AWARDS (click here)

"Let's go to the cinema!" Student Film Festival

Each year, the educational programme of the Thessaloniki Film Festival marks the end of its activities with the "Let's go to the cinema!" Student Film Festival, during which all the films made by the students are screened. In this way, the students -as well as the general public-- are given the opportunity to see their work where it rightfully belongs: up on the screen.

As of 2000, 331 Lyceums and High Schools from Attica, Thessaloniki, Thrace, Crete, Epirus, the Cyclades and the Greek community schools in Bavaria have participated in the programme, shooting 331 short films which were produced by the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.

The great moment of this festival is the Awards Ceremony, which takes place on the same day and at the same time, in all the cities where the Festival is held, immediately following the screening of the films. The innovation of this ceremony is that, even though it is a single one, it is held concurrently in many film theatres. These theatres are linked by satellite and the audience in each theatre watches and participates in whatever is going on in the theatres in other cities. In each city, a well-known actor, with the participation of a singer, presents the ceremony. The entire event is broadcast live on ET-1.

We are already living in a time when the limits between the world and its image are no longer simply blurred, but have practically ceased to exist. The very reality we experience on a daily basis consists of images. We communicate, exchange ideas and eventually become conscious of ourselves increasingly through images which are gradually taking over the dominant position once held by discourse. This in itself does not necessarily mark the end of civilization, as many people claim. On the contrary, it marks the transition to a new era, one of the main features of which will be the development of a different communication code, a different language: that of images. This language already exists; it is spoken, it is evolving and, day by day, it is becoming the main vector for transmitting messages, transferring knowledge and information.

To underestimate the image and to cling to the idea that it contains one sole and clear meaning disrupts our way of dealing with reality and this is exactly what turns us into passive receivers. We must learn to be suspicious of images as we are suspicious of words, about which we know that they might conceal more than they seem to reveal. If it is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, we should also consider the possibility that it might be a thousand times more misleading.

The younger generation, enjoying the privilege of growing up and shaping its personality during this fascinating historical period of rapid developments, deals with the hail of images it receives with the courage and daring of a pioneer explorer of a new world. Through the images as well as behind them, it begins to carve the reality of this world. The younger generation already speaks the language of images. Let's listen to it.

ANTONIS KIOUKAS

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