Screening of the film Ghost Song in the presence of the director Fatih Akin

Love for cinema, the long journey of an idea from its initial conception all the way to the big screen, and the special ties of an acclaimed filmmaker with Thessaloniki were at the core of the Greek premiere of the film Ghost Song, held on Sunday November 8th, at Olympion theater, within the framework of the 67th Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The German film director and screenwriter Fatih Akin attended the screening and shared the story behind his latest work with the audience.

The event was prefaced by the Festival’s Artistic Director Orestis Andreadakis, who initially referred to the long-standing and time-honored ties of the director with the Festival. “This director probably holds the record of visits to our Festival,” he noted, reminding the audience that it is the seventh time Fatih Akin presents a film of his in Thessaloniki. He then went on to “welcome one of the most renowned directors of European cinema.”

Taking the stage, Fatih Akin thanked the audience in fluent Greek, expressing his joy over his return to a city he is so closely attached to. “It is a place I always like to revisit. I have dear friends and partners here,” he mentioned, stating that he has been visiting Thessaloniki ever since his first steps and that Thessaloniki always has in store a warm welcome for him. “I am grateful for that,” he underlined.

Prior to the screening, the filmmaker laid down the creation of Ghost Song, a film that, as it has occurred many times in his career, is substantially different from his previous one. As he revealed, the initial idea came from his then-10-year-old son about ten years ago. “He told me ‘why don’t you make a film about two friends, one of whom is a ghost?’. It was nothing short of a spectacular suggestion,” Fatih Akin recalled. As he explained, what intrigued him was the prospect of making a different film, distancing himself from his previous work, a film that could eventually be targeted even to kids.

He went on to make a special mention of the long journey of the film’s script. Unable to write it himself, he reached out to a screenwriter, who undertook the task. In the meanwhile, however, he turned to other projects, ending up shooting five or six films before going back to this idea. Throughout this decade, he maintained contact with the screenwriter, proposing each time a different direction for the plot of the film. “I think I drove her mad with my countless ideas!” he joked, explaining that the script took its final form through this constant reshaping.

Referring to the different interpretations the film opens up to, Fatih Akin mentioned that some perceive the film as political, others as poetic, while some regard it as an existential approach on life and death. From his standpoint, though, Ghost Song is far and foremost a film about love: the romantic love between two people, but also his own love for cinema. “In fact, it is an expression of my love for cinema in its purest form,” he stressed.

The surprise the director had in store for the audience was certainly the peak of the night, as he announced that he plans to shoot his next film in Greece. As he shared, he will soon go for a location scouting visit to several Greek islands, aiming at the next stage to secure the funding of his new endeavor. “I honestly hope I will soon return to the Festival, either with the upcoming project or with some other film,” he said, wrapping up his presentation.

The event concluded with Orestis Andreadakis thanking the director and making a special reference to his lifelong collaborator, Zinos Panagiotidis, producer and distributor of Rosebud 21. Mr. Panagiotidis went on to announce that Ghost Song will hit the Greek theaters on Valentine’s Day.