58th THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
2-12 November, 2017
OPENING FILM
TRIBUTES ILDIKO ENYEDI / IDA LUPINO
The 58th Thessaloniki International Film Festival kicks off on Thursday November 2, 2017 at the Olympion theatre in Thessaloniki, with Ildiko Enyedi’s latest work On Body and Soul that marked her return to filmmaking after 18 years and won the Golden Bear in this year’s Berlin IFF.
The tributes of the 58th TIFF highlight the work of two bold women filmmakers of the present and the past. The festival presents a tribute to the Hungarian director and writer Ildiko Enyedi, one of the most original female voices of contemporary European cinema, who will attend the event to present her captivating films to the audience. In addition, the festival honours the pioneer English-born actress, director, writer and producer Ida Lupino (1918-1995), the first woman who made films about taboo issues in the male-dominated Hollywood of the ‘50s.
Ildiko Enyedi Tribute
“We wanted to present you a very simple film like a glass of water. It was risky, all of my team believed in it, but we couldn’t know if the audience would join us because this film is only approachable with a generous heart”.
Ildiko Enyedi about On Body and Soul
Ildiko Enyedi’s body of work is not only accessible, but also made with great generosity. In her films, fairytales, magic and legends mingle with today’s reality in unexpected, often surreal and at the same time everyday stories, thus making her enigmatic and poetic cinematic world absolutely engaging. Enyedi has had a fascinating journey from the avant-garde art scene of the '70s to top festivals around the world, showcasing a truly distinct filmmaking style. She studied film in Budapest, became a member of the Hungarian art group Indigo and the Balazs Bela Studio and started her career as a concept and media artist before directing feature and short films that have won more than 40 international awards.
Here is a selection of Enyedi’s films that will be screened in the 58th TIFF (the full list of films will be announced soon):
Ida Lupino Tribute
“I'm mad, they say. I am temperamental and dizzy and disagreeable. Well, let them talk. I can take it. Only one person can hurt me. Her name is Ida Lupino”. Ida Lupino (1918-1995)
Ida Lupino’s fearless spirit and unconventional filmmaking are undeniably remembered and appreciated; the pioneer artist made the kind of films only few would in Hollywood in the 1950s, a time when women were limited to stand in front of the camera.
Also known as "mother" -as she wished to be addressed to on set among her male-dominated crew-, Lupino was the second female director to become a member of the Directors Guild of America (DGA), after Dorothy Arzner. Lupino was born in 1918 in London and made her acting debut in her teens, moving on to the Hollywood film scene as the “British Jean Harlow”. She signed contracts with the biggest movie studios as an actress; however she was destined to make a difference behind the camera, working in a huge film industry controlled by men. In 1949, together with her then husband Collier Young, she founded the independent production company The Filmakers and directed six low-budget films about highly controversial social topics such as rape, bigamy and illegitimacy, opposing the Hays Code.
Martin Scorsese praised Lupino’s work saying “Her films are remarkable chamber pieces that deal with challenging subjects in a clear, almost documentary fashion, and are a singular achievement in American cinema”.
Lupino’s films changed the norms of social melodrama and explored the dark aspects of human behavior through a subversive, feminine perspective. Three of them will be screened in the 58th TIFF:
“There is a little black devil inside me. Sometimes I must fight that devil. It’s a terrible fight. Someday I’m going to lose”, Lupino used to say about her inner demons. Her exciting life ended in 1995 in Los Angeles.
