OPENING CEREMONY
With a vivid, lively and hot atmosphere in the crowded OLYMPION Cinema, the curtain rose on Friday evening, April 1st, on the 7th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival – Images of the 21st Century. Nikos Tsartsionis, Minister of Macedonia –Thrace, was present to declare the commencement of this year’s organization. To begin, the Festival Director Dimitri Eipides took the podium, and greeted those present.
He made a brief reference to the institution’s programme this year which, as he said, “is made up of 126 films which will be screened over the next 10 days in the four cinemas of the Festival, which come from 42 countries, while most have been distinguished in international festivals with important awards.” Mr. Eipides continued by explaining that the festival selections consist of 44 Greek and 82 foreign films and referred to the 400 distinguished visitors to this year’s organization, of which 120 are foreign and the rest Greek.
The festival Director closed his brief speech by pointing out the decisive contribution of the sponsors to the achievement of this year’s organization, thanking the Ministry of Culture, ERT, ERT 3, HELEXPO, the municipality of Thessaloniki and the Ministry of Macedonia – Thrace. A screening of trailers of the films that will be screened in the framework of the organization followed. Then he called on the Minister to declare the commencement of the festival.
Referring to the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, Mr. Tsiartsionis said that the institution has been very much loved and embraced by an audience of all ages. Referring to the organization, the Minister said that the festival has never sacrificed it’s initial goals or it’s ideals for the sake of commercialism and industrialized cinema. “This festival has managed to suggest alternative paths of entertainment and recreation to the citizens . It has also managed to fortify the viewer’s right to choice and expression.” Pointing out that cultural policy has as its aim the creation of a national cinema that can be internationally distinguished, the upgrading of film education and the securing of equal opportunities for all, Mr. Tsiartsionis closed his speech by expressing his congratulations to Mr. Eipides “the inspiration of the festival that has managed all these years to sustain the independent and autonomous path of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival and to continue to do so in the future, as the audience also demands.”
The opening ceremony was followed by the film Touch the sound, a musical journey around the globe with Evelyn Glennie a deaf musician who plays percussion as a guide. The film was introduced by its director Τhomas Riedelsheimer, who explained that the film is about sound and how we perceive it beyond what we hear.
