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Agora/Industry, the industry section of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, announced its awards on Friday, November 10, 2017, in Warehouse C, as part of the 58th Thessaloniki International Film Festival.

The first to speak was the head of Agora/Industry and TIFF consultant for innovative programs and new technologies Yianna Sarri, thanking the participants, the sponsors, the jury and the film industry professionals that supported the event, while she did not omit to stress the valuable contribution of Creative Europe Media program, which supports the Agora.

Consequently, the director of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival Orestis Andreadakis warmly thanked the participants for their kindness and talent, and the sponsors for their moral and material support.

This year’s Agora awards are the following:

The 13th Crossroads Co-production Forum awards:

The jury of the 13th Crossroads Co-Production Forum consists of Teresa Hoefert de Turegano (funding advisor, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Germany), Dominique Welinski (producer, DW, France) and Konstantinos Kontovrakis (producer, Heretic, Greece), and grants:

Ι. The co-production award (audiovisual) by the Greek post-production company 2|35 to the film project
MARGHERITA, Directed by: Valentina Carnelutti, Produced by: Marco Alessi - Dugong Films & Valentina Carnelutti - Fioere Leonen Produzioni, Italy

The jury reasoning: “For the courage of letting teenagers be teenagers”.

The producer of the winning project will also be granted a free accreditation for the Producer’s Network session of Cannes Film Festival 2018.

II. Τhe Centre National Du Cinema Et De L’ Image Animée (CNC), a French public organization aiming to the support and promotion of cinema in France and abroad, grants, for a seventh year in a row, a Development award of 10,000 euros for script development, as part of the Crossroads Co-production Forum.

The jury grants the award to the film project
200 METERS, Directed by: Ameen Nayfeh, Produced by: May Odeh - Odeh Films, Palestine.

The jury reasoning: “For breaking down walls and helping them run their financing marathon”.

III. THE MuSou award provides composition and production of an original film score, music supervision and licensing of commercial music for use in the film, as well as audio post production services.

The jury grants the award to the film project
ZUHAL, Directed by: Nazlύ Elif Durlu, Produced by: Anna Maria Aslanoğlu - istos film, Turkey

The jury reasoning: “For the organic and inventive use of sound in the narrative and the inner world of the main character”.

ΙV. Heretic Asterisk provides services in development and packaging.

The jury grants the award to the film project
RAINBOWS DON’T LAST LONG, Directed by: Mayye Zayed, Produced by: Mayye Zayed – Rufy’s Films, Co-production: Halina Dyrschka – Ambrosia Film, Egypt, Germany

The jury reasoning: “To help her reach the Red Sea and the international market”.

MFI SCRIPT 2 FILM WORKSHOPS, organized by the Mediterranean Film Institute (MFI) awards a full scholarship to the film project
200 METERS, Directed by: Ameen Nayfeh, Produced by: May Odeh - Odeh Films, Palestine.

VI. To MFI Script 2 Film Workshops also awards a half scholarship to the film project
RAINBOWS DON’T LAST LONG, Directed by: Mayye Zayed, Produced by: Mayye Zayed – Rufy’s Films, Co-production: Halina Dyrschka – Ambrosia Film, Egypt, Germany

VΙI. For a seventh year in a row the French consulting firm Initiative Film, represented by the CEO Isabelle Fauvel will offer its services to a Greek project. The selected project is:

WE KISS IN DARK NIGHTCLUBS AND I EXPLAIN, Directed by: Daphné Hérétakis, Produced by: Jasmina Sijercic - Bocalupo Flms, Yorgos Tsourgiannis - Horsefly Productions, France, Greece

The jury reasoning: “As it represents a great challenge to work with a young filmmaker who is crossing the path from experimental non-narrative background to her fiction feature film in which nowadays Athens has the role of the main character”

“Often, in this hard film industry world, directors and producers feel lonely and need any kind of advice, help and guidance while they try to realize their project”, Isabelle Fauvel said.

