67th TIFF: Actor, screenwriter and director Christopher Papakaliatis is the Agora ambassador

With beloved actor, screenwriter and director Christopher Papakaliatis as ambassador, the Agora of the 67th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, the largest industry event in Southeastern Europe, returns. Christopher Papakaliatis will highlight the important process that shapes the cinema and the series of the future, while also communicating the key role of the Agora to artists, journalists, and the general public.

Thanos Stavropoulos, an experienced member of the Festival team with an in-depth knowledge of the film market, having served as a collaborator on the international program and as coordinator of the Agora, takes over as Head of Agora, the Festival's development department. Angeliki Vergou will take over as Agora’s Advisor for International Collaborations and Development. The Festival aims to further strengthen Agora as an ideal meeting ground for producers, directors and industry professionals from around the world.

The Agora (November 6-14), held with the valuable support of the Creative Europe-MEDIA program, offers a range of opportunities for networking and co-productions across the global film industry. Agora’s activities, which serve as an international meeting and networking event for film professionals, will take place in hybrid form — both in-person and online — showcasing a wide range of industry-focused events, with a special focus on countries from the broader region of Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean.

Christopher Papakaliatis – Agora ambassador

Christopher Papakaliatis, actor, screenwriter and director, famous for his work in cinema and television, will meet in Thessaloniki up-and-coming creators participating in Agora and will encourage them in their early steps. At the same time, he will act as a bridge between professionals, artists, and the public.

«I am delighted to accept the role of ambassador for this year's Agora of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, because I have been through every stage of bringing a film or a series to life. I always remember the anxiety of a young creator who has a story to tell, but doesn't know where to begin. The Festival is a great place to start. It is the ideal space for creators to find guidance, collaborators and courage. I will be there to support their efforts» says Christopher Papakaliatis.

Christopher Papakaliatis is a Greek actor, screenwriter, and director. He began his career as an actor at the age of 16 and in his early 20s, he began writing, directing and starring in his own television shows for MEGA Channel. In 2012, Papakaliatis made his feature film directorial debut with What If… (An), a romantic drama he also wrote and starred in. The film became a commercial success in Greece, remaining in theaters for over four months and grossing approximately $4.5 million. His second feature film, Worlds Apart (Enas Allos Kosmos), brought his work to a wider audience. Papakaliatis wrote, directed, and starred in the film alongside Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons. Worlds Apart became the highest-grossing Greek film of the decade and was distributed in 25 countries. In 2019, Papakaliatis directed the documentary One World (Enas Kosmos), filmed in Nepal and Ghana. In 2022, he created Maestro in Blue, a television series originally produced for the Greek network MEGA Channel, and then became the first Greek television series to be acquired by Netflix for worldwide distribution. The series entered Netflix’s Global Top 10 for non-English-language television, marking a significant moment for Greek television on the international stage. Following the series’ international success, the final season of Maestro in Blue will have its worldwide premiere exclusively on Netflix in December 2026, bringing the series to its conclusion. Papakaliatis is preparing his next feature film, marking his return to cinema as a writer, director and actor.

The Agora provides the ideal space for networking and the exchange of know-how, enabling professionals to find their team, express their character, and gain access to funding tools, as well as to establish networking and creative collaborations across the full spectrum of the global film industry.

Crossroads Co-production Forum

Agora, the industry section of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, is set to host the 22nd edition of the Crossroads Co-Production Forum and this year it has selected 14 promising film projects from 15 countries across Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean region. The Forum is designed to foster networking, co-production, and creative collaboration within the global film industry.

