OPENING CEREMONY
The curtain of the 51st Thessaloniki Film Festival went up on Friday December 3rd, with a simple opening ceremony which took place at the Olympion cinema. Images of Thessaloniki and city shots that reminded the audience of architectural models, playfully welcomed the guests, through the short film of the photographer Emmanouil Papadopoulos, entitled Addio Citta.
Following the short film screening, Festival Director, Dimitris Eipides, welcomed the audience and thanked his collaborators, as well as the volunteers and the sponsors, who made it possible to hold the Festival. “This year, the difficulties were numerous. Nevertheless, the Festival must survive and should carry on being a bright spot for the city of Thessaloniki, with which it has been so closely identified”, pointed out Mr. Eipides and underlined that this year we won’t be seeing any “Hollywood type” films, but films that approach the spectator in an original and insightful way. “The Festival means nothing without the audience, the cinema halls should be packed with people, huddles of spectators discussing should be seen right after the screenings, a passerby should enter a cinema hall to see a movie”, stressed the Festival’s artistic director and expressed the hope that the audience would enjoy this year’s cinematic choices made by the Festival.
The speech of Mr. Eipides was followed by that of the Deputy Mayor in charge of Cultural Affairs, Vassilis Gakis, who officially declared the 51st Thessaloniki Film Festival open and highlighted the role of culture and art in times of financial crisis. “In times of cutbacks, especially in terms of people’s wages, there are still people who consider culture and artistic creation a luxury, ignoring the fact that culture has been the greatest source of well-being and hope for the human race throughout its history” pointed out Mr. Gakis and went on to say: “In the maelstrom of financial crisis, the Film Festival illuminates, inspires, hopes, resists. It cuts off unnecessary expenses by demonstrating resourcefulness and a restless spirit”.
The screening of the film “127 Hours”, directed by Danny Boyle and based on the heroic adventure of the young climber Aron Ralston, was the final act of the opening ceremony.
