The opening ceremony of the 67th TiFF

The opening ceremony of the 67th Thessaloniki International Film Festival took place on Thursday, November 5th, at the packed Olympion theater, with a screening of the award-winning film Minotaur (2026) by renowned filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev, during a heartwarming evening that demonstrated both the importance of the concrete support of culture by institutional bodies and organizations, as well as the increasing significance of great cinematic works that engage in dialogue with the challenges of our times.

The Festival’s Artistic Director, Orestis Andreadakis, welcomed the audience and invited the evening’s hosts, two beloved friends of TFF, Tonia Sotiropoulou and Kostis Maraveyas, on stage. “Orestis, thank you. It is true; what would our life be like without cinema? A desert!” Kostis Maraveyas stressed, thus making a reference to this year’s main theme.

At this point, the audience had the opportunity to watch one of this year’s edition four spots, directed by Stavros Markoulakis. Subsequently, Tonia Sotiropoulou thanked the Festival’s Grand Sponsor, Telekom, and went on to welcome Dimitris Michalakis, the Chief of Corporate Communications, Sustainability και Channel Productions of ΟΤΕ Group, onto the stage.

“I would like to thank you so very much for honoring me with the opportunity to be in Thessaloniki for the opening ceremony of the 67th Thessaloniki Film Festival. It has been a great delight, for us at OTE Group, to support this institution for the past eleven years, and to be able to continue doing so this year, even more dynamically, as Telekom, the Festival’s Grand Sponsor. We are incredibly proud to be supporting creators. At MagentaTV, we’ve now produced dozens of documentaries and films – recently, we’ve even supported Kostis Maraveyas’s first short. We will continue to stand behind Greek creators and develop initiatives that bring our audiences closer to Greek productions, with the support of the Hellenic Film & Audiovisual Center,” he stated.

“As Telekom, we will once again be presenting a debuting series this year, as we do at every edition. A series we believe audiences will cherish: Project Odysseus. In parallel, we have other events taking place in Thessaloniki. I’d also like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Orestis Andreadakis, as well as to the entire Festival team, who have been working with us for so many years, doing such incredible things that culminate in a truly wonderful atmosphere in Thessaloniki. This, in turn, renews our energy to continue supporting the event. I wish everyone an enjoyable Festival!” Dimitris Michalakis noted, concluding his speech.

At this time, Tonia Sotiropoulou thanked the Festival’s sponsors and supporters: “We are grateful to Mr. Michalakis, and our thanks also go to each and every person who contributed to making the Festival a reality. The participants, the staff, the volunteers, and the Board of Directors. And, of course, the Minister of Culture, Mrs. Lina Mendoni, the Deputy Minister of Culture, responsible for Contemporary Culture, Mr. Iason Fotilas, the entire Ministry of Culture, the Region of Central Macedonia, which supports the Festival through the NSFR, the Municipality of Thessaloniki, all public organizations, institutions, sponsors, and supporters,” Tonia Sotiropoulou said.

Following that, the hosts offered a brief overview of the 67th edition’s rich program, and then went on to give the floor to the Deputy Mayor of Thessaloniki and Vice Mayor for Culture, Tourism Development & Inter-Municipal Cooperation, Vasilis Gakis: “Ladies and gentlemen, friends of Greek cinema, allow me to convey the warm greetings of the Mayor of Thessaloniki, Stelios Angeloudis, who, unfortunately, could not be here with us today. The city’s greatest celebration begins! From this day onwards, Thessaloniki opens its door to the enchanting world of cinema, welcoming its thousands of visitors and Andrey Zvyagintsev’s film, Minotaur, winner of the Grand Prix at the most recent Cannes Film Festival, before bringing the curtain down on November 15th with The Unknown Woman by May el-Toukhy, winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. In the interim, 258 cinematic gems, along with the presence of leading figures from Greece and all around the globe – from Oliver Laxe and Laura Mulvey to the second-to-none Stavros Xarchakos – set the tone for a festival that can rightfully take pride in the fact that it is now on equal footing with Europe’s major film festivals,” he mentioned.

