AGORA, the industry section of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, proudly announces its selection for the AGORA Works in Progress program. From November 3 to 7, 2024, nine films from fifteen countries across Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean region will be showcased, offering an exciting look into the future of cinema from these vibrant areas.
Supported by the Creative Europe-MEDIA programme, AGORA provides a unique platform for filmmakers, offering extensive networking and co-production opportunities within the global film industry. As an international meeting point, AGORA operates in a hybrid format, featuring a range of industry activities that emphasize collaboration across Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean.
The AGORA Works in Progress focuses on films in the post-production stage that have a connection to the Mediterranean region and Southeastern Europe. These selected films are presented to key players in the industry, including sales agents, distributors, producers, streaming platforms, and festival programmers. The aim is to help these films secure finishing funds, attract sales agents, schedule festival premieres, and establish crucial partnerships.
This year’s AGORA Works in Progress lineup showcases a diverse range of storytelling, with four debut films and five works from seasoned directors. The selected films challenge traditional cinematic forms, reinventing familiar narrative paths and presenting original, fascinating stories. Audiences can expect a variety of films that are entertaining, adventurous and suspenseful, intertwining films rooted in political and realistic themes with those that incorporate genre elements. Each film is articulated through a strong, contemporary cinematic language, promising to captivate viewers with innovative approaches and fresh perspectives on filmmaking.
Selected AGORA Works in Progress films 2024:
BEARCAVE
Directors/Scriptwriters: Stergios Dinopoulos, Krysianna Papadakis, Production: Emily Sky Hickin - PUCCI Productions, Stergios Dinopoulos, Krysianna Papadakis, Arsinoi Pilou, Thanasis Michalopoulos - Pameligo Collective
Greece, United Kingdom
CINEMA JAZIREH - In collaboration with Sofia Meetings
Director/Scriptwriter: Gözde Kural, Production: Gözde Kural - Toz Film Production, Milad Khosravi - Seven Springs Pictures, Bulut Reyhanoğlu - Koskos Film, Svetla Tsotsorkova - Front Film
Turkey, Iran, Bulgaria, Romania
DIRTY LAND
Director/Scriptwriter: Luis Campos, Production: Luis Campos, Ana Almeida - Matiné, Co-production: Luigi Chimienti, Alessandro Amato - Dispàrte, Mario Patrocínio - Bro Cinema, Humberto Rocha, Pedro Medeiros - Um Segundo Filmes, Marta Lima - Agente a Norte, Nuno Tavares - Anticyclone Productions
Portugal, Italy
LIFE IN A BEAT
Director: Amerissa Basta, Scriptwriters: Amerissa Basta, Dimitris Nakos, Production: Ioanna Soultani, Dimitris Nakos - Soul Productions, Co-production: Despina Mouzaki - Breaking Wave Productions, Ivan Tonev - Ars Digital, Dejan Krajcevski-Krug Film, Marko Jaćimović - Videa Production
Greece, Cyprus, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Montenegro
LIFELIKE
Director/Scriptwriter: Ali Vatansever, Production: Selin Vatansever Tezcan - Terminal Film, Co-production: Antigoni Rota-Foss Productions
Turkey, Greece
MY FATHER'S SHOES
Director: Hristo Simeonov, Scriptwriters: Petar Krumov, Hristo Simeonov, Production: Katya Trichkova - Contrast Films, Co-production: Jean-Laurent Csinidis, Jérôme Nunes - Films de Force Majeure
Bulgaria, France
OTTER
Director: Srđan Vuletić, Scriptwriter: Stefan Bošković, Production: Ivan Đurović - Artikulacija Film, Co-production: Katarina Prpić - 365 Films, Ishak Jalimam - Realstage, Daniele Segre - Redibis Film, Fatmir Spahiu - Buka Production
Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Italy, Kosovo*
PATTY IS SUCH A GIRLY NAME
Director/Scriptwriter: Giorgos Georgopoulos, Production: Stefanos Koutsardakis - Chaotic Good Productions, Co-production: Christos V. Konstantakopoulos - Faliro House Productions, Fenia Cossovitsa - Blonde Productions
Greece
THEY COME OUT OF MARGO
Director/Scriptwriter: Alexandros Voulgaris (The Boy), Production: Nicholas Alavanos, Christina Stavropoulou - Filmiki Productions
Greece
The AGORA Works in Progress Awards include:
Authorwave Post-production Award
Creative image post services
119 Marvila Studios Award
Sound mixing services
Onassis Film Award
€10,000 to a Greek project participating in the AGORA (Crossroads Co-production Forum or AGORA Works in Progress)
ERT AGORA Works in Progress Award
€2,000 to a Greek project
Films that have participated in previous editions of the AGORA Works in Progress include: MEAT - Dimitris Nakos (Toronto IFF 2024), THE SUMMER WITH CARMEN - Zacharias Mavroeidis (Venice FF - Giornate degli Autori 2023), MEDIUM - Christina Ioakeimidi (Sarajevo FF 2023), THE SEA AND ITS WAVES - Liana & Renaud (Cannes FF - ACID Cannes 2023), HAVE YOU SEEN THIS WOMAN? - Dušan Zorić, Matija Gluščević (Venice FF - International Film Critics’ Week), PELIKAN - Filip Heraković (Tallinn Black Nights FF), HOW IS KATIA? - Christina Tynkevych (Locarno FF - Cineasti del Presente 2022 - Special Jury Prize, Best Actress), ROCK BOTTOM RISER - Fern Silva (Berlinale Encounters 2021 - Special Mention), MOTHER LODE - Matteo Tortone (Venice FF - International Critics’ Week 2021), MOON, 66 QUESTIONS - Jacqueline Lentzou (Berlinale Encounters 2021), SWEAT - Magnus von Horn (Cannes FF - Cannes Label 2020), LAST DAYS OF SPRING - Isabel Lamberti (Cannes FF - ACID Cannes 2020, San Sebastián IFF - New Directors Award), PAPICHA - Mounia Meddour (Cannes FF - Un Certain Regard 2019), AS HAPPY AS POSSIBLE - Alain Raoust (Cannes FF - ACID Cannes 2019) and more.
* 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.