Agora Works in Progress awards

The Agora Works in Progress jury, consisting of Bero Beyer (Artistic Director, International Film Festival Rotterdam – The Netherlands), Dorien van de Pas, (Netherland Film Fund/Eurimages Representative, The Netherlands) and Ilias Georgiopoulos, (distributor, Danaos Films, Greece) granted two films out of 12 that took part in this year’s Works in Progress.

“This year’s Works in Progress selection took us to different places, both geographically and emotionally. There was a clear sense of wanting to use the power of cinema to investigate societies and relationships in sometimes very remote areas of Europe and the human condition. All projects had passionate filmmakers that made up for the restrictions in budget with a richness of imagination and perseverance. Two projects stood out for their originality of storytelling and exploration of the very medium of cinema itself” said Bero Beyer on behalf of the jury.

VIΙI. GRAAL post-production award of Agora Works in Progress section with in kind services in image post-production to the film
SISTER, Directed by: Svetla Tsotsorkova, Produced by: Svetoslav Ovcharov – Omega Films, Vetla Tsotsorkova– Front Film, Bulgaria

The jury reasoning: “The Graal post-production award goes to a personal and deeply human film with a striking lead character and a fierce director”.

IX. Eurimages Lab Project Award of Agora Works in Progress section amounts up to 50.000 euros, and is granted this year for the second time in a row in the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. This particular award, as Yianna Sarri explained, is only granted in four European film festivals (Karlovy Vary, Haugesund, Les Arcs and TIFF).

Eurimages Lab Project Award is granted to the film
SPEAK SO I CAN SEE YOU, Directed by: Marija Stojnic, Produced by: Marija Stojnic, Milos Ivanovic, Bilboke, Co-production: Tibor Keser, Vanja Jambrovic – Restart, Serbia, Croatia.

The film Speak So I can See you took part in this year’s EDN Docs in Thessaloniki which took place in the 19th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.

The jury reasoning: “The jury selected a film which tries to create an innovative and playful cinematic experience through the transforming use of sound”.

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An open discussion on the alternative distribution of Greek films through Greek cinema festivals and universities in the USA and Australia took place on Friday November 10, 2017, in Pavlos Zannas theatre, as part of the 58^th Thessaloniki International Film Festival.

The keynote speakers in this discussion, one of this year’s edition sidebar events, were Vassilis Loules (director), Jimmy DeMetro (NYC Greek Film Festival Director), Aristotle Katopodis (LA Greek Film Festival Artistic Director), Kyveli Short (San Francisco Greek Film Festival Co-Director), Nia Karteris (Sydney Greek Film Festival Chair), Lisa Linardou (Promotion and Film Festivals Hellas Film – Greek Film Centre), in the presence of Rebecca Fong, US Consul General in Thessaloniki.

Welcoming the distinguished guests and the audience at the event, the director Vassilis Loules thanked TIFF for the invitation noting: “This is a discussion which should have been made a long time ago. Greek cinema festivals around the world support Greek films both in terms of quality and of commerciality, and are of great importance for the film directors”.

Speaking immediately afterwards on behalf of the Greek Film Centre, Lisa Linardou stressed that interest for Greek films dates back to 80s and festivals are a direct and alternative way of distribution, that embraces all genres. “The various festivals turn to us in order to screen Greek films. Up to now we collect information as to domestic production. In countries with many expatriates, there is great interest for Greek films. Their first step is to turn to the Greek Film Centre, and we help them set up the festival according to their needs. In total, we have collaborated with 21 festivals, from Europe to Brazil, Lebanon and Canada”, she added.

Consequently, the Sydney Greek Film Festival Chair Nia Karteris stressed the expatriates’ need to express their opinion on culture. As she noted, Sydney Greek Film Festival is turning 24 this year and is the third biggest festival in Australia. “Our aim is to promote culture and preserve the Greek language. We dare to screen films that raise awareness and give food for thought. The program of the event also includes a short film section, with films created by children and their teachers. In last years we observe an increase of viewers thanks to the films’ high quality. Greek directors, in spite of the economic distress, create films that move expatriates. I believe that culture is going to get us out of the crisis, and our aim is to promote it”, Mrs Karteris said.