The selected projects: A PAIR OF SHOES IN THE DARK CORNER OF THE MOON Director: Ayman El Amir, Production: Nada Riyadh - Felucca Films, Egypt, THE ARAB OF YOUR DREAMS Director: Patrick Tass, Production: Annabella Nezri - Kwassa Films, Belgium (Mediterranean Film Institute project), A TOUCH OF PARADISE Director: Houcem Slouli, Production: Sarra Ben Hassen - Instinct bleu, Khaled Henchiri - Upper Echlon, Tunisia, BOYS OF SUMMER Director: Emilios Avraam, Production: Marinos Charalambous - Boycott Films, Tonia Mishiali - Bark Like a Cat Films, Cyprus, FUORISTAGIONE Director: Isabella Rinaldi, Production: Joana de Freitas Ginori - Ulalà Film & Co., Italy, IN THOSE DARKEST NIGHTS Director: Gözde Kural, Producer: Titus Kreyenberg - unafilm, Türkiye, Germany (Sofia Meetings project), KOUKITSA Director: Christina Koutsospyrou, Aran Hughes, Production: Jacob Moe - Archipelago Network, Greece, LAVA LOVE Director: Steve Krikris, Production: Nicholas Alavanos, Stelios Mavrodontis - Filmiki, Co-production: Zik Zak Filmworks - Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson, Greece, Iceland PETROLI Director: Gemma Blasco, Production: Mireia Graell Vivancos - Ringo Media, Spain, RELIGION OF NIGHT WALKS Director: Nikola Ležaić, Production: Siniša Juričić - Nukleus film, Co-production: Jelena Mitrovič - Baš Čelik, Miriam Nørgaard - Growing Stories, Croatia, Serbia, Denmark TETTIX Director: Stella Serefoglou, Production: Alexandros Tiliopoulos - OPEN BORDERS PRODUCTIONS, Co-production: Zorana Musikic, May Odeh - MAYANA Films, Greece, Germany, THE LAST ANGEL OF BEIRUT Director: Valentin Noujaïm, Production: Manon Messiant - Iliade et films, France, THEY BLOOM AT DAWN Director: Angela Dimeska, Production: Ognen Antov - Dream Factory, North Macedonia (MIDPOINT Institute project), THIS IS NOT A SET Director: Yumna Marwan, Production: Rula Nasser - Imaginarium Films, Jordan

Τhe Crossroads Co-production Forum Awards, include:

Jury Awards

• FRENEL Post Lab Post-Production Award
  Post-production image services
• CNC Award - Centre national du cinema et de l’image animée
  €8,000 for script development
• ArteKino International Award
  €6,000
• Finos Film Award
  €3,000 to a Greek project
• Producers’ Network - Marché du Film Award
  Free accreditation
• MIDPOINT Consulting Award
  An in-depth online script consultancy with one of the MIDPOINT Institute experts

Independent Awards

• Onassis Film Award
  €10,000 to a Greek project participating in the AGORA (Crossroads Co-production Forum or AGORA Works in Progress)
• Greener Screen Consultancy Award
  Consultation services on green production
• Sofia Meetings of the Sofia IFF Award
  Project selection
• Mediterranean Film Institute - George Kalogeropoulos Award
  Script 2 Film Workshops scholarship
• THESSALONIKI EAVE Marketing Workshop Scholarship 2027 Scholarship to one participant powered by Thessaloniki International Film Festival

This year’s Crossroads Co-production Forum Jury consists of Ioanna Bolomyti, Producer and Founder of Atalante Productions SA (Greece), Fred Burle, Producer at One Two Films (Germany) and Linda Mutawi, Producer at Fikra (Sweden) as well as the Arte Kino Prize International Juror, Remi Burah, CEO of Arte France Cinéma (France).

FOCUS Sessions

FOCUS sessions is an Agora initiative. As part of its ongoing support for Greek cinema, Agora supports three shortlisted Greek projects from this year's Crossroads Co-production Forum, inviting them to participate in the FOCUS sessions, giving them an opportunity for further networking and development of their projects. The selected teams will have consultation meetings with experienced industry film professionals from Greece and abroad, who will offer practical advice on how to best position their film within international co-production markets, while scouting for future partners and further developing their project.

The participating projects in FOCUS sessions are: BEAST Director: Giannis Haritidis, Production: Connie Zikou - Blinding Lights Productions, Greece, GRACELAND Director: Faidon Gkretsikos, Production: Marina Danezi - Laika Productions, Greece, THE PASSED PAWN Director: Alexandros Tsilifonis, Production: Katerina Kaskanioti - Central Athens Film Productions, Co-production: Alain De Levita - Levitate Film, Greece, Netherlands

Agora Works in Progress

The Agora Works in Progress presents eleven films from Central and Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean region. The 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, secure festival premieres, and establish crucial partnerships.

