Masterclasses by acclaimed creators at the 2nd Evia Film Project

Acclaimed and beloved filmmakers, as well as distinguished professionals of the Greek and international film and TV industry, share the secrets of their art and work with the audience of Northern Evia at the 2nd Evia Film Project. The masterclasses will take place in Agia Anna and Edipsos, with a free admission for the public. 

Edipsos Masterclasses 

All the masterclasses held in Edipsos will take place in the cultural center “Melina Mercouri”. Admission is free for the public, on a first-come-first-served basis. The masterclasses will be held in English, with no translation into Greek. 

Masterclass by Gianluca Matarsese | Tuesday June 20th, 12:30

My own documentary lab

How do we recognize a good story? A narrative arc in the reality we are filming? How do we identify the best witnesses/protagonists/characters? Building storytelling and working on the borderline between reality and fiction. Director behind and in front of the camera? Prolific award-winning filmmaker and actor Gianluca Matarrese, known for his films The Last Chapter and Fashion Babylon, shares the secrets of his filmmaking practice. 

Masterclass by Selin Murat | Wednesday June 21st, 09:30

Navigating the industry with your creative documentary

How to position your film in the actual industry landscape? How to preserve your personal POV and adapt to the market at the same time? An exclusive personal insight into the ever-changing film industry landscape by Selin Murat, (Markets Manager, IDFA), a leading figure at the Market of the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam, one of the most prestigious doc festivals around the globe. 

Masterclass by Salomé Jashi | Thursday June 22nd, 10:00

Taming the Garden: Case study

How can you find images for your story or find a story in the images you shot? Can you plan the success of your film from the very beginning? How to overcome challenges of working in a male-oriented context as a female artist? Salomé Jashi lays out the case study of her film, Taming the Garden, screened on Wednesday June 21st, at ciné Apollon. 

Masterclass by Biljana Tutorov & Luka Venturin | Thursday June 22nd, 12:00

Learning from mistakes

What mistakes can we avoid when making a feature documentary? What are some good practices to nurture? How can we carve the best path for both our films and ourselves? Film director and producer Biljana Tutorov, founder of CIRCLE Women Doc Accelerator, and producer Luka Venturin, program coordinator at CIRCLE Women Doc Accelerator and producer of the short film Picnic, recipient of numerous awards in many international festivals and winner of the European Film Award for Best Short Film (2015), offer answers to the fundamental questions that concern all up and coming documentary filmmakers.

Masterclass by Hubert Sauper | Friday June 23rd, 10:00

We Come as Friends: Case study 

Oscar nominated Austrian director Huber Sauper, one of the leading documentary filmmakers of our time, shares his secrets by analyzing one of his award-winning films, We Come as Friends, which will be screened on Thursday June 22nd, at ciné Apollon. What is it like to work and create in dangerous zones? What is the best way to build an ethical approach to some of the most burning political issues of our time? How do we represent postcolonial heritage on screen? 

All the above-mentioned masterclasses held in Edipsos are included in the framework of the top-notch international meeting hosted by CIRCLE Women Doc Accelerator, one of the most important documentary development programs, carried out for the first time in Greece, as part of the 2nd Evia Film Project. 

Location Manager Masterclass by Danae Spathara & Menelaos Mytilineos| Saturday June 24th, 11:00

Shooting in Evia Island 

Case study: Triangle of Sadness

A substantial part of the film Triangle of Sadness directed by Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund, nominated for three Academy Awards and recipient of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or, was shot in the island of Evia in September-October 2020. The movie was a Greek co-production and within the framework of the 2nd Evia Film Project Heretic’s line producer Danae Spathara and location manager Menelaos Mytilineos take us along the journey of scouting and selecting the film’s locations. As we dive into the production process and the challenges faced amidst the difficult period of the pandemic and the imposed restrictions, the speaker will share practical information and inside stories from her personal experience in the field. The masterclass will be held in English, with no translation into Greek. 

The masterclass will conclude a three-day action hosted by the Festival, addressed to location managers from all around the globe, including a FAM Trip (familiarization trip) that will take place in Northern Evia, giving the chance to film industry professionals to discover unique locations that could serve as shooting locations for major Greek and international productions. 

The FAM Trip and the Location Scouting Masterclass “Shooting in Evia Ιsland - Triangle of Sadness: Case study” are carried out with the support of the Hellenic Film Commission. 