In her turn, Kyveli Short, San Francisco Greek Film Festival Co-Director, noted: “Our festival promotes Greek cinema and supports the dissemination of Greek studies. We are trying to open up to the American public; in fact, we are collaborating with San Francisco Film Festival that allocates various scholarships”.

Consequently, the LA Greek Film Festival Artistic Director, Aristotle Katopodis, said: “We are lucky to be in the heart of film industry, and we are trying to make Greeks part of it. We accept films from everywhere, from any place where there are Greeks. We also maintain good relationships with LA universities. In fact, in one of them we organize special courses on our festival and afterwards the students participate with various ways in the event. We also promote film screenings in various places, so as to show people there is this cinema as well”.

For Jimmy DeMetro, NYC Greek Film Festival Director, cinema was a part of his life since he was a kid. The festival he represents had humble beginnings 11 years ago, as he noted, but it has sold 46.000 tickets since. “The Greek community of New York is very active and all of us are doing voluntary work for the event. We have a balanced program of commercial and alternative films through which we are promoting Greece itself, since 27% of the viewers come from other countries. We are promoting the idea of creating a Greek Film Festival in every corner of America and I wish we will succeed”, he concluded.

A dear friend of Thessaloniki International Film Festival and the Greek audience, the American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter Alexander Payne returned to Thessaloniki to present his new film Downsizing that had its Greek premiere at the 58^th TIFF. On this occasion, Payne gave a press conference on Thursday November 9, 2017 at Warehouse C, together with his close collaborator, acclaimed cinematographer Phedon Papamichael.

TIFF’s Agora Works in Progress opened on Thursday, November 9, 2017, at the Olympion theatre, as part of the 58^th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, in the presence of TIFF’s General Director, Elise Jalladeau.

Yianna Sarri, head of the Agora, welcomed the participants and thanked the sponsors and the collaborators of the section, announcing: “This year, we have twelve projects, eleven of which are competing and one is not. We wish you enjoy the screenings!”.

In its previous editions, Works in Progress hosted cinema projects by directors such as: Argyris Papadimitropoulos, Angelos Frantzis, Margarita Manda, Yannis Economides, Asaf Korman and Mira Fornay, amongst others.

This year's Works in Progress jury is comprised by Dorien van de Pas (Representative of Netherlands Filmfund-Eurimages, The Netherlands), Bero Beyer (Artistic Director of International Film Festival Rotterdam, Netherlands) and Ilias Georgiopoulos (Distributor, Danaos Films, Greece).

The Agora Works in Progress section hosts exclusive screenings for the Agora's accredited guests: producers, sales agents, distributors and festival representatives who attend the 58^th TIFF. This way, said professionals are given the opportunity to be the first ones to discover feature films from the Mediterranean, Central Europe and Balkan regions at a near-completion stage.

This year’s Works in Progress films are:

1. A Shelter among the Clouds, Director: Robert Budina, Production: Robert Budina & Sabina Kodra – ERAFILM, Albania - The film was presented as a project in Crossroads 2015
2. Bad Poems, Director: Gábor Reisz, Production: Julia Berkes - Proton Cinema, Co-producer: Estelle Robin You - Les films du Balibari, Hungary-France
3. Charcoal, Director: Esmaeel Monsef, Production: Etienne de Ricaud - Caractères Productions, Co-producer: Nader T. Homayoun - Alias Films, France-Iran
4. Dead Horse Nebula, Director: Tarik Aktaş, Production: Güneş Şekeroğlu - Hay Film, Co-producer: Guillaume De Seille - Arizona Films, Turkey-France
5. Siren’s Call, Director: Ramin Matin, Production: Emine Yıldırım, Oğuz Kaynak - Giyotin Film, Turkey
6. Sister, Director: Svetla Tsotsorkova, Production: Svetoslav Ovcharov - Omega Films, Co-producer: Svetla Tsotsorkova, Bulgaria
7. Snowing!, Director: Kristina Nedvědová, Production: Jitka Kotrlová - Frame Films, Co-producer: Barrandov Studio, Frame100r, Bystrouška, i/o post, Czech Republic
8. Speak So I Can See You, Director: Marija Stojnic, Producer: Marija Stojnic, Milos Ivanovic – Bilboke, Co-producer: Tibor Keser, Vanja Jambrovic - Restart, Serbia-Croatia
9. Trot, Director: Xacio Baño, Producer: Luisa Romeo - Frida Films, Co-producer: Marija Razgute - Ciobreliai Films, Spain-Lithuania
10. Unpleasant, Director: Giorgos Georgopoulos, Producer: Giorgos Georgopoulos – Multivision, Co-producer: Antonis Kotzias, Yafka, Greece
11. The Waiter, Director: Steve Krikris, Producer: Steve Krikris – Filmiki Productions, Co-producer: Nikolas Alavanos, Greece
12. Zizotek, Director: Vardis Marinakis, Producer: Konstantinos Vassilaros – StudioBauhaus, Co-production: Red Carpet Films, Greece-Bulgaria - The film was presented as a project in Crossroads 2016

