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Producers Paulo Branco and Marin Karmitz To Attend 38th International Thessaloniki Film Festival

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Two of Europe's most-established and successful independent film producers, Paulo Branco and Marin Karmitz, will attend the 38th International Thessaloniki Film Festival. On the occasion of the Festival's Claude Chabrol retrospective and tribute to Manoel de Oliveira, Branco and Karmitz will join the two directors in Thessaloniki.

Throughout their careers, both Branco and Karmitz have worked to support independent film production throughout Europe, and to make the works of directors from Portugal to Romania to Iran known to European audiences. Branco began his career in Paris in the late '70's, first as an exhibitor and then setting up his own production company. A native of Lisbon, Portugal, the budding producer became enchanted with the Portuguese cinema, and determined to distribute , among other films, works by Portuguese directors like Oliveira and Antonio Pedro Vasconcelos. Branco has produced each of Oliveira's films since 1981, as well as films by numerous other directors, including Sarunas Bartas and Olivier Assayas.

Marin Karmitz also left his native land, Romania, for Paris, and in the early 1960's, started what would eventually grow to become one of the most significant film production, distribution and exhibition companies in Europe. The producer or co-producer of films by Claude Chabrol, Theo Angelopoulos, Krzysztof Kieslowski, and Lucian Pintilie, Karmitz says he strongly believes in the strength of independent film.

Paulo Branco and Marin Karmitz will be available to meet with journalists during their stay in Thessaloniki. Dates and times will be announced at the Festival.

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