- Tribute gala for Bob Rafelson
On Saturday afternoon, November 9th, at the organization’s historical center, the International Thessaloniki Film Festival performed a gala in honour of the «defiant» American director Bob Rafelson.
The event included the screening of Five easy pieces (1970), the film that fused all of the director’s ideological influences and began his defiant career in cinema. In his speech, the director of the International Thessaloniki Film Festival, Michel Demopoulos welcomed the director and stated that “the festival chose Bob Rafelson because he signifies a great experience in the world of cinema”.
Mr. Demopoulos also noted the great impact that Five easy pieces had in his cinematography schooling. When asked about how he sees the film he made in 1970 today, Mr. Rafelson admitted that he hasn’t seen it again since he filmed it, something true about all his films. “I won’t see it today either. I believe that when a filmmaker shoots a film it then belongs to the audience”.
- Press Conference International Jury of the 43rd TIFF
Today, Sunday November 10th at Warehouse C of the port, the director of the festival, Michel Demopoulos, presented the International Competition Jury of the 43rd International Film Festival.
Italian director and president of the seven-member International Competition Jury, Marco Bellocchio was absent from the presentation due to illness and is expected to arrive in Thessaloniki on Tuesday, November 12th.
Mr. Demopoulos presented the members of the jury which include: American director Bob Rafelson, French director, film and music critic, Thierry Jousse, Iranian actress –living legend and diva of Iranian cinema as Mr. Demopoulos called her– Niki Karimi, Yugoslavian film critic and journalist Miroljub Vuckovic, Albanian director, awarded with the Golden Alexander at the 42nd international Thessaloniki Film Festival, Fatmir Koci, and Greek director, film critic and writer, Achilleas Kiriakidis.
- Press Conference Hong San-Soo - New Horizons
This year in the framework of the 43rd International Thessaloniki Film Festival, New Horizons presents the work of one of the most innovative modern cinematographers, Korean director Hong San-Soo.
In his speech, the Director of New Horizons, Dimitri Eipides, characterized him as the representative of the most radical movement in modern Korean cinema, “a cinema that comprehends the rest of the world and is respected and admired for its supply of new creative talent such as Hong San-Soo”. The director claimed that his pursuit of cinema was entirely coincidental: “As a child I never dreamt of becoming a director. At 20 years old I met someone with a proposal. We worked together, I enjoyed it and so I continued”.
- Press Conference Aurelio Grimaldi - New Horizons
In the framework of the 43rd International Thessaloniki Film Festival, New Horizons presents six films of the Italian director Aurelio Grimaldi. Dimitri Eipides, the Director of New Horizons, welcomed the director characterizing him as “a hidden treasure”. “His work is rejuvenating. He writes and directs his films, adds the soundtrack and even designs the costumes. Furthermore he has been able to keep away from the mainstream. His work is fresh and unique and not often encountered in modern cinema. He is a significant talent”.
Films about Pasolini. Grimaldi made three films about Pasolini. Nerolio, his first, was attacked by Pasolini’s friends. The second will be out in January. “I’m not sure about Pasolini’s friends’ reactions but I hope that they’ll be positive. Both films are a representation of Pasolini’s life. There is also Roza Funzeca which refers to Pazolini’s Mama Roma. The first two films were made after attentive studies of Pazolini’s biography. Nevertheless, cinema and literature are somewhat above reality. In Italy I’m considered a realist and I like realism. However, realism in literature and cinema is not just a simple rendering of the truth; they’re similar but different. Perhaps Pasolini’s friends are not altogether wrong when they say that some elements of Nerolio are far from Pasolini’s truth".
- Press Conference Jean Francois Stevenin
This year, the 43rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival will be presenting the directing work of a familiar figure in French cinema, Jean Francois Stevenin, who has played in numerous films. The festival will be screening three of his films, Mountain passage 1978, Double gentlemen 1986, and Mischka 2002.
The director explained how he became involved with cinema thanks to…Jimmy Hendrix: “One evening I was going to a Hendrix concert in Paris. While in line, I met a screenwriter. We got along very well and 15 days later I gave up my studies, family, everything and ended up as an assistant on the set of a film. I have to thank Jimmy Hendrix for that. Every eight years I make a film as an actor, producer, director or from some other position”.
About Cassavetes. “The films that influenced me most when I was student were mainly by Cassavetes. I had the feeling that this person was speaking about things that interested me. His films were my entrance into cinema. I thought it would be interesting to make such films. I’m not a star, I don’t have any formal training, nor did I attend the conservatoire, but nevertheless I felt that I could overcome all of this because I had already opened the door. This is something Cassavetes did to many people”.
