AWARD PRESENTATION
GREEK FILM AND TELEVISION TECHNICIANS ASSOCIATION – AV DEPARTMENT
GREEK FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
DEWARS AUDIENCE AWARD
Today, Sunday, November 30th 2003, in the framework of the 44th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, at the packed Warehouse C of the Thessaloniki port, took place the presentation of the Greek Film and Television Technicians Association – AV Department, the Greek Film Critics Association and the Dewars Audience awards.
GREEK FILM AND TELEVISION TECHNICIANS ASSOCIATION – AV DEPARTMENT AWARDS
The Director of the Thessaloniki Film Festival, Michel Demopoulos, read the statement by the Greek Film and Television Technicians Association – AV Department. "With a unanimous decision, the Jury of the Greek Film and Television Technicians Association – AV Department, comprised of cinematographer Andreas Sinanos, cinematographer Efstathios Govas, set and costume designer Spyros Karagiannis, set and costume designer Dimitra Labretsa, producer Sotiris Lambropoulos, producer Emilios Mihailidis, editor Christos Sadatsoglou and sound engineer Dimitris Georgiou, presents the, Special award for technical excellence to the film ‘A touch of spice’ by Tassos Boulmetis”.
The director thanked the technicians and the Jury of the Greek Film and Television Technicians Association who honored him and his collaborators with this distinction.
GREEK FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS
Kostas Terzis, the president of the Greek Film Critics Association, read the Association’s statement. “After an exhausting discussion and the exchange of opinions, the members of the Greek Film Critics Association decided to present the Greek Film Critics Association award to the film ‘Matchbox’ by Yannis Economidis”.
“A film that risks much and dares to contest with the flammable Greek family, capturing it from the inside of a matchbox – behind the four walls of a Greek home. The film is distinguished for its methodical organization of its claustrophobic structure, for its systematic script –which the actors’ contribution brought to life- and its passionate and climaxing narration. The moment when the action seems to become encaged in the ‘matchbox’, it reveals Greek society, portraying and accentuating –with modern cinematography- the hollow and especially dramatic clashes of everyday life”. Yannis Economidis thanked “the brave, hard-working members of the Greek Film Critics Association. This distinction is especially important to us. We would like to thank the Association”.
DEWARS AUDIENCE AWARDS
Michel Demopoulos spoke about the Dewars Audience award saying that, “In recent years the audience and the filmmakers have the chance to meet at the Thessaloniki Film Festival. This contact presents an indication, which isn’t always an acknowledgement, of the reception a film might have from the audience. The emotion, speculation, laughter or any other quality a film may expose, is judged for the first time when the Festival lights are turned off. In this festival, the audience award is in its seventh year of operation. This is extremely important. It is a clear depiction of the creative relationship between the films and the audience. The initiator of the award for the past five years has been the ‘Bacardi Hellas’ company”. “From our indications this year, the Festival had approximately 85,000 ticket sales, breaking the record of 80,000. About 20,000 were from the International Competition section and the Greek films, out of which 15,000 voted the audience awards. In other words, it’s an institution that is firmly established in the Festival’s audience’s mind”.
The company representative, Stefanos Miniadis, said, “I’m very happy to be here again this year and to be part of the audience’s acknowledgment in the Dewars audience award presentation. It makes me extremely happy to see that the audience participation in the Dewars audience award is continuously increasing. This year, it surpassed 65%. This is proof that the audience has grown to love this institution and support it. I’d like to firstly thank the filmmakers for presenting their work and the audience for taking the time to vote and express its opinion. I’d also like to thank the people of the Festival for our continued and excellent collaboration”.
This year, the Dewars audience award was presented by the famous actor Yannis Vouros, who, as Mr. Demopoulos said, “has a long and successful career in the theater. Yannis Vouros, though, is also here for another reason. It is his first appearance in television in Andreas Thomopoulos’ film, ‘Love me do’”. Yannis Vouros stated that, “Beginning this year, I’m able to participate in these events and to feel proud of being part of this wonderful company, in this lovely atmosphere, that the people of cinema create. I’m actually here for another reason but this is a great chance to thank Andreas Thomopoulos for giving me the opportunity to do my first film at 48”. “I don’t have to explain what an audience award means to a film. I feel obliged, though, to state that this festival gestates new ideas, has objectives, a vision, a passion, and the breadth to underline in the best way the following: how a film is received, not by people who are aware of all the intricacies involved in the making of a film, but by the audience. This award has a special significance for me”.
The Dewars Audience award for best foreign film, accompanied by a prize of €3,000 goes to the film “A nation without women” by Manish Jha.
Manish Jha, the director of the film said, “I may be a bit angry with the international jury for not winning an award, but the films belong to the audience and I’m extremely happy to win the audience award. I’ve attended numerous festivals and received awards at Cannes and Venice but I’ve never felt such a warm reception like the one here from the Thessaloniki Film Festival’s fantastic audience. I made this film about “A nation without women”, but I’m rather happy to be in a country with so many beautiful women. Thank you and I love you all”.
The Dewars Audience award for best Greek film, accompanied by a prize of €3,000 goes to the film “A touch of spice” by Tassos Boulmetis.
The director, along with his producers, thanked “the wonderful audience that honored us and thanks to our sponsor, Dewars, gave us the ability to have an initial reflection of the acceptance of our film in Thessaloniki. Of course, we would also like to thank the general public for our films ticket sales that reached 750,000 last night. Thank you all very much”.
