63rd THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
3-13/11/2022
Yorgos Kapoutzidis is the new ambassador of Agora, which branches out to the field of television
Featuring beloved script writer, director and actor Yorgos Kapoutzidis as ambassador, unveiling the newly established Agora Series section that grabs the pulse of our times, with Angeliki Vergou as its new head, along with pioneering activities and initiatives in support of Greek cinema, the Agora of the 63rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival (3-13/11/2022) is getting ready to welcome once again the Greek and international film industry in Thessaloniki.
As Agora’s ambassador at the 63rd Thessaloniki Festival, Yorgos Kapoutzidis will promote all substantial activities that pave the way to tomorrow’s cinema, while taking on the task of communicating the pivotal role of Agora to filmmakers, journalists, as well as to the audience.
In this year’s edition, Agora is breaking ground with new actions and initiatives, extending its range beyond the professionals of the film industry and reaching out to all cinema-lovers. Through its new sections Agora Series, the Festival dares to touch upon the relation between cinema and TV and delve into the affinities of the two fields, while hosting a masterclass of the TV script writer and producer Victor Quinaz (Big Mouth, GLOW of Netflix, among others), titled “Don’t be scared, it’s only TV!”. In addition, through a series of think tanks it seeks suggestions and hopes to trigger changes for the purpose of offering support to the national and European film industry community.
In this year’s Festival, as every year, the Festival’s Agora is boosting Greek cinema by hosting a series of new activities and initiatives that aim to offer useful advice and tools to all debutant upcoming professionals of the film industry. In addition, Agora showcases a series of fascinating discussions featuring distinguished speakers and guests.
Let us take a brief glance at the actions hosted by the 63rd TIFF’s Agora:
Agora, the Festival’s most dynamic and developmental branch, has served as the jumping-off point for many of the most successful films of recent years. The 63rd TIFF’s Agora, held this year from November 4 to November 12, 2022, has been continuously supported by the Creative Europe-MEDIA program, bestowing awards in services and cash prizes. Agora’s digital library is back, in collaboration with Cinando platform, offering accredited professionals the chance to watch online more than 200 selected films featured in Agora and the 63rd TIFF’s program.
The Crossroads Co-Production Forum Awards include: Two Thirty-Five (2|35) Post-production (image and sound) award, the 8,000-euro award for script development bestowed by CNC - Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, the ArteKino International Prize that amounts to 6,000 euros, the Finos Film 3,000-euro award granted to a Greek project, the Producers’ Network of the Cannes FF accreditation, the selection of a project by Sofia Meetings of the Sofia IFF, the Mediterranean Film Institute Script2Film Workshops scholarship, the consultation services offered to a Greek project by Initiative Film, the THESSALONIKI EAVE Marketing Workshop Scholarship, as well as the cash prize of 10,000 euros accompanying the Onassis Cinema Award granted to a Greek project taking part in Agora (Works in Progress και Crossroads Co-Production Forum).
The awards bestowed within the framework of the Agora Works in Progress are: the Authorwave Post-production award image post-production services, the MuSou Music Group Award - Sound/music post-production services award, the 119 Marvila Studios - Sound Mix services award, the Yafka VFX Award for visual effects services, the Onassis Cinema Award accompanied by a 10,000-euro cash prize, granted to a Greek project taking part in Agora (Crossroads Co-production Forum & Works in Progress), the Asterisk* - Marketing Award, as well as the ERT Agora Works in Progress Award accompanied by a 2000-euro cash prize, granted to a Greek project.
Agora Series (November 10, 2022)
The 63rd TIFF’s Agora is launching in November 2022 this newly established section, in collaboration with the Greek Film Centre, with the aim of setting up a network of communication with the professionals that create series for TV networks and platforms, but also to serve as a steady meeting point and springboard for future actions that would contribute to the field’s further development.
