53RD THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
November 2 –11, 2012
AGORA INDUSTRY
November 3-10, 2012
PRESS RELEASE
17 projects at the 8th CROSSROADS CO-PRODUCTION FORUM
12 films in AGORA WORKS IN PROGRESS
300 international titles in the AGORA FILM MARKET
AGORA INDUSTRY (November 3-10, 2012) is an industry event offering many networking opportunities for the global film industry in an informal, hospitable and professional atmosphere. As an international meeting and trading umbrella, AGORA INDUSTRY runs parallel to the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and offers to its visiting industry professionals a variety of industry activities:
• The Crossroads TIFF Co-Production Forum (November 6-10)
• The Agora Works in Progress - Screening of films in post-production (November 8)
• The Agora Film Market with a Digital Video Library (November 3-10)
All Industry activities focus on the countries of Central Europe, the Balkans and the Mediterranean.
CROSSROADS, the Co-Production Forum headed by Marie-Pierre Macia, has selected 17 projects this year, based on the quality of the script, the creative team and the likelihood of it being produced. All selected projects are either produced or co-produced by a country in South-eastern and Central Europe or the Mediterranean area, or contain story elements linked to these regions. The selected projects come from the following countries: Algeria, Belgium, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Jordan, Italy, Lebanon, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey.
The producers of these 17 projects will be introduced to a variety of industry professionals from all over the world. The program is varied and provides opportunities to meet other producers, distributors, broadcasters, sales agents and consultants. CROSSROADS’ goal is to support the producers of feature-length film projects that are linked to the Mediterranean and Balkan regions in finding the right partners to finance and accomplish their projects. The Crossroads Awards are:
• The Greek post-production house Two Thirty Five offers the main prize of a co-production award (image and sound post) to the winning project
• CNC offers 7.000 euro for project development
• The Producer’s Network of the Cannes IFF offers a free accreditation for the Producer’s Network in the Cannes Film Festival 2013
• Sofia Meetings of the Sofia IFF will select one project to be presented in March at the Sofia Meetings 2013
• The Mediterranean Film Institute Script 2 Film Workshops offers a scholarship for its next round of Script 2 Film Workshops to one of the projects
• Initiative Film, a scrip-development consultancy firm in France, offers its services to one of the projects
The Crossroads jury consists of:
Anthony Muir - Film i Vast senior executive for international co-productions, Sweden
Holger Stern, ZDF/ARTE– commissioning editor, Germany
Maria Hatzakou, Haos Films – Producer, Greece
This year’s projects are the following:
1. 69 MIDAN MESSAHA, Director: Ayten Amin, Producer: Wael Omar, Middle West Films, Egypt
2. ALGIERS BY NIGHT, Director: Yanis Koussim, Producer: Claire Mazeaum-Karoum, Une Chambre a Soi Productions, Algeria
3. APPLE ORCHARD, Director: Carlos Chahine, Producer: Georges Schoucair, Abbout Productions, Lebanon
4. BACHA BAZI: BOYS FOR PLAY (working title), Director: Ana Lazarevic, Producer: Vanja Popovic, Phanatic, Serbia
5. EASY, Director: Andrea Magnani, Producer: Chiara Barbo, Bartlebyfilm S.r.l., Italy
MFI SCRIPT 2 FILM Project
6. ERASED, Director: Miha Mazzini, Producer: Frenk Ceralrc , Gustav Film, Slovenia
7. FACTORY GIRL, Director: Mohamed Khan, Producer: Mohamed Samir, DayDream Art Production, Egypt
8. GOLDEN DAY, Director: Vardis Marinakis, Producer: Alexandra Boussiou, Wrong Men, Greece
9. HAPPY BIRTHDAY (working title), Director: Christos Georgiou, Producer: Thanassis Karathanos, Twenty Twenty Vision/ Lychnari Productions Limited, Germany/Greece/Cyprus
10. KEBAB ROYAL, Directors: Peter Brosens & Jessica Woodworth, Producer: Philippe Avril, Unlimited, France/ Belgium
11. ME, MYSELF AND MURDOCH, Director: Yahya Alabdallah, Producer: Rula Nasser, The Imaginarium Films, Jordan
12. MOTHERLAND, Director: Senem Tuzen, Producer: Olena Yershova, Tatofilm, Yeni Sinemacilar, Turkey
13. NO TEARS, Directors: Yagmur Taylan and Durul Taylan, Producer: Zeynep Ozbatur Atakan, Sezgi Ustun, Zeynofilm, Turkey
14. PARK (working title), Director: Sofia Exarchou, Producer: Amanda Livanou, Guanaco, Greece
15. RAW AND COOKED, Director: Gabriel Achim, Producer: Dan Burlac, Green Film Romania - SOFIA MEETINGS Project
16. TALES OF VIRTUE, Director: Deniz Gamze Erguven, Producer: Charlotte Vincent, Aurora Films, France/Turkey
17. THROUGH MY VEINS, Director/ Producer: Florin Serban, Fantascope, Romania
The AGORA WORKS IN PROGRESS are closed sessions for Thessaloniki’s invited industry professionals, presented to sales agents, distributors, producers and festival representatives. 12 films have been selected from the Czech Republic, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Slovak Republic and Turkey.
