48TH THESSALONIKI FILM FESTIVAL
November 16 - 25 2007
PRESS RELEASE
INTERNATIONAL JURY PRESS CONFERENCE
In the press conference given by this year’s 48th Thessaloniki Film Festival International Competition Jury, which consists of Jiri Menzel (President, Czech Republic) and members Fred Roos (USA), Lucrecia Martel (Argentina), Michael Fitzgerald (USA), Nae Karanfil (Romania), Yasmin Ahmad (Malaysia) and Olga Broumas (Greece), the jury explained that the films that will stand out will be the ones that provoke real feelings and focus on human nature.
The Director of the Festival, Mrs. Despina Mouzaki, started the press conference by saying: “The Competition Section of any Festival is the best way for the Festival to exhibit its focus, to present its character, to clearly state its opinion on cinema. The composition of the jury, which will judge and award is the ace up the Festival’s sleeve: it allows Festivals to play the game and have better results. The people that comprise this year’s Jury form an ideal group of renowned individuals that will ensure that the awards are presented with mature thought, bold spirit and a clear opinion”.
Regarding what that the Jury will look for in the films, the President of the Jury, Jiri Menzel said: “I hope to find a nice story about people”. Yasmin Ahmad noted that she will be looking for original and real human emotions: “We don’t find them often in cinema”. Olga Broomas added: “As a poet, I believe that every one who dreams is also a poet. In any work of art, I look for feelings of humanity and dreams”. Regarding the same question, Nae Karanfil mentioned that his favorite films are the ones that make him forget his own, while Lucrecia Martel will be looking for “the films that will have the vision and mission of humankind”.
As for the fact that this time they will be judging and not judged for their work, the President of the Jury, Jiri Menzel said, “I don’t like angry films, I like the ones that speak about humanity. Nor do I like it when life criticizes harshly”. Fred Roos explained that “It isn’t a sport, so there is no competition. All of the films are good. They have already been approved by an initial committee. Therefore, they are all valuable and we will of course be presenting them with some rewards”. Regarding the same subject, Michael Fitzgerald stated that “It’s nice to see films from all over the world. I hope I can find the person who instinctively knows how to use cinema itself. I am constantly searching for this”.
Michael Fitzgerald stressed that the Jury’s work should include a productive debate. Nae Karanfil agreed with this, saying: “Our role is to have a debate. We can’t all have coinciding opinions. We should also, however, enjoy what we are doing”.
