Screenwriters (or screenwriter-directors) of the Agora’s Meet the Future of the 64th Thessaloniki International Film Festival participated in the leading event for television series, Series Mania Forum, which takes place every year in Lille, France. The action took place in the framework of the Festival's initiatives for Greek audiovisual works greater outreach and promotion. The Meet the Future event, organized in November, was part of the Agora Series. The actions are implemented within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan "Greece 2.0" with the funding of the European Union - NextGenerationEU and specifically of the integrated project "SUB 6.3 - Market extroversion of the Thessaloniki Film and Documentary Festival".
Orfeas Peretzis, Asimina Proedrou, Fokion Xenos and Neritan Zinxhiria travelled to Series Mania Forum (March 18-21), with the aim of networking and presenting their work to top professionals in the field. As part of their participation in the Series Mania Forum, a visit and introduction to the Series Mania Institute was also organized.
Through successful actions in Cannes, Berlin, Locarno, Rotterdam, Sarajevo and DOK Leipzig film festivals, the Thessaloniki Film Festival facilitates Greek producers and filmmakers to present their work. More specifically, the Festival financially covers the travel costs for cinema professionals (accreditation, travel expenses, accommodation etc.), while with the input of specialists, it provides consulting services before, during and after the completion of their trip. At the same time, the Festival supports the participation of professionals in special programs held in the framework of the international film markets.
The Meet the Future of the 64th TIFF focused on screenwriting, with the aim to support the evolution of contemporary Greek series content and production, while maintaining its relation with cinema. Meet the Future, titled Storytelling, served as a bridge between film and series scripts. The selection for MtF participants consisted of emerging screenwriters (or writer-directors) whose films have participated in the official programs of major international festivals or have been awarded for their screenplay at the Drama International Short Film Festival and the Hellenic Film Academy and who now have a series project in development. In November, the MtF participants had the opportunity to participate in tailor-made workshops by experts in their fields. They, also, presented their work to audiovisual professionals.
With local and international special guests, Agora Series, which was launched in 2022, invites the audiovisual production professionals from Greece, Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean region to attend numerous events such as masterclasses, panel discussions and case study presentations, while providing the opportunity for network expansion to its participants. This year, Agora Series will take place in November 2 and 3, 2024, in the framework of the Agora of the 65th Thessaloniki International Film Festival. More information for the program will be announced soon.
Launched in 2019, Meet the Future is the ambitious initiative of the festival that connects Greece’s audiovisual sector professionals with the international Industry. Every year, young professionals of the audiovisual field are selected, individuals who are currently preparing for their next significant steps in the audiovisual sector. Since its launch, Meet the Future has invited film directors, editors, actors and directors of photography to participate in workshop sessions, panel discussions and to present their work to the industry professionals attending the Agora.