Agia Anna Masterclasses 

Masterclass by Zacharias Mavroeidis | Thursday June 22nd, 18:00

Narratology Μon Αmour

Film director, author and scriptwriter Zacharias Mavroeidis, with multi-awarded films such as The Guide and Defunct under his belt, will dissect the mystery of narratology in cinema, laying out the notion and the different forms of the cinematic text. In the hazy theoretical field of narratology are hidden valuable gifts for every active cinematographer. In thismasterclass we will learn about a key tool of narratology: the notion of the “text” and its three types: narrative, oration, and description. Taking these concepts from literature to the cinema, we will see how they can help filmmakers to define their personal artistic voice. 

Masterclass by Lefteris Charitos | Friday June 23rd, 11:00

From the Crisis of Cinema to the Blossoming of TV

Lefteris Charitos, director of the documentary Dolphin Man and the TV mega hit Agries Melisses (Wild Bees), as well as running president of the Hellenic Film Academy, will delve into the blossoming and the new shape of today’s Greek TV landscape. We are found in an important and critical moment in Greek episodic fiction for television. Nowadays, more and more series are produced, with bigger budgets and better scripts. This fact has brought significant changes to the landscape, both on the level of operational and qualitative standards. For the first time in their history, Greek series cross the borders of the country. How does this change affect younger generations of filmmakers? Is it true that cinema is going through a crisis while television is blossoming? What are the similarities as well as the differences between these two media? This is a masterclass sharing different secrets about the moving image as an art and a craft.

Masterclass by Yorgos Tsemberopoulos | Friday June 23rd, 13:00

Professional, Artist, Filmmaker

Cherished filmmaker Yorgos Tsemberopoulos is responsible for some of the most iconic films of contemporary Greek cinema, such as Sudden Love, Take Care, Backdoor and The Enemy Within, whereas his striking documentary Megara, in co-direction with Sakis Maniatis, was screened last year at the 1st Evia Film Project. In his masterclass, he will unveil his professional and artistic experiences, revisiting a prolific five-decade career. Yorgos Tsemberopoulos, with an impressive stint in all stages of the filmmaking process under his belt, has served as President of the Hellenic Film Academy, as well as a member of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival Board. He will focus on the dangerous balances of everyday discipline in the field of cinema. A presentation and a 90-minute discussion with an influential auteur of the New Greek Cinema. 

Masterclass by Elina Psykou | Saturday June 24th, 11:00

Filming Adult Fairytales

Film director, scriptwriter and producer Elina Psykou is the name behind the multi-awarded film The Eternal Return of Antonis Paraskevas and Son of Sofia, having also served as President of the Film Directors-Producers Guild of Greece, as well as Board member at the Hellenic Film Academy. In her masterclass, she invites us on a journey through the symbols and the imagery of her personal directorial universe, a world full of fairy tales, good fairies and evil dragons (or perhaps not-so-good fairies and not-so-evil dragons?), joys and disappointments, and joys again.

Masterclass by Olympia Mytilinaiou | Saturday June 24th, 13:00

How to Find the Light

Renowned cinematographer Olympia Mytilinaiou, who has teamed up with several top directorial names from Greece and abroad, among whom Panos H. Koutras, Alexandros Avranas, Stavros Tsiolis and Talal Derki, brings forth all the unseen and mesmerizing aspects of her profession. How can you find what kind of photography matches each script? What tools should you use to be guided to the right choice and achieve the desired result? Every script has its own image. The decisions are difficult and demanding – and often painful! The elements you need to make this choice are very important: the screenplay, which is the beginning; the directorial gaze, meaning how it wants to find expression through the photography; working with the other collaborators; the ways and means to success. 

Evia Film Project is the Festival’s third pillar of activities, adding its name to Thessaloniki International Film Festival, held in November, and Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, held in March. Its goal is to consolidate Northern Evia, a region severely hit by the 2021 calamitous wildfires, as an international hub of green cinema. Evia Film Project is carried out thanks to the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, within the context of the program for the Reconstruction of Northern Evia, and in collaboration with the Region of Central Greece, the Greek Film Centre, the Municipality of Istiea-Edipsos and the Municipality of Mantoudi-Limni-Agia Anna. Thessaloniki Film Festival is teaming up with all institutions and bodies seated in Evia and the Digital Arts and Cinema Department of the National and Kapodistrian University, based in Psachna.