Greece
YOUTHFUL GRACE
Director/Scriptwriter: Yuval Shani, Producers: Efrat Cohen, Kobi Azran - Gaudeamus Productions, Co-producer: Dominique Welinski - DW
Israel, France
Films that have participated in previous editions of the Agora Works in Progress include: THE SEA AND ITS WAVES by Liana & Renaud (Cannes FF - ACID Cannes 2023), HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WOMAN? by Dušan Zorić & Matija Gluščević (Venice FF - International Film Critics’ Week), PELIKAN by Filip Heraković (Tallinn Black Nights FF), HOW IS KATIA? by Christina Tynkevych (Locarno FF - Cineasti del Presente 2022 - Special Jury Prize, Best Actress), ROCK BOTTOM RISER by Fern Silva (Berlinale Encounters 2021- Special Mention), MOTHER LODE by Matteo Tortone (Venice FF- Venice Critics Week 2021), MOON, 66 QUESTIONS by Jacqueline Lentzou (Berlinale Encounters 2021), SWEAT by Magnus von Horn (Cannes FF- Cannes Label 2020).