The films are: 1970 Director: Darko Lungulov, Production: Snezana van Houwelingen - This and That Productions, Serbia, Luxembourg, Hungary, Croatia, AVANOS Director: Panagiotis Charamis, Production: Alexis Tsoukalas - Pan Entertainment, Greece, THE CROSSROAD Director: Mari Gulbiani, Production: Kate Kalandarishvili - MIDIFILM, Georgia, HOW THE LIGHT GETS IN Director: Diego Llorente, Production: Lara Lobo - Failo Cine, Co-production: Virginia Bogliolo - tarkiofilm, Rubén González - Báltico Media, Spain, Uruguay, THE LAW OF THE FLIES Director: Tunahan Kurt, Production: Zeynep Ekmekci - FARO, Türkiye, THE LONGEST NIGHT Director: Ismet Sijarina, Production: Leonora Lushtaku and Ismet Sijarina - Thumbs Up, Co-production: Dejan Iliev - DMF doo Production, Florenc Papas – Tunnelfilm Kosovo*, Albania, North Macedonia With the support of: Kosovo* Cinematography Center (QKK), Albanian National Cinematography Center (QKK), and North Macedonia Film Agency. Developed with the support of eQuinoxe Europe. MIGNON Director: Sofia Georgovassili, Production: Antigone Rota, Stelios Cotionis - Foss Productions, Vasilis Chrysanthopoulos - Plays2place, Co-production: Irina Malcea-Candea - Luna Film, Faye Tsitsipi-MagentaTV, Greece, Romania RÍO MASACRE Director: Sylvie Weber, Production: Anouk Shad - Ripe GmbH, Co-production: Lukas Rinner - Nabis Filmgroup, Austria, SWELL Out Of Competition Director: Alexandros Voulgaris (The Boy), Production: Dionyssis Samiotis - Tanweer Productions, Giannis Iakovidis - Black Orange, Co-production: Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center, ERT (Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation), Onassis Culture, Greece, WINTER SEMESTER Director: Dimitris Koutsiabasakos, Production: Mary Kolonia - Lucid Dreamers Productions, Greece, YIANNIS Director: Kyros Papavassiliou, Production: Kyros Papavassiliou - Drytree Films, Co-Production: Konstantina Stavrianou - Graal, Cyprus, Greece.

The Jury Awards of the Agora Works in Progress section are:

• Two Thirty-Five (2|35) Award
  Post-production services
• 119 Marvila Studios Award
  Sound mixing services
• AGORA Works in Progress Award by EKKOMED
  €3.000 to a Greek project
• Neaniko Plano Subtitling Award
• ERT AGORA Works in Progress Award
  €2.000 to a Greek project

There is also the independent award Onassis Film Award €10,000 to a Greek project participating in the AGORA (Crossroads Co-production Forum or AGORA Works in Progress)

This year’s AGORA Works in Progress Jury consists of Maria Drandaki, Producer and Founder of Homemade Films (Greece), Wouter Jansen, Founder and Head of Sales & Acquisitions of Square Eyes (Austria) and Gabriela Trujillo, Programmer at Quinzaine des cinéastes / Directors’ Fortnight - Cannes FF (France).

*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.

Agora Series

The Agora Series returns, presenting a three-day program featuring masterclasses, professional discussions, a case study presentation, and networking events that will bring together creators, producers, as well as institutions and professionals from the audiovisual sector.

This year, the Agora is hosting two exciting masterclasses, open to the public. Coming to Thessaloniki are Tom Rob Smith, author of the novel Child 44, which was adapted into a film starring Tom Hardy and Gary Oldman, and screenwriter of the hit series American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace; and Hungarian screenwriter György Baráthy, who adapted In Treatment for Hungarian audiences. As every year, the Agora is presenting innovative initiatives for professionals in the audiovisual industry.

This year, Agora Series Talents, a development and networking initiative designed to support both emerging and established screenwriters based in Greece, returns. This year's Agora Series Talents participants are Matina Galatsianou, Glykeria Kakouri, Dimitra Katrania, Selini Papageorgiou, Giorgos Samarkos and Apollonia Tsanta. They will attend a series of workshops, masterclasses and one-on-one meetings to develop their projects, under the mentorship of Dutch producer and creator Fleur Winters. Finally, all six talents will be given a special presentation to the industry professionals attending the Agora.

Thessaloniki Locarno Industry Academy

This year, the Thessaloniki Locarno Industry Academy welcomes ten young film industry professionals, including sales agents, distributors, and new media experts. In collaboration with the Locarno Film Festival and Locarno Pro, the Academy is a prestigious five-day training program that has been running in Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean for the tenth consecutive year.

The selected participants will take part in discussions, case studies, and working meetings led by top professionals in the film markets.

Participants of the Thessaloniki Locarno Industry Academy will also automatically join the Launchpad initiative, gaining free accreditation for the following European film festivals: Locarno, Tallinn Black Nights, Rotterdam, and Karlovy Vary.

This year’s participants include: Nina Benoit (Les Arcs Film Festival – France), Allegra Bell (European Film Market - Berlinale & Leeds International Film Festival and Innsbruck Nature Film Festival – Italy), Eleanor Debreu (Mirage - France / USA), Aliki Koutoura (CineDoc, Anemon – Greece), Fanny Lehmann (Lucky Number – France), Elena Papakonstantinou (ZDF Digital - Greece / Spain / Germany), Louise Richard (Playtime – France), Radek Chromčák Ševčík (Split Screen - Czech Republic), Sofia Tocar (Square Eyes - Republic of Moldova), Fraser White (Rotterdam IFF, Scotland / UK).

Agora Short Film Lab

The Agora Short Film Lab, organized by the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in collaboration with the Drama International Short Film Festival and the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, announces the emerging directors who will participate in its 2025 program.

This is a three-day workshop featuring discussions with experienced professionals from the film industry, focusing on guiding short film directors as they transition into feature filmmaking.

This year’s participants include talented directors whose award-winning short films have been recognized at Clermont-Ferrand and Drama. In addition, as part of the BRIDGE TO: AUSTRIA initiative, this year's participants are joined by two up-and-coming talents who won the Austrian Award for Best Short Film at Vienna Shorts 2026.

This year’s participants include: Vicky Anastasiadou, Shayma' Awawdeh, Lila Barmpa, Tommy Baron, Nicolas Costes, Anastasia Gkivalou, Emma Hütt, Jen Nee Lim, Tina Muffler.

Bridge to Austria

In 2023, the Agora launched a new bridge of cooperation bringing together Europe’s south and north, hosting a different guest country from the Baltic and Scandinavian regions each year. The Festival’s initiative is now expanding to countries in Central Europe, highlighting opportunities and possibilities in funding and artistic collaboration, while also cultivating fertile ground for co-productions, synergies and cultural exchange. This year, we are delighted to welcome Austria as a guest country, in collaboration with AUSTRIAN FILMS. A delegation of Austrian producers and representatives of film institutions will attend all of the Agora’s activities. As part of this collaboration, one Austrian project has been selected for AGORA Works in Progress, and two up-and-coming talents who won the Austrian Award for Best Short Film at Vienna Shorts 2026 are taking part in the Agora Short Film Lab.

Agora projects shortlisted to European Film Awards 2027

This year, four films and three talents that have participated and been supported by Agora, are shortlisted for the European Film Academy Awards. . Black Money for White Nights by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, participated in the Agora Works in Progress 2025, Hold Onto Me by Myrsini Aristidou participated in the Crossroads Co-production Forum 2019 and I Matter by Alina Șerban participated in the Crossroads Co-production Form 2023, all of which are also screening at the 67th Thessaloniki International Film Festival. Bugboy by Loukas Palaiokrassas, participated in the Thessaloniki Pitching Forum 2025 and screened at the 28th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. We also congratulate Agora alumni: Jacqueline Lentzou, who took part in Agora with her film Moon, 66 Questions; her new film, A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra, is in the International Competition of the 67th TIFF and on the European Film Academy shortlist; Alexandra Matheou, with her short film Free Eliza (Notes on an Anatomical Imperfection) and BerlinAir Resident, Neritan Zinxhiria, with his short film NOI, both of which have presented their first feature projects at the Crossroads Co-production Forum.