5th Evia Film Project: Open Discussions kickoff - Day 2 Highlights

The 5th Evia Film Project, Thessaloniki Film Festival’s green initiative, was in full force on its second day, including screenings in Edipsos and Limni, workshops for children and teens, and a fascinating open discussion. The event titled “From the Idea to the World: The Journey of Greek Films”, held at the “Melina Merkouri” Cultural Center in Edipsos, featured Konstantinos Kontovrakis (producer, Kinestet), Ioanna Bolomyti (producer, Atalanti) and Dionysis Samiotis (producer, Tanweer Productions). The three producers conversed with the audience and the students of the Digital Arts & Cinema Department of the Athens National & Kapodistrian University with regard to the journey and the future of Greek films.

Orestis Andreadakis, the Festival’s Artistic Director welcomed the audience and the students at this year’s cycle of open discussions, incorporated in the EFP5 core theme, the forest, while also examining the way nature grows its way into Greek cinema, before giving the floor to the Coordinator of the EFP5 Open Discussions, Nektarios Sakkas.

Workshops for children and teens

Dozens of children took part in a unique workshop held at the Youth Municipal Library of Istiea-Edipsos, titled CineValise and Off We Go…! In addition, in the afternoon of the same day, the first part of a four-day children’s and teen’s workshop titled It's a Wrap! - Make Your Own Documentary. On Saturday June 27th, the films of the participants will be screened at the open-air cinema “Apollon” in Edipsos.

Film screenings in Edipsos and Limni & XR films at Kyma

At a packed “Apollon” open-air cinema, in Edipsos, First Blood (1982) by Ted Kotcheff was screened on Wednesday night. The legendary film is a thrilling adventure that became a pop culture icon of an entire era, emphatically foregrounding the deep and unhealed trauma of the Vietnam veterans in the USA. The screening was prefaced by the Festival’s Artistic Director Orestis Andreadakis, who insisted on the poignant social commentary of the film. The screening of the delightful comedy Tropic Thunder by Ben Stiller, a film that satirizes the fallacies of the large-scale Hollywood productions.

The screening was prefaced by the Festival’s Head of Programme Yorgos Krassakopoulos, who underscored the bold screenwriting and aesthetic choices of the film, which are considered a thing of the past due to the growing influence of political correctness in today’s film industry. Moreover, the screening of the Greek film Pack of Sheep by Dimitris Kanellopoulos was held in Limni, in the presence of the actors Yannis Vassilotos and Lefteris Polychronis and producer Elina Psychou, whereas Dimitris Kanellopoulos stressed that his intention was to create a social drama with neo-noir and neo-western hues.

Moreover, as every year, the audience is given the chance to take delight in a series of XR films screened on a daily basis, at Kyma info point, in Edipsos, with the following screening hours: 12:00-15:00 & 17:00-21:00.

The Evia Film Project is carried out with the support of the Ministry of Culture. Highly important is the contribution of the Hellenic Broadcast Corporation, and valuable is the support of COSMOTE TELEKOM, the Festival’s Grand Sponsor, and Fischer, a consistent supporter of the Festival. The 5th Evia Project is being held in collaboration with the Municipalities of Istiea-Edipsos and Mantoudi-Limni-Agia Anna, and the Evia Island Ports Authority.