57th THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
November 3-13, 2016
57th TIFF OPENING CEREMONY
November 3-13, 2016
57th TIFF OPENING CEREMONY
With a special cinematic event, starring the actors Themis Bazaka and Stelios Mainas, who presented the opening ceremony, the 57th Thessaloniki Film Festival lifted curtain on Thursday, November 3, 2016, at Olympion, the historic venue of TIFF.
A surprise flight from Athens to Thessaloniki unfolded on screen, with the two actors as passengers. The finale of this cinematic flight with Aegean Airlines took place at the stage of Olympion. The video was directed by Greek filmmaker Yannis Korres, whose film Kissing? premieres this year at the 57th Festival.
“Every autumn Thessaloniki transforms into a real capital of motion pictures. And not only in autumn, since in spring there is also the Documentary Festival. And not only in spring, since all year long there is the Cinema Museum, the Cinematheque, the Olympion and Pavlos Zannas theatres, the John Cassavetes and Stavros Tornes theatres, as well as the educational programs, and the Festival's parallel events”, Themis Bazaka and Stelios Mainas reminded the cinephile audience.
In her welcome speech, TIFF’s General Director Elise Jalladeau, initially talked about the Lumiere Brothers, who “in 1895 made a train arrive at La Ciotat station in the first film in cinema history”, to add that “today, the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, open to any kind of challenge, makes a plane land in Aristotelous Square”. Mrs Jalladeau also stressed: «Cinema is really being born through the semiotics of journey. A journey at times metaphorical, such as the one described by Francois Truffaut with Jean Pierre Leaud in the film Day for Night: ‘Movies go along like trains in the night, do you understand, Alphonse?’. Sometimes the night is clear as the movies, but other times the night is so dark that you can get lost. Values inverse, hope vanishes. Still, the train of cinema keeps taking passengers to drive them to a promise of a world which is more tolerant, more educated, more accessible. Education, accessibility, tolerance: in this Festival, these words are not mere promises. They are actions that we take responsibility of with both the employees and our partners, during the two annual festival editions and all year round at the movie theaters, the Museum, the Library and the Cinematheque. As all the greatest and most beautiful adventures are always collective, I would like to thank all those who stepped aboard the train of the 57th Thessaloniki International Film Festival with us”. She thanked the Ministry of Culture and Sports, the Region of Central Macedonia for the support through the new NSRF, the European Program MEDIA, the Municipality of Thessaloniki, all the institutions from Greece and abroad that support the Festival, the sponsors, the supporters and the media sponsors, and of course the directors and film professionals “without whom nothing would have been possible”, as she said. Finally, Mrs Jalladeau thanked the members of the jury of the 57th TIFF, under the presidency of the director Amir Naderi, as well as all the Festival's juries, the employees, the partners and the volunteers for their exceptional work.
The Governor of the Region of Central Macedonia, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, took the stage of the Olympion right after, welcoming the audience to the great celebration of the city and of culture. “This year, TIFF completes its 57 years. This leading cultural institution is one of the largest cultural events in the country, having the most significant appeal not only within Greece, but internationally as well. It invites us to the magic of the seventh art and gives us the opportunity to experience unique moments. Culture is a ticket to a better life”, stressed Mr. Tzitzikostas. He added that the Region's main priority is to essentially support the area’s most important cultural institutions, aiming to openness, the cultural prominence and the multi-dimensional promotion of Central Macedonia and Thessaloniki. In this context, as he stressed, the Region obtained, through the new NSRF 2014-2020, 1.4 million euros for the Thessaloniki International Film and the Documentary Festival within the next two years. “We join hands and collaborate with all institutions that work hard and creatively for the cultural development of our area” said Mr. Tzitzikostas, congratulating the Festival's new management “who did a wonderful job this year”, as he pointed out, and also all of those who work for the event. Addressing the viewers, he wished for them to walk out of the movie theaters richer in images, ideas and creative thoughts, since “above all, cinema is a window to emotions, the world, society itself”.