The Works in Progress section hosts the Eurimages Lab Project Award that amounts up to 50,000 euros for unconventional projects, while, for the seventh consecutive year, the Agora collaborates with Graal, which provides a post-production award in kind services to one film participating in the Agora Works in Progress section.

On the occasion of the screening of the three films competing this year for the LUX Prize, awarded each year by the European Parliament, a press conference took place on Wednesday 8 November 2017, at Warehouse C, as part of the 58^th Thessaloniki International Film Festival.

 The three competing films for the LUX Prize, which will be hosted in this year’s event, are the following: BPM (Beats per Minute) by Robin Campillo (France), which is already released in Greek cinemas, Amanda Kernell’s Sami Blood (Sweden-Denmark-Norway), which won last year’s 57^th TIFF “Human Values Award” of the Hellenic Parliament, and Western by Valeska Grisebach (Germany-Bulgaria-United Kingdom) which premieres in this year’s festival edition. The LUX award ceremony will take place on Wednesday 15 November 2017 during the EP plenary session in Strasbourg.

TIFF’s head of programming and member of the panel selecting the films for the LUX Prize Yorgos Krassakopoulos was the press conference moderator, and welcomed Leonidas Antonakopoulos, Head of the European Parliament Office in Greece, to the panel of the event.

Yorgos Krassakopoulos stressed that it’s the sixth year in a row that the TIFF hosts the three shortlisted films of the LUX Prize, an initiative that began 11 years ago. Consequently, Mr Antonakopoulos talked about the European Parliament’s contribution to this attempt to spread and disseminate the good quality European cinema. He added that the European Parliament covers the cost of subtitling the three finalist films in all 24 EU official languages and gives thus the opportunity to every EU citizen to watch them in their language. “This initiative surpasses the narrow artistic limits and reflects the multiculturalism which consists the real foundation of Europe and the EU. All competing films, and not solely the three shortlisted ones, manifest the European values, as they are reflected in the concepts of solidarity, tolerance, freedom of speech, and human rights protection. The European Parliament aspires to act as these values’ guardian”, Mr Antonakopoulos added. 

Immediately afterwards, Mr Krassakopoulos described the finalist films selection procedure, during which a 21-member panel composed of people working in various cinematic professions -producers, programmers, critics, film directors- select films out of a long list, end up initially in 10, and then in three, which compete for the LUX Prize. Nevertheless, the final selection will not be made by the initial panel, but by the MEPs, who watch the three films and vote. “We are trying to find a happy medium between content and artistic value, so that each selected film addresses a topic that concerns today’s Europe, and at the same time is up to high artistic standards”, he added.

On his turn, Leonidas Antonakopoulos noted: “The European Parliament’s relation with cinema is now a procedure fully integrated to the organizational structure of the EU. The appeal of LUX Prizes within the Parliament gets bigger every year, as is the the MEPs’ participation. I must also say that the Education and Culture Committee’s work is in the right direction, as is the European Commission’s Creative Europe program. Our immediate plans include collaboration with even more institutions, in order to create more platforms for interaction and dissemination of good quality cinema in all 28 EU member states”, he concluded.