The Agora of the 65th Thessaloniki International Film Festival (October 31st-November 10th 2024) is delighted to announce the opening of submissions for the Agora Works in Progress section, bringing forth the cinema of tomorrow.
The Agora supports films from our wider geographical region, namely from the countries of Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean. The countries that take center stage at Agora and are eligible to submit films are: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kosovo*, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine. The guest country within the framework of the Bridge to the North action will be announced soon. Festival’s Agora, with the support of the Creative Europe Media programme, invites filmmakers to submit their film projects and films.
AGORA WORKS IN PROGRESS
November 3-7, 2024
Submission deadline: September 6, 2024
The Thessaloniki International Film Festival’s Agora Works in Progress section hosts screenings reserved only for the industry’s accredited guests, and presented to the producers, sales agents, distributors, and festival programmers that take part in the 65th TiFF. This way, the above-mentioned professionals will be the first ones to discover full-length films from the countries of the Mediterranean, Central and Southeastern Europe currently at the stage just prior to their completion.
Films that have participated in previous editions of the Agora Works in Progress include: The Sea and its Waves - Liana & Renaud (Cannes FF - ACID Cannes 2023), Silence 6-9 - Christos Passalis (Karlovy Vary IFF Competition 2022), Have you Seen this Woman? - Dušan Zorić, Matija Gluščević (Venice FF - International Film Critics’ Week), Pelikan - Filip Heraković (Tallinn Black Nights FF), How is Katia? - Christina Tynkevych (Locarno FF - Cineasti del Presente 2022 - Special Jury Prize, Best Actress), The City and the City - Syllas Tzoumerkas and Christos Passalis (Berlinale Encounters Competition 2022), Moon, 66 Questions - Jacqueline Lentzou (Berlinale Encounters 2021), Rock Bottom Riser - Fern Silva (Berlinale Encounters 2021- Special Mention), SWEAT - Magnus von Horn (Cannes FF- Cannes Label 2020), Last Days of Spring - Isabel Lamberti (Cannes FF - ACID Cannes 2020, San Sebastián IFF - New Directors Award), Papicha - Mounia Meddour (Cannes FF- Un Certain Regard 2019).
Agora Works in Progress - Awards:
Jury Awards:
Creative Image Post Services
Sound mixing services
2,000 euro to a Greek project
Independent Awards:
10,000 euro to a Greek project participating in the Agora (Crossroads Co-production Forum and Agora Works in Progress)
More information and the application form here: https://www.filmfestival.gr/en/professionals/tiff-agora/26577-works-in-progress
CROSSROADS CO-PRODUCTION FORUM
November 3-7, 2024
Submission deadline: June 21, 2024
Submissions for the 20th Crossroads Co-production Forum will remain open up until the 21st of June. The goal of the programme is to offer support to the full-length fiction film producers related to regions of the Mediterranean, Southeastern and Central Europe. The movies should be produced or co-produced in countries from these geographical regions or have specific plot elements linked to these regions. The creative teams (director and producer) of the selected projects in development will have the chance to showcase their work and discuss their plans with producers, investors, distributors, sales agents, representatives of film festivals and film markers, as well as top-notch professionals from various sectors of the film industry that will take part in the 65th TiFF.
AGORA FILM MARKET
November 3-December 31, 2024
Applications will be available from July 22, 2024
Submission deadline: October 14, 2024
The Agora Film Market promotes the majority of the feature films participating in the official sections of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The Film Market includes additional titles from the countries that Agora focuses on and are not part of the Festival’s official selection. This way, more films are given the opportunity to find their way to other international film festivals, and distribution companies. Also, the Film Market includes a selection of Greek films produced within the past two years.
THESSALONIKI LOCARNO INDUSTRY ACADEMY
November 2-7, 2024
Applications will be available from July 15, 2024
Application deadline: August 16, 2024
Thessaloniki International Film Festival teams up with Locarno International Film Festival to co-host the Thessaloniki Locarno Industry Academy initiative, a training programme that aims at helping young professionals of the cinema industry and new media specialized in the promotion and distribution of films to expand their experience and professional network in the fields of international sales, marketing, distribution and programming.
AGORA SERIES
November 2-3, 2024
Agora Series is back in action this year with an enhanced programme dedicated to series taking place on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd of November 2024. This initiative of the Festival aspires to serve as lynchpin between film production and television series and other platforms, including masterclasses by internationally acclaimed industry professionals, insightful talks on the trend topics of the audiovisual industry, such as AI, IP and social impact as well as co-production case study project presentations. This year, the Agora Series through its programming and sessions sets the focus in series co-production for television and streaming platforms.
AGORA SHORT FILM LAB
November 3-7, 2024
Agora Short Film Lab is an initiative co-organized with Drama International Short FF and Clermont-Ferrand International Short FF. The directors of the awarded films from the two short films festivals will have the chance to get in contact with acclaimed professionals of the field, receiving invaluable practical advice for their future steps, and namely the transition to the world of full-length movies.
MEET THE FUTURE
The Festival’s successful initiative aims at turning the spotlight each year to a different sector of the Greek film industry professionals, bringing forth their work and offering priceless support for their promotion and networking within the international film stage. In previous events, the Festival focused on up-and-coming screenwriters, film directors, directors of photography, film editors, and young actors. The professionals that will take part in this year’s Meet the Future section will be announced soon.
BRIDGE TO THE NORTH
Agora’s most recent initiative, Bridge to the North, is a new collaborative bridge between the South and the North οf Europe, hosting each year a different guest country from the Baltic or the Scandinavian region. Bridge to the North is exploring new opportunities in financing and artistic collaborations, creating fertile ground for co-productions, synergies and cultural exchange.
AGORA TALKS
Each year, Agora presents to film industry professionals and the projects that take part in the Festival the necessary tools that will enable a better understanding of the various and diverse issues that concern them. From script development and co-production, all the way to marketing, sale and distribution of a film, Agora gives the floor to specialists who share their experiences and offer practical advice.
For more information on this year’s AGORA and its activities and events, please visit https://www.filmfestival.gr/en/professionals/tiff-agora or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