For his part, in his speech, the Director of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival Orestis Andreadakis, raised the fundamental questions on the film festivals' role today: “What exactly is a festival, which are the boundaries of cinema and what is the role of the cities hosting the film festivals? These questions exist since 1932, when the first film festival, the one of Venice, was founded”. He added: “Festivals were initially exhibitions of film products, meaning film screenings, press conferences, stars parades and prizes – very often unfair or misconceived ones. Now, however, festivals have changed: they support the development of new films and scripts, contribute to the films production and distribution, the filmmakers’ networking, as well as the establishment of educational programs. Cinema itself has changed as well. Once upon a time, the only place where you could watch a movie was in a movie theater. Today most viewers, especially the young ones, watch films at home, usually illegally downloaded – this is very wrong. Even film has changed and it has been replaced by a digital archive. As for the cities, they surely help festivals, but what do festivals do for the cities? Most festivals were usually ‘carried’ into cities unknown to them”.
Mr. Andreadakis added: «Facing these questions and the spectacular changes, we want to restate the meaning of our Festival, and see it as a living entity, with many forms and shapes and a year-round activity. During the festival we discover pioneer films from all over the world and all year long we screen them at the Olympion or the Thessaloniki Cinematheque. We support Greek cinema, but at the same time enhance the international character of our Festival, since the most substantive help we can offer the Greek cinema is to support its international potential. We are wondering, though, on cinema's essence and review it as a constant discourse with the other arts. That's why we have opened a channel of communication with all the city's cultural institutions, and the industry as well, attempting essential dialogue and collaborations. Finally, we want to make the Festival accessible to everyone - including the viewers with disabilities. And most importantly, we want all these goals to be achieved in the city of Thessaloniki, with Thessaloniki being a ‘capital operation’ of a total social and cultural reformation” stressed TIFF’s Director. He also added: «We have the duty to answer these questions in order to determine the role of the Festival we plan, the boundaries of the cinema we love and the future of Thessaloniki that we dream of”.
Afterwards, the Minister of Culture and Sports, Aristides Baltas, declared the official opening of the 57th TIFF. As he pointed out, “each time I visit Thessaloniki, I feel literally uplifted. I see a city in relation to culture working together, communicating, having and promoting new ideas, opening up to the surrounding area with the wider sense, not only in Greece, but abroad as well. In that sense, I feel that culture here is finding again its meaning and this proves in a way, and allow me the oxymoron, the merits of the financial crisis. I have the feeling that we are experiencing a kind of cultural renaissance in this country. Perhaps not all of us have realized this. As a Ministry, we have yet to at least really connect with the new powers that do not easily integrate to the existing institutions, though institutions are doing their best to that end». Mr. Baltas estimated that the Thessaloniki International Film Festival «after many adventures, good or hard times, is finding again a momentum, is getting back full sail to the history of not only the local film production, not only the Greek one, but I dare say the international one as well. At the same time, it cooperates closely with institutions, cultural or not, that at first sight it wouldn't be easy to cooperate: theater, painting, photography, all venues in Thessaloniki are directly or indirectly connected with the Film Festival. At the same time, nowadays the Festival shows that Greek cinema itself has started to stretch its wings, to become internationally known, gain prizes. This means that the demands towards the Festival are growing too. The festival's management as it is, the powers that constitute it, the relations that this management is building with all organizations, cultural and commercial, as well as with the state, shows that something important is going on, even outside the boundaries of cinema”.
Afterwards, before the screening of the opening film of the 57th TIFF Paterson by Jim Jarmusch, the beloved American director sent to the audience a recorded audio message saying: «I wish I was there, with you, to enjoy the fantastic city, the great Film Festival and the most delicious food in the world. Thank you TIFF for making me the honor this year to screen both of our films, Paterson and Gimme Danger, and thank you audience for enjoying the films, each other's company and the beauty of Thessaloniki”.
Between the opening ceremony speeches, the three official trailers of the 57th TIFF were screened. The trailers are directed by Greek filmmaker Argyris Papadimitropoulos, courtesy of Bold Ogilvy & Mather and Foss Productions. The trailers are inspired by characteristic scenes of favorite films of the global cinema, inviting us to get new ideas.
All sections of the 57th TIFF, as well as the Agora/Industry are financed by the European Union - European Regional Development Fund under the ROP of Central Macedonia 2014-2020.
