International Thessaloniki Film Festival

The International Thessaloniki Film Festival has become the Balkans' primary showcase for the work of new and emerging filmmakers, as well as the leading film festival in the region. The event features the International Section, a panorama of Greek films, the New Horizons program, the Balkan Survey, and numerous retrospectives and tributes to leading figures in the world of film.

Overview

Since 1992, the International Thessaloniki Film Festival has striven to present the most innovative independent films from around the world. Components of the Festival include:
*The International Competition section consists of new directors' first or second films.
*The non-competitive panorama of Greek films, an overview of the recent local production is followed by the presentation of the State Film Awards by the Greek Ministry of Culture.
*The Independence Days non-competitive section is the cutting-edge showcase for the latest trends in independent film production.
*The Balkan Survey, created in 1994, stands as a unique program which offers audiences a window on the cinema of this region of the world.

Today, president of the Thessaloniki Film Festival is the Paris-born Greek actor Georges Corraface.

Retrospectives and tributes look at both historic masters, and emerging artists. Since 1993, numerous directors have been represented in the retrospective/tribute programs, including:
*Tirana Year Zero (2002)
*Pedro Almodovar (1999)
*Theo Angelopoulos (2000)
*Marco Bellocchio (2002)
*Bernardo Bertolucci (1996)
*John Boorman (2001)
*Michael Cacoyannis
*John Cassavetes
*Claude Chabrol (1997)
*Patrice Chereau (2005)
*David Cronenberg
*Jules Dassin
*Atom Egoyan
*Victor Erice (2004)
*Peter Greenaway (1998)
*Otar Iosseliani (2003)
*Takis Kanellopoulos
*Wong Kar-Wai (2003)
*Abbas Kiarostami (2004)
*Krzysztof Kieślowski
*Nikos Koundouros (1998)
*Akira Kurosawa (1998)
*Ken Loach (1998)
*Joao Cesar Monteiro (2003)
*Nanni Moretti
*Manoel de Oliveira (1997)
*Nagisa Oshima
*Lucian Pintilie
*Jean-Daniel Pollet (1998)
*Bob Rafelson (2002)
*Arturo Ripstein (1997)
*Jerzy Skolimowski (2000)
*Vittorio Storaro (2005)
*Pantelis Voulgaris (2002)
*Wim Wenders (2006)
*Michael Winterbottom (2005)

In addition to the rich film offerings, the Festival hosts panels, exhibitions, and other artistic events such as:
*The Nam June Paik "Video & Television Art" exhibition
*"The Strange Objects of Desire of David Cronenberg" Ingrid Caven's concert
*Paintings & Collages by Sergei Paradjanov
*"Periplanissis" Photo Exhibit by Josef Koudelka
*"Peter Greenaway's Paintings, Drawings & Collages" exhibit
*Jazz master Gato Barbieri in concert

Over the last five years the Festival has also spotlighted significant, leading directors and promoted the work of emerging young filmmakers from all over the world.

History

First held in 1960 as a modest "Week of Greek Cinema", the Thessaloniki International Film Festival has become, 46 years later, an annual event focused on the discovery and promotion of new directors from all over the world.

For ten days in mid-November, audiences numbering approximately 70,000, as well as hundreds of Greek and foreign Festival guests, attend screenings of more than 150 films in the city's cinemas.

Newcomers in the competitive section meet veteran filmmakers whose work is celebrated through retrospectives and special screenings. All films are screened before the young, vital, cinema-loving Thessaloniki audience, while in the Festival's parallel events, such as concerts and art exhibitions, cinema is brought together with the other arts.

The Festival assumed its present international character in 1992, under the direction of Michel Demopoulos, with the financial support of the Greek Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with the Municipality of Thessaloniki and other local institutions, and with the unanimous support of the city's population.

The international recognition enjoyed by the Festival is illustrated by the participation in its jury of celebrities such as Francis Ford Coppola, Faye Dunaway, Catherine Deneuve, and many others.

See also

*Thessaloniki Video Dance Festival
*Thessaloniki Documentary Festival

External links

* [http://www.filmfestival.gr/index_uk.htm International Thessaloniki Film Festival] - official website