Thessaloniki Film Festival Chief Hopes Event Can Help ‘Ease Pain’ in ‘Difficult’ Times: ‘Cinema Matters’ — SkimNews
Get the Culture newsletter
Daily culture — film, music, books, the trends and ideas worth your attention. Free.
- Thessaloniki Film Festival opens its 67th edition Nov. 5 with Andrey Zvyagintsev’s “Minotaur” and closes Nov. 15 with May el-Toukhy’s “Woman Unknown.”
- Orestis Andreadakis said the lineup reflects wars, massacres, the far right and neo-fascism, social unrest, uncertainty around artificial intelligence and the climate crisis, and he hopes the films will offer hope, ease pain and resist polarization and dehumanization.
- Thessaloniki Film Festival programmed 258 films, with 10 competing for the Golden Alexander; its Greek representation comprises 26 features and 28 shorts, including seven Greek features selected for three international competition sections.
- Oliver Laxe will curate the “Welcome to the Desert” sidebar and address festival audiences, while Emin Alper will receive a tribute spanning his Berlinale Silver Bear winner “Salvation” and Fatih Akin will present “Ghost Song,” which opened at San Sebastian.
- Agora supports directors, producers, distributors, screenwriters, technicians and actors by providing networking, international partnerships and routes into overseas markets and festivals, while expanding collaborations across Europe and beyond.
- Orestis Andreadakis said the festival hopes to keep growing and changing as audiences watch films in new ways, bringing younger audiences back to shared cinema and strengthening Agora into a key hub for European projects and collaborations.
Why it matters: For Greek filmmakers, the festival offers a concrete route beyond screenings: 26 Greek features are programmed, seven in international competition, while Agora connects directors, producers, distributors and technicians with partners and overseas festivals. Running Nov. 5-15, the event combines that market access with explicit efforts to attract younger audiences and make Thessaloniki a European hub.
Ask SkimNews