Graal S.A, a leading post- production house in Greece, will provide the winning film of the Works in Progress section with post–production services. Previous recipient of the Award was Annemarie Jacir’s second feature film When I Saw You, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival 2012.
The Agora Works in Progress Jury consists of:
Michael Weber, Match Factory, General Manager, Germany
Remi Bonhomme, Cannes IFF Critic’s Week, Program Manager, France
Irene Souganidou, Feelgood Entertainment, Distributor, Greece
The films are:
1. BLACK DIAMONDS, 2012, Director: Miguel Alcantud, Producer: Carlo D'Ursi, Potenza Producciones s.l., Spain/Portugal/Estonia/Mali
2. HUNGRY MAN, 2012, Director: Philip Martin, Producer: Xenia Maingot, Philip Martin, Eaux Vives Productions, France
3. I AM A VAGRANT, 2012, Director: Charles Najman, Producer: Cecile Vacheret, Sedna Films, France
4. THE IMPECCABLES, 2012, Director: Ramin Matin, Producer: Emine Yildirim, Giyotin Film, Turkey
5. THE JAPANESE DOG, 2012, Director: Tudor Cristian Jurgiu, Producer: Tudor Giurgiu, Libra Film Productions, Romania - The Japanese Dog participated in the Thessaloniki Crossroads Co-production Forum in 2010
6. LATE SEASON, 2012, Director: Danilo Caputo, Producer: Franco Caputo, Taratata Film, Co-producers: The crew members, Italy
7. LUTON, 2013, Director: Michalis Konstantatos, Producer: Yorgos Tsourgiannis, Horsefly Production, Greece - Luton participated in the Thessaloniki Crossroads Co-production Forum in 2010
8. MATTRESS AND COVERS, 2012, Director: Ahmad Abdalla, Producer: Mohamed Hefzy, Film Clinic, Co-producer: Omar Shama, Egypt
9. MY DOG KILLER, 2013, Director: Mira Fornay, Producer: Juraj Buzalka, Mirafox, Co-producer: Viktor Schwarcz, Cineart TV Prague, Slovak Republic / Czech Republic
10. SEABURNERS, 2013, Director: Melisa Onel, Producers: Yamac Okur & Asli Erdem, Bulut Film, Turkey
Seaburners participated in the Thessaloniki Crossroads Co-production Forum in 2011
11. SEPTEMBER, 2012, Director/Producer: Penny Panayotopoulou, P.P. Productions, Co-producer: Thanassis Karathanos, Twenty Twenty Vision, Greece/Germany
September participated in the Thessaloniki Balkan Script Development Fund in 2010 and in the Crossroads Co-production Forum in 2011
12. WILD DUCK, 2012, Director: Yannis Sakaridis, Producers: Venia Vergou, Yannis Sakaridis, Athens Filmmakers' Co-Operative, Greece
Agora Industry is sponsored and supported by:
