Journalists, photographers and movie-goers who were patiently waiting in the Festival Centre in Warehouse C received a warm greeting from Angela Molina when she began her press conference. "I really want to come back to Thessaloniki because I can only stay for such a short while", said the Spanish actress who will be present today, Saturday, November 17th at the screening of Jeanine Meerapfel's Anna's summer, in which she stars. Unfortunately, important commitments will keep her away from tomorrow's Award Ceremony, in which she was initially scheduled to appear. The dazzling and informal Angela Molina, who is remembered as Luis Bunuel's The obscure object of desire, gave her press conference along with the rest of the contributors of the greek-german-spanish co-production.

Molina is distinguished for the abundance of her roles in ambiguous and difficult films. She achieved international recognition, despite her discriminating collaborations with Hollywood and her fervent support of European productions. In Anna's summer she plays the role of Anna, the daughter of a Jewish man and a Spanish woman. The story unfolds in Simi, a Greek island, in a dream-like state where the past meets the present and memories intertwine with fantasy as she comes to terms with her solitude.

"I had a wonderful time in Greece during the film's shooting", she said. "The actors I worked with were very affectionate and caring. We were like a family from early on. I think this is very important since in the film, we had to portray the family's problematic situation. There was a sense of mutual trust and I miss them all".

The cast of the multi-lingual and multi-cultural production includes Herman Knaup, Dimitris Katalifos, Rosana Pastor, Aghis Emmanouil, Themis Bazaka, Maria Skoula and Despo Diamantidou.

"I believe that people can communicate despite their cultural differences", said Angela Molina. "Even when they come from completely contrasting cultures, I have direct relationships with the people I work with".

In response to a question about whether Mediterranean people perceive and experience death and mourning equally, Angela Molina said, "the loss of loved ones is very difficult. It's a common universal feeling, like all essential things in life. The only help we can offer is to support each other. It's these common feelings that unite people, and that is what the film is about".

As far as her future plans are concerned, Angela Molina just completed a co-production about the life of flamenco dancer Carmen Amalia.

The film's director, Jeanine Meerapfel, described her film as "one of the most disciplined and organised productions" in which she ever worked. She didn't want to portray the folklore of Greece but its authenticity. Writer Yiorgos Ksenarios characterised the film as "poetic and clairvoyant, a film that moves you with its lucidity and insight". The film's music, by Floros Floridis, creates a soundscape for the film's four levels: the present, the past, imagination and recollection. The German producer Dagmar Jacobsen said, "we didn't come to Greece to raise funds but to shoot a film", while the Greek producer Fanis Synadinos spoke about the Greek participation in the film which at times exceeded its allocated role.