This year’s kick-off includes networking actions and discussion panels giving the floor to speakers, professionals and artists of the series production from both Greece and abroad. Agora’s new section rallies up Greek and foreing producers, creators of series for TV networks and platforms, as well as representatives from networks of national and worldwide scale. In particular, the Agora Series section will be honored by the presence of Faye Tsitsipi (Cosmote TV), Konstantinos Bourounis (ERT), Konstantinos Sousoulas (Mega Channel), George Pofantis (ANT1) and Yannis Donos (ANT1+). In addition, the list of speakers includes the people behind some of the most successful series of the last few years, such as Lefteris Charitos (Agries Melisses), Vardis Marinakis (Siopilos Dromos), Katerina Mpei (Ta kalytera mas hronia) and Christoforos Papakaliatis (Maestro). Moreover, acclaimed professionals such as Fenia Cossovitsa (Blonde - The Other Me, Tehran), Ioanna Davi (Indigo View - To nisi, Commandos and Dragons), Dionyssis Samiotis (Tanweer - 42°C) and Orestis Plakias (Foss Productions - Milky Way) will share their experiences from working as TV series producers, alongside Markos Holevas, President of the Board of Directors of the Greek Film Centre.
The international community of content production for TV networks and platforms will be represented by prominent producers from abroad. The panel, hosted in collaboration with the Greek Film Centre, includes Italian content manager Veronica Vitali, representing Netflix, British Sam Hoyle from Sky Studios (Broadchurch, Doctor Who), UK-based Julien Leroux, executive producer of the TV series Tehran, Serbian Boban Jevtić of Firefly Productions and Peter Nadermann from Germany’s Nadcon production (The Bridge). In addition, the audience will have the chance to attend a masterclass on the creation and development of TV content delivered by the renowned American script writer and producer, Victor Quinaz.
The event will call it a wrap with the special screening of COSMOTE TV, where the audience will be given the chance to watch in avant-premiere the third’s season first episode of the Greek mega-hit series The Other Me, at Tonia Marketaki theater, at 10pm.
Agora Series
Masterclass: Don’t be scared, it’s only TV!
Thursday November 10th / Pavlos Zannas - 12:00-14:00
With the script writer and producer Victor Quinaz
In his workshop “Don’t be scared, it’s only TV!" focused on the burgeoning world of international television production, TV writer and executive producer Victor Quinaz (Netflix’s Big Mouth & GLOW) will take participants on a journey through the ever-evolving, seemingly crowded landscape of streaming entertainment. From inception through production through release, Victor hopes to illuminate what was once the province of Hollywood but is quickly growing into a global orgy of stories, shows, format, content, and crap.
Think Tank: The Future of European Markets (November 5, 2022)
On November 5, 2022, Thessaloniki Film Festival is setting in motion a series of three hybrid Think Tanks, having as goal to incite the active participation in the wider discussion, to trigger related and relevant topics and issues, to exchange views on the impending challenges, but also to offer useful support to other European film markets - regardless of their size and impact - that are willing to touch upon this grave question and seek answers: Film Markets should keep on operating in the same way? What course of action would signal a meaningful change?
Among the European Film Markets committed to take part, as is the case for TIFF’s Agora, stand out the names of Cannes Marché du Film, Berlinale Co-production Market, Venice Production Bridge, IFFR Pro, Karlovy Vary Eastern Promises, When East Meets West and more.
Crossroads Co-production Forum (November 6-10, 2022)
Crossroads Co-production Forum aims at offering support to the fiction films producers connected to the regions of the Mediterranean and Southeastern and Central Europe. The producers of the selected projects will have the chance to showcase and discuss their projects with co-producers, distributors, sales agents and top-notch pundits of the production field.
In its previous editions, Crossroads Co-production Forum included projects such as recently awarded films:
The Crossroads Co-production Forum projects of the 63rd TIFF’s Agora are the following:
ACHINOS
Director/Scriptwriter: Iris Baglanea, Producer: Ioanna Bolomyti - Atalante Productions SA, Greece
AN OLD MAN REPLACED
Director/Scriptwriter: Thanos Samaras, Producer: Romanna Lobach - AKRAN Creative Company, Greece
DOG DAYS
Director: Imanol Rayo, Scriptwriters: Imanol Rayo, Carlos Bassas, Nerea Loiola, Producer: Iker Ganuza - Lamia Producciones, Spain
THE FIRST CYPRIOT ASTRONAUT
Director/Scriptwriter: Stavros Pamballis, Producer: Marinos Charalambous - Boycott Films, Co-producers: Joyce Pierpoline - Pierpoline Films, Inc., Bernhard Pucher - Iron Box Films, Cyprus, United Kingdom
FIVE MURDERS WITHOUT A CAUSE
Director/Scriptwriter: Kostas Gerampinis, Producer: Vasilis Chrysanthopoulos - PLAYS2PLACE, Greece
HOLIDAY
Director/Scriptwriter: Wissam Charaf, Producers: Charlotte Vincent, Katia Khazak - Aurora Films, Co-producers: Marco Valeiro Fusco - Intramovies, Pierre Sarraf - Né à Beyrouth films, France, Italy, Lebanon
LIFE IN A BEAT
Director/Scriptwriter: Amerissa Basta, Co-writer: Dimitris Nakos, Producers: Ioanna Soultani - Soul Productions, Dimitris Nakos, Co-producers: Dejan Krajcevski - Krug Film, Panos Bisdas - Authowave, Greece, North Macedonia
LOOSE
Director: Tudor Jurgiu, Scriptwriter: Anca Buja, Producer: Bogdan Craciun - Libra Film, Co-producer: Konstantina Stavrianou - Graal S.A, Romania, Greece
LOST YEARS
Director/Scriptwriter: Aron Horvath, Producers: Andraž Jerič - Temporama, Jerca Jerič, Slovenia
LOVER, NOT A FIGHTER
Director/Scriptwriter: Martina Buchelová, Producers: Michaela Kaliská, Erika Paulinská - NINJA Films, Co-Producer: Julie Žáčková - Unit and Sofa Prague, Slovakia, Czech Republic
LOVE THY NEIGHBOR
Director/Scriptwriter: Siegrid Alnoy, Producer: Xénia Maingot - Eaux Vives Productions, France
RIEN NE VA PLUS
Director/Scriptwriter: Daniel Bolda, Producer: Nicholas Alavanos - Filmiki Productions, Greece
VATER
Director: Anna Morozova, Scriptwriter: Anna Chernivtsi, Anna Morozova, Producer: Kyrylo Nechmonia - Mir&Co Production, Ukraine
Y
Directors/Scriptwriters: Alexandru Baciu, Maria Popistașu, Producer: Anamaria Antoci - Tangaj Production, Romania
Agora Works in Progress (November 6-10, 2022)
Eight films will take part in Agora’s Works in Progress section, which will be held both physically in Thessaloniki and online. The participating films are at the stage right before their completion and will be showcased to the invited professionals of the film industry. Agora’s Works in Progress section hosts screenings that are exclusively addressed to Agora’s accredited guests and presented to the producers, sales agents, distributors and Festival representatives that will attend the 63rd edition of TIFF. This way, the above-mentioned film industry professionals will be given the chance to be the first to single out movies from the Mediterranean, Central Europe and the Balkans that have entered the last stage before their completion.
Silence 6-9 by Christos Passalis (Karlovy Vary IFF 2022 International Competition)
Moon, 66 Questions by Jacqueline Lentzou (Berlinale Encounters Competition 2021)
Rock Bottom Riser by Fern Silva (Special Mention - Berlinale Encounters Competition 2021, 23rd TDF >>Film Forward Competition)
Landscapes of Resistance by Marta Popivoda (IFFR - Tiger Competition 2021, 23rd TDF >>Film Forward Competition - Golden Alexander, Heart of Sarajevo IFF)
SWEAT by Magnus von Horn (Cannes 2020 Label),
Last Days of Spring by Isabel Lamberti (L’ACID Cannes 2020 Label, New Directors Award at San Sebastián IFF 2020)
Papicha by Mounia Meddour (Un Certain Regard Cannes 2019)
Suntan by Argyris Papadimitropoulos (IFFR, SXSW 2016)
Ursa Minor by Elissavet Chronopoulou (Göteborg IFF 2016)
Symptom by Angelos Frantzis (Torino IFF, Thessaloniki IFF 2015)
Stratos by Yannis Economidis (International Competition - Berlin FF 2014)
Dogtooth by Yorgos Lanthimos (Un Certain Regard Cannes 2009)
The films of the Agora Works in Progress are the following:
I'M HERE, I'M FINE
Director: Emine Emel Balci, Producer: Dilek Aydin - Heimatlos Films, Co-producers: Derya Turkmen, Jens Meurer - Egoli & Tossell Pictures, Turkiye, Germany
Crossroads Co-production Forum participant 2020
MEDIUM (Working Τitle)
Director: Christina Ioakeimidi, Producers: Louizos Aslanidis, Yorgos Noussias - Ekso Productions, Co-producer: Veselka Kiryakova - Red Carpet Films, Greece, Bulgaria
Crossroads Co-production Forum participant 2020
OBSERVING
Director: Janez Burger, Producers: Miha Černec, Jozko Rutar, Nina Robnik - Staragara Production, Co-producers: Igor Prinčič -Transmedia Production, Robert Jazadziski - Kaval Film, Boris T. Matic - Propeler Film, Slovenia, Italy, North Macedonia, Croatia
POLYDROSO
Director: Alexandros Voulgaris, Producers: Nicholas Alavanos, Christina Stavropoulou - Filmiki Productions, Greece
THE SEA AND ITS WAVES
Directors: Liana & Renaud, Producer: Mathieu Mullier-Griffiths - Kafard Films, France, Lebanon
Crossroads Co-production Forum participant 2013
SILENCE OF SIRENS
Director: Gazmend Nela, Producers: Arben Shala - Frame, Valon Bajgora, Yll Uka - Ikonë Studio, Britta Rindelaub, Thomas Reichlin - Alva Film, Co-producers: Tomi Salkovski - Skopje Film Studio, Paskal Semini - AlbaSky Film,
Kosovo*, Switzerland
THE SUMMER WITH CARMEN
Director: Zacharias Mavroeidis, Producer: Ioanna Bolomyti - Atalante Productions SA, Greece
Crossroads Co-production Forum participant 2020
SWEET SORROW
Director: Kosta Djordjević, Producer: Milos Ivanović - Kinematografska kuća, Co-producer: Ivana Marinić-Kragić - Marinis Media, Serbia, Croatia
Crossroads Co-production Forum participant 2018
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
Meet the Future (8-12 November 2022)
Meet the Future section is the Festival’s initiative that builds a bridge between Greek Cinema and Agora, aiming at bringing forth each year a different branch of Greek cinema’s professionals, by promoting their work and providing valuable tools for their pitching and networking in the international stage. In this year’s edition, the torch is passed on to some of the most highly praised names of young and upcoming actors and actresses, who have already made their first steps in Greek cinema and are bound to find themselves in the spotlight of attention in the years to come.
All Meet the Future participants will showcase their work to Greek and international Agora accredited professionals via self-tapes on Wednesday November 9, in an event that will be hosted at Warehouse C, and will go on to take part in a three-day acting workshop, while having the chance to attend the tribute’s masterclasses. Meet the Future’s acting seminar will be delivered by Aulona Lupa, graduate of the Athens Conservatory Drama School and founder of the Acting on Camera Seminar, the first intensive and fully rounded acting on camera seminar in Greece.
The actors and actresses that take part in the the 63rd TIFF’s Meet the Future section are the following: Klelia Andriolatou, Vangelis Evangelinos, Iosif Gavrielatos, Konstantinos Georgopoulos, Abigael Loma, Efthalia Papacosta, Niki Papandreou.
Agora Short Film Lab (November 6-9, 2022)
Agora Short Film Lab, taking place from November 6 to November 9 within the framework of the 63rd TIFF, is a Thessaloniki Film Festival initiative, in collaboration with Drama International Short Film Festival and Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.
The directors eligible to take part in Agora Short Film Lab are the three recipients of the most prestigious awards bestowed in the Drama International Short Film Festival National Competition (Golden Dionysus of Best Film, Best Director Award, Best Screenplay Award), as well as the three filmmakers that snatched the top awards in this year’s Clermont-Ferrand (International Competition Grand Prize, Lab Competition Grand Prize and National Competition Grand Prize).
The participants will have the chance to come in contact with top-notch professionals of the field, receiving invaluable practical tips for their next steps and more particularly for the transition into full-length film production. Agora Short Film Lab instructors will share their precious experience and knowledge on the different stages of the filmmaking process, such as the script, the production, marketing, as well as the pivotal role of sales agents. In addition, they will provide guidelines on pitching and networking, as well as useful information on the European programs targeted to film production. The participants will also be given the chance to attend the Festival and the full spectrum of Agora’s activities, as well as to exchange views and experiences with colleagues and acclaimed guests from Greece and abroad.
The directors taking part in Agora Short Film Lab, through their award-winning films in DISFF are: Michalis Kimonas, Thanos Tokakis and Valentin Stejskal - Austria.
The directors taking part in Agora Short Film Lab, through their award-winning films in Clermont-Ferrand Festival are: Marion Harlez Citti - France, Théo Jollet - France, George-Alex Nagle - Australia.
Thessaloniki Locarno Industry Academy (November 5-10, 2022)
Thessaloniki Locarno Industry Academy 2022, an important collaboration between the festivals of Thessaloniki and Locarno that celebrates its seventh consecutive year, renews its appointment with TIFF once again! In this high-intensity program, top-notch professionals of the international stage will share valuable knowledge and experience with eight participants from Greece and abroad through discussions, presentations, case studies analyses and group projects. The individualized training offered by the program will enable participants to broaden their professional network in the fields of international sales, marketing, distribution and film programming.
Here’s the list of the 63rd TIFF’s Thessaloniki Locarno Industry Academy participants:
Zuzana Černá
Festival Programmer, Prague IFF - Czech Republic
Anaïs Gagliardi
Sales, Memento International - France
Manon Grodner
Sales, France
Tasos Mallios
Festival Programmer, Aegean IFF - Greece
Senka Radivojević
Sales, Film Republic - Serbia
Hugo Revello
Sales, Kinology - France
Ofelya Tovmasyan
Sales, GoQuest Media - Armenia
Agora Talks (November 5-12, 2022)
Agora Talks are back in action with a series of exciting talks and presentation that aim at offering accredited professionals the tools and tips to better comprehend and cope with issues such as:
A glance at the ambassador of the 63rd TIFF’s Agora
Yorgos Kapoutzidis was born in Serres and studied Law at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the city where he first came in contact with theatre as a member of the Thessaloniki French Institute’s theatre group. He rose to fame as both actor and scriptwriter through a number of TV series (Savvatogennimenes, Sto Para Pente and Ethniki Ellados) where he starred in and wrote the script. His most recent work, titled Serres, is currently screened at ANT1+, featuring as the first Greek series of the new platform. Over the last years, he has been actively engaged in theatre, both as a playwright and a stage director. His sophomore play, 42497, is staged at theatre IVI in Athens. In addition, he has teamed up with the National Theatre of Northern Greece, as his debut play, Whoever wants to break up, let's raise a hand, ιs scheduled to premiere at Vasiliko Theatre.
