The festival that loved me
Whether you've arrived at the 43rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival with a teeny handbag or three bulging suitcases of essential disguises, you need to be briefed. Your mission: To watch as many of the 200-some films as possible. Get to know backgrounds, works and whims of Marco Bellocchio, Pantelis Voulgaris, Larry Clark, Hong Sang-Soo and Bela Tarr (to name a few). The International Competition will introduce newcomers, the New Horizons section present rebels. Michel Demopoulos and his state-of-the-art team have also identified the key Balkan and Asian players. Oh, and for the critics, it is essential that you keep a low profile after scathing reviews. This message will self destruct.

First Impressions
Goal! UK hit "Bend it Like Beckham", directed by Gurinder Chadha, launches the festival with its look at a young football-crazy Indian-British woman. The festival's closing film will be Todd Haynes' "Far from Heaven", about racism and conformity in 1957 suburbia.

Mission Impossible
Homecomings, escapes and family are themes in many of the first- or second-films competing for the Golden and Silver Alexander prizes. The films are from: Thailand (jungle escape story "Blissfully Yours"), Germany (sibling rivalry-filled "Bungalow"), Argentina (outlaw-to-police chief tale "El Bonaerense"), Mexico/Japan (suicidal man's rebirth story "Japan"), Japan (rain-centred "Woman of Water"), Korea (failed musician's homecoming "Let's Not Cry"), Romania (three interlocked stories "Occident"), Iran (a woman's forbidden love tale "Wishes of the Land"), US (love lesson "Roger Dodger"), France/Algeria (Algeria escape "Les Chemins de L'Oued"), France (brothers tale "Vivre me tue"), Slovenia (sister-brother relationship film "Blind Spot"), Palestinian (wartime lovestory "Rana's Wedding"), Czech Republic/Slovakia (a widow's return home "Some Secrets") and Greece (child's loss of a parent tale "Tough Goodbyes: My Father" and provincial woman profile "You'll Regret It").

The Italian Connection
Energy and anarchy can be found within director Marco Bellocchio's work, which questions family, religion and government, while also examining individual psychology. Twenty-eight of the director's works will be shown at this year's Thessaloniki Festival. Born in Piacenza in 1939, Bellocchio studied Philosophy in Milan and film in Rome and London. His first feature, "Fists in the Pocket", sent shock waves through the Italian film world in 1965. The festival will show the range of his shorts, documentaries and features, including "In the Name of the Father" as well as 2002 film "My Mother's Smile". Together with actor Lou Castel, Bellocchio will be honoured at the festival. There will also be an exhibit of the filmmaker's cinema designs at the State Museum of Contemporary Art.

Expect the unexpected
Directors Abbas Kiarostami and Larry Clark, each daring in their own way, will be present to unveil their latest works in the festival's most experimental section, New Horizons. (The films are "Ten" and "Ken Park", respectively.) New Horizons is expecting spotlighted video artist Shirin Nessat, Mexico's daring Jaime Humberto, Korea's witty innovator Hong Sang-Soo and Italian author/director Aurelio Grimaldi. Apart from some 48 films, Dimitris Eipides' section will also host a concert by Finnish group Pan Sonic (Tickets: 22 and 25 euros, at Idrogios) as well as an exhibition of 80 photographs from Iran.

The Tarr, Rafelson and Stevenin Files
The existential and social questioning of director Bela Tarr at long last reach Greece, through the Thessaloniki Festival. Born in Pecs, Hungary in 1955, Tarr was only 22 when he created feature "Family Nest", one of Budapest's first docu-fiction films. Non-actors ? trapped in raw close-ups and daily routines- are often found in his film. Also honored, and presenting a dozen of his films is US director Bob Rafelson. Among his films are 1970's "Five Easy Pieces" (with Jack Nicholson), 1981's "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and 2002 short "Porn.com". The New Yorker started out in TV and radio, created The Monkees and BBS (the company that produced "Easy Rider") before directing "Head" in 1968. His noire crime films look at America's underbelly and films like "Stay Hungry" get personal. Also spotlighted is France's Jean-Francois Stevenin, the actor/director who has appeared in some 100 films and created three of his own.

Grecian Yearnings
The festival will be honouring Pantelis Voulgaris, who has been a major presence in Greek film since 1966 short "Jimmy the Tiger". Twenty-one works of this director, who offers beautiful, socially-relevant images of Greece, will be shown. Among his most significant films are prison story "Stone Years", telling of the repression of the Greek left. Thessaloniki's Yiannis Dalianides, known for his poetic cinema, will also be spotlighted. Meanwhile, 21 new local productions will be unveiled as tradition dictates. Though it hasn't been a great year for Greek cinema at the box office, new films keep revealing a diversity of voices. Among better-known directors presenting their latest works are cult filmmaker Nikos Nicolaides, award-winning Nikos Grammatikos, Roviros Manthoulis and Nikos Kornillios. There are more films by women this year, including documentary-maker Stella Theodoraki's first feature. On November 11, the festival will honour the memory of legendary Greek comic Costas Hadzichristos. The Greek Film Centre, responsible for most Greek productions, invites journalists to a wine reception on November 8 and a press converence on November 12.

Subversive Behavior
"Orgasmic Cinema" is the name of a selection of daring shorts Athina Rachel Tsagari and Spencer Parsons have curated. Their politically incorrect picks (on themes like nirvana and the aphrodisiac of power) are divided into three entities.

Friendly Northern Neighbours
Balkan screenwriters take note. The Thessaloniki Festival wants you...to write. The festival has created a new Balkan Fund, which will finance the creation of great scripts. Four to five screenplays (including at least one from Greece) will be backed with funds up to 10,000 euros each. With regards to already-made films, this year's Balkan Survey includes eight features and three shorts. They range from Turkish "Fate", about an accountant who allows his life to roll by passively, even when accused of murder, to FYROM "The Judge", where a filmmaker shoots a demonic character.

Never forget a face
For the first time, the Thessaloniki Festival will promote the European Union's "Shooting Stars". See their films, just in case Enrique Alcides, Michael Finger, Fabrizio Gifuni, Athina Maximou, Maria Wurgler Rich and Carla Bolito become household names someday.

From Berlin to Beijing
Twenty years after his death, the festival and the Goethe Istitut is devoting four days to bringing Rainer Werner Fassbinder's TV series "Berlin Alexanderplatz" (shot in 16mm between 1979-80) to the big screen for the first time. The work is based Alfred Doblin's 1929 novel about anti-hero petty criminal Hanz Biberkopf and a man called Reinhold, who exercises a strange power over him. Set in the time of the Nazis ascent to power, it consists of 13 episodes and an epilogue. This year the festival, whose appreciation for Asian productions is often seen its awards, will offer a "Window to Asia" sponsored by the Asia-Europe Foundation. A handful of new films introduce viewers to characters like a prostitute in Beijing ("Seafood") and two best friends in Taipei ("The Best of Times").

Vital Events
Be aware that the lighting/metal installation along the port is the work of Yann Kersale. Curiosity seekers should attend Amy Digital Video's presentation on special effects technology (November 11). Then, at Mylos, the festival presents "e-magic 2002" internet media (November 12-16) and a related presentation (November 13th-14th). Eight festival films travel throughout Macedonia and Thrace November 9-20. Last but not least, are a concert by popular Greek singer Dimitra Galani at Thessaloniki's Music Hall on November 15 and 16. (Tickets:12 to 35 euros, tel 2310-895938-9) and a poster exhibit devoted to actress Melina Mercouri at the Macedonian Museum of Contemporary Art

First shot, #113, 08/11/2002

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