“The Municipality of Thessaloniki’s support to an institution that honors and enhances the city’s outreach and its enduring cultural dynamic, is a given and demonstrated in practice. Within the framework of the Meet the Neighbors+ Competition Section, we bestow the Best Screenplay Award of the Municipality of Thessaloniki, which is accompanied by a 5,000-euro cash prize. This is the second year that such an initiative has been implemented under a special program agreement that was first signed between the Thessaloniki Film Festival and the Municipality of Thessaloniki. It is more of a symbolic gesture, as a small token of appreciation for all that the Festival has offered the city of Thessaloniki over the years. And as Theo Angelopoulos used to say: Thessaloniki is not merely a place; it’s an ideal film set,” he added.

“In closing, I’d like to thank everyone who worked to make the 67th Thessaloniki International Film Festival a reality. The President, my friend, and fellow Thessaloniki-born and raised man, Akis Sakellariou, the Artistic Director and my friend, Orestis Andreadakis, all the members of the Board of Directors, the staff, the hundreds of volunteers, and of course, a very special thank you to a remarkable lady, whose name has been intertwined with the institution’s successful rise like few others, Elise Jalladeau. Welcome to the Festival, to the city of Thessaloniki, and I wish us all great screenings!” Vasilis Gakis concluded.

Immediately afterwards, the ceremony’s hosts touched upon the three Honorary Golden Alexander Awards that the Thessaloniki International Film Festival will bestow, within the framework of its 67th edition, to Stavros Xarchakos, Angelos Papadimitriou, and Nikos Grammatikos. After thanking the Central Macedonia Region, which supports the Festival through the NSRF, Kostis Maraveyas called to the stage Mr. Konstantinos Gioutikas, the Deputy Regional Governor of Thessaloniki.

“Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests, good evening. The Region of Central Macedonia has been supporting the Festival in practice, though funding and many other means, for fourteen consecutive years. However, today, I’d like to address something entirely different, which concerns not only the people involved in cinema, but all residents of Thessaloniki. I find it truly disheartened to see old, historic, classic, often local movie theaters shutting down, or being converted for other uses – turned into car parking spots, supermarkets or whatever else. And yet, these movie theaters were more than screening rooms. They were spaces of culture, of social encounters, but also of collective memory. They were spaces where we could rewatch great, old films, discover classic cinema, and enjoy a film the way it deserves to be experienced – on the big screen,” he initially remarked.

“Of the 99 privately-owned, independent, open-air movie theaters that used to operate in Thessaloniki during the 1960s and the 1970s, only four remain today. The risk to our open-air movie theaters is even greater. A singular tradition, a pioneering initiative of contemporary Greek culture. Who among us doesn’t recall those summer nights, caught up in the evening’s cool breeze, with the gang, under the one-of-a-kind ambiance only an open-air movie theater can provide? I’d like to remind you that in Athens, on Melina Mercouri’s initiative, 47 cinemas were saved, after being designated as protected heritage sites with respect to their use, which helped them live on,” he emphasized.

“Thessaloniki’s surviving movie theaters are full of life. And this is actually occurring at a time when the big screen is, once more, acquiring particular significance. With all this in mind, today I’d like to announce that I’m beginning communications with the competent ministries, as well as with all competent bodies, in order to safeguard the few historic cinemas we have left. Not only in Thessaloniki, but also across the entirety of Central Macedonia. Because, quite simply, it is within these theaters and courtyards that we dreamt, fell in love, cried, and laughed. Of course, I also wish to extend warm congratulations to Akis Sakellariou, Orestis Andreadakis, their collaborators, and most of all, to the hundreds of volunteers, who for yet another year are doing an incredible job so that we may all be here today. Enjoy the Festival!” Konstantinos Gioutikas said, wrapping up his speech.

Next, Tonia Sotiropoulou referred to the official announcement of the European Academy Awards nominations, which will be broadcasted from within the Hamza Bey Mosque “Alcázar,” during the 67th edition. Finally, the Festival’s Artistic Director, Orestis Andreadakis, prefaced this year’s opening film: “It is a unique remake of a stellar French film, The Unfaithful Wife by Claude Chambrol. The formidable Russian anti-establishment film director, Andrey Zvyagintsev, uses the story of a love triangle to address the war in Ukraine. In addition to being a masterpiece, his film is also growing more timely, and prophetic, with each passing day,” he concluded.

The opening party of the 67th edition followed, with an explosive live gig by Pavlos Pavlidis at Warehouse C, featuring an electric set and a full band, where a 90-minute musical journey through the most important milestones of his career was presented, while his music and lyrics converged with the imagery of movie theaters and the filmmakers’ reveries.