55th TIFF: Open Horizons

PRESS RELEASE
55^th THESSALONIKI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
October 31 – November 9, 2014

?OPEN HORIZONS

 
The Open Horizons section of the 55^th Thessaloniki International Film Festival comprises films that, although varied in their thematic concerns and aesthetic approaches, create a multi-faceted portrait of the most recent and noteworthy international film production. Running in parallel, the Special Screenings section presents the newest additions in the work of renowned auteurs.
 
Some of this year’s most impressive films will be screened as part of the Special Screenings section: The Dardenne Brothers sharpen their unique style with Two Days and One Night, which is led by the formidable Marion Cotillard. From Russia, Andrey Zvyagintsev returns with his ambitious social drama Leviathan; while virtuoso Abderrahmane Sissako’s Timbuktu addresses Northern Mali’s occupation by Jihadists.
 
A Thessaloniki regular, Fatih Akin will visit the Festival to present his epic drama The Cut, that narrates the Armenian genocide and concludes the director’s “Love, Death and the Devil” trilogy. An enigmatic coming-of-age story of two teenagers lies at the heart of Naomi Kawase’s Still the Water that dwells on life, death and true love. Susanne Bier watches a young detective’s life collapse when a tragedy presents him with a serious moral dilemma in her powerful drama A Second Chance. Post-war Berlin becomes the setting for Christian Petzold’s Phoenix, a suspenseful tale of identity and betrayal with Petzold’s muse Nina Hoss in another extraordinary performance. Ole Christian Madsen also turns to the past to follow a turbulent love story from the 60s in his film Itsi Bitsi.
 
Ariane Labed stars in Lucie Borleteau’s Fidelio, Alice’s Journey (for which she won the Best Actress award in Locarno) as a sailor adrift in the ocean of her emotions, while Rinko Kikuchi sets on a treasure hunt with the film Fargo as her compass in David Zellner’s Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter. Multi-award winning A Street in Palermo by Emma Dante delves into the female psyche as two women’s egos (and cars) clash, whereas the female leads of 1001 Grams (by Bent Hamer), I Won’t Come Back (by Ilmar Raag) and August Winds (by Gabriel Mascaro) go through life-changing experiences.

?Sexuality, love and relationships are, as usual, present in the Open Horizons program: In Sophie Fillieres’ If you Don’t I Will, Emmanouelle Devos and Mathieu Amalric go through a painful divorce, while 18^th century poet Heinrich von Kleist inspires the dark romantic comedy Amour fou by Jessica Hausner. Love me by Hanne Myren, Something Must Break by Ester Martin Bergsmark and All Yours by David Lambert also contribute with different views on the themes of desire and identity, while Ruben Ostlund’s revelation of a film Force majeure dissects a family to their moral bone.
 
The Currents section returns for a second year with a selection of experimental offerings. Based on a Guillermo Arriaga idea and curated by Mario Vargas Llosa, the portmanteau film Words with Gods links together nine films (directed by, among others, Guillermo Arriaga, Mira Nair, Emir Kusturica and Amos Gitai) that ponder over religion and faith. Christophe Honore tackles the ambitious task of translating Ovid’s poem Metamorphoses into a film, Jose Alayon follows the adventure of a group of immigrant friends in the atmospheric Slimane, while Alexander Kott comments on nuclear tests without uttering a word in his silent film Test.
 
THE FILMS (the full list will be announced at the Festival’s press conference, date TBA):
 
Special Screenings:
A Second Chance / En Chance Til, 2014, 105’, Denmark, Susanne Bier
Leviathan, 2014, 141’, Russia, Andrey Zvyagintsev
Itsi Bitsi, 2014, 107’, Denmark, Croatia, Sweden, Ole Christian Madsen
Phoenix, 2014, 98’, Germany, Christian Petzold
Still the Water / Futatsume No Mado, 2014, 119’, France, Japan, Spain, Naomi Kawase
Timbuktu, 2014, 100’, France, Mauritania, Abderrahmane Sissako
The Cut, 2014, 138’, Germany, France, Italy, Russia, Canada, Poland, Turkey, Fatih Akin
Two Days, One Night / Deux jours, une nuit, 2014, 95’, Belgium, France, Italy, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
 
Open Horizons:
1001 Grams / 1001 Gram, 2014, 88’, Norway, Germany, France, Bent Hