The Agora Talks of the 64th Thessaloniki International Film Festival were successfully completed on Wednesday, November 8th, with the discussion held at MoMus - Museum of Photography, titled "Going "Glocal": Building networking strategies in the audiovisual industry" where the role and importance of networking at a local and international level took center stage. Lina Mylonaki, Head of Film Office Central Macedonia (GR), Dionysia Arvanitou, Production support advisor & project coordinator, Film Office-Central Macedonia (GR), Venia Vergou, Crew United Greece (GR) and Felix Gerd Schneider, Producer, Avriofilms (GR) attended the panel. The discussion was held in collaboration with the Film Office of the Region of Central Macedonia and Crew United.
Ms. Lina Mylonaki set off the discussion by introducing the Film Office - Central Macedonia, briefly presenting its work and goals, through a short video with highlights over its three-year run, including highlights from the film Behind the haystacks, by Asimina Proedrou, selected as the Greek entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards. "When our Film Office started to operate we would not even dare imagine that a film shot with our help would be selected as the Greek entry for the Academy Awards, it was a pleasant surprise for us," Ms. Mylonaki noted. "Our goal is to become the link among locations, people and projects, as a local support body for productions carried out in our Region. However, we knew that we wanted to support both local talent and the local community, to build a bridge between them and understand their needs," she said. "So we had to promote the idea that our Region is a promising destination in film production. We first gathered the related experts, listened to their needs and thus created the first Local Industry Guide of our Region, directly and indirectly linked to the audiovisual sector".
Then, Ms. Dionysia Arvanitou, Production support advisor & project coordinator of the Film Office-Central Macedonia (GR), took the floor and proceeded to a detailed analysis of the Local Industry Guide, highlighting the reason why the Region of Central Macedonia is an ideal destination for film production. "I want to say to all production companies that we know very well that time is money and that professional support is what makes the difference for the commercial and artistic success of your film. We have all the necessary professionals in Central Macedonia to turn your project into a success. We promote viable working practices, create a viable audiovisual industry and are in favour of healthy competition," she said.
Ms. Mylonaki then emphasised the importance of synergy and mentioned relevant examples. "We wouldn't be able to contribute to the local market the way we do if we didn't have faith in synergies, which are an essential part of our goals," she said. "We aim at creating synergies, whether between people or between institutions sharing the goal of helping the country's creative powers to flourish. Thus, we collaborated, from the very start, with the audiovisual sector national and local bodies such as the Greek Film Centre, EKOME, local Film Offices and Higher and Technical Educational Institutions. We want to build relationships with other film industries, producers, actors, critics and anyone who loves cinema. We need to be related to all of them, to make them all part of our vision, which includes supporting film culture as a whole. Thus, our priority is also the film education of the local audiovisual community of professionals, so as to be able to undertake demanding projects. To this end, we have created partnerships with all related people in film education, where through seminars, workshops and participation in film festivals we co-organize events dealing with film education. We are trying to strengthen the above-mentioned through our participation in the film market abroad, taking part in many international festivals such as Cannes and Venice", she said
"I know people at the Festival as well as all the Agora professionals have worked hard all these days", Ms. Venia Vergou stated. She talked about the work of Crew United, based in Germany and operating for over the last 27 years, as well as the newly founded Crew United Greece and what the motto "going glocal" means to them. "Long before the Internet evolved into what we know today, the creators of Crew United had the amazing idea to create a database to bring together all film professionals," she commented, while stressing: "We look carefully and have our own criteria for someone to be a member. It is not just a database, but a platform that constantly strives to meet the needs of the audiovisual sector and its professionals."
Regarding the expansion of Crew United in other countries, Ms. Vergou said: "In 2019 we expanded to France, in 2021 to Poland and in June 2023 to five new countries, including Greece. Our goal in these countries is to build a communication network between people involved in the audiovisual industry. We believe it is important to have constant dialogue with institutions and organisations in order to improve the production conditions of the film industry." Felix Gerd Schneider then took the floor: "I'm very excited that Crew United operates in Greece, as I actually started with Crew United in Germany," he said. "I think it is obvious to all of us that networking is one of the most important parts of the film industry," he said and referred to the course and tools of the platform, through his own perspective of employer and based on his initial experience of an employee, commenting that "it is a lifesaver for both sides".
Ms. Vergou stressed, among others, the professional status of Crew United. "We live in the era of social media, where many people are looking for work, and many open calls take place," she said, adding that "Crew United is not just a website where you click, it's a company with real people behind the screen aiming at bringing people together in real life." Finally, she noted her enthusiasm for the upcoming "crew calls" in Greece.
The discussion ended with comments on the various ways and structural models of networking, as well as the need "to be in constant dialogue with each other", while the speakers invited the audience to visit the websites, their facilities and platforms, thanking the Festival for turning the spotlight on them.
