Welcome to Thessaloniki
"Where to begin?" the festival-goer may wonder, tentatively circling films in their program. In its tenth year as an international event, the 42nd Thessaloniki Film Festival offers a fat catalogue of over 200 films. One place to start is a closeby waterfront cafe or hearty tavern (in the nearby "ladadika" part of town). The nourished cinephile can then find the historic Olympion Theatre or the new Provlita (Pier) "warehouses". It is a 4-15 minute mad dash/stroll between the two venues. Soon some of the hundreds of guests and thousands of devoted cinephiles along this trek will start to look familiar.

International Competition
Sixteen very different films by first or second-time directors from around the world are in competition. An international jury, presided by none other than UK director John Boorman, will pick their favorite films for the Golden and Silver Alexander prizes. The critics (including a busy Fipresci jury) will judge the films too, as will audiences and, no doubt, you. This year there are many regional (from Slovenia to Cyprus) productions in competition. Christos Dimas' Elefsina story, "The Cistern", represents Greece.

One World, Many Screenings
With its finger on the pulse of cinema trends everywhere, the festival has room for both the Jacques Rivettes and David Lynches of the world. The event kicks off with Rivette's acclaimed "Va Savoir", a film about a group of friends and their loves. Meanwhile Lynch's harsher "Mulholland Drive" (showing Sunday, November 11 at 11pm) is the story of a woman who gets amnesia after killing two men in a Hollywood car crash. Another choice event will be the closing film, Peter "Fully Monty" Cattaneo's comedy "Lucky Break." Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao Hsien's "Millennium Mambo", a techno Taipei story, is one of a handful of films from a region for which the festival has a special affinity. There will also be three orgiastic midnight marathons of short, racy films.

Hellenistic Styles
While classics fans may find blunt references to Greek drama in many Hollywood blockbusters, 32 local productions will give viewers a look at what's happening today in Greece. Eight of these mostly state-funded productions have already had theatrical distribution (including a groovy documentary on Screamin' Jay Hawkins). There are at least four additional diaspora or Greece co-productions. Locally it is the year of the newcomer - and possibly the long-awaited Hellenic Aldomovar or Kassovitz. There are several Cypriot films, two of them in international competition. One of Cyprus' best- known directors, Andreas Pantzis, brings Valeria Golino and George Corraface to town, as they appear in his new film. The "small world" of the local film industry relocates from Athens to Thessaloniki by the end, sporting hopes for the increasingly-Oscar like, monetary State Awards, held the day after the festival. This year the festival has tributes to local greats, directors Stavros Tornes and Dinos Dimopoulos, as well as actress Despo Diamantidou. Parents note: a great film for kids is Dimopoulos' "The Dolphins of Amvrakikou", screening at 5.30pm Friday, November 9.

British Humour and More
It's a fair trade-off. Director John Boorman will spend most of his Thessaloniki visit locked up in dark cinemas watching competition films with the rest of the jury (whose character and methods differ each year). Meanwhile audiences will flock to theaters to catch up on 16 of his works - ranging from early BBC documentaries to widely-released recent comedies such as "The General" and "The Tailor of Panama".

Hollywood Gold
The tradition of enriching the festival with the presence of legendary leading ladies, like Catherine Deneuve, Marisa Paredes and Irene Pappas, continues. Actress Faye Dunaway will be at the festival to receive an honorary award, as well as to show off her directing skills, with her short "Yellow Bird". On Saturday, November 10, she and director Jerry Schatzberg will present their 1970 collaboration, "Puzzle of a Downfall Child". The latter's photography has merited a festival exhibit (in Warehouse B).

Beyond Tango
Eighteen new films from Argentina (from 1996 and on) give a flavor of what's happening in that country's film world, despite the recession. In previous festivals, Argentine international competition films spoke of everything from torture to Jewish identity. This year's focus on Argentina demonstrates that big budgets aren't necessary for lively cinema.

The Heart of Balkaness
The term "Balkan" has many connotations, many of which we cannot repeat here. The diverse cinema of this region, which has historically had Thessaloniki as a commercial and intellectual center, is alive and well. Among the promising watches in the Balkan Survey are Albanian "Slogans", which took the top film and best actress awards at the recent Tokyo Film Festival, and "Before the Rain", director Milcho Manchevski's latest, a Western of sorts called "Dust". Competition films include a young Turkish director-to- watch, Kazim Oz, whose team came to Greece several times to complete their project.

Spotting New Horizons
The 40 cutting edge films in this section catering to daring cinema-goers were found from festivals such as Toronto and Cannes, not to mention inspired word-of-mouth. Michael Haneke's "The Piano Teacher", Larry Clark's "Bully" and Mohsen Makhmalbaf's timely "Kandahar" are some of the most-awaited titles. Subterranean discoveries await in sections devoted to what's new in Germany, France, the US, and countless other countries.

Off the Beaten Track
A paint exhibit of director and last year's jury head, Jerzy Skolimowski, is underway in the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art. Fritz Lang classic "Metropolis" will be screened at Thessaloniki's Concert Hall on November 16, accompanied by one of Bulgaria's finest orchestras. The Mediterranean Palace Hotel will be the site of two international distribution weekends organized by the Greek Film Center, the state organization responsible for the lion's share of Greek film production.

Local backbones
It's no secret that Thessaloniki students make up the bulk of the festival's audience. This year students will be able to see the Olympion's 11am, 1.30pm and 3.30pm films for free, upon flashing their student ids. No skipping school though - school permission and a teacher escort are required, for students in high school (and lower) grades.

The Digital Village
In recent years, the festival has held workshops and screenings devoted to the latest in digital filmmaking. These are of keen interest to local aspiring directors who haven't quite landed the huge grant they'd hoped for yet. On November 15-16, this tradition continues, with a digital filmmaking workshop and, on November 17, a presentation about video-to- film transfers. There are related screenings from Taiwan, China and the UK.

Some Festival Tips
*Tickets: You need them, even you, guest card holder. For guest card holders tickets are free, but must be acquired from special counters in Provlita's Warehouse D (9.30am - 11pm)-only for that day, and not within conflicting times. It's strongly recommended to get tickets too, for screenings you have invitations for, and if you are a lucky holder of the year-round CinekartaF. For the general public, tickets for screenings can be bought at the Olympion (Aristotle Square) and at the Provlita Warehouses (on the waterfront). Tickets are priced at 1,500 drs (or 2,000 drs if at the Olympion at 8.30pm or 11pm).
*Press screenings: In the Alpha Odeon cinemaplex (in a courtyard, 43 Tsimiski St). Please don't be shy in the press conferences.
*Hangouts: Warehouse C is not only the home of vital offices and meetings, but the perfect meeting and party place. Having two alcohol-related companies as sponsors bodes well.

First shot, #93, 09/11/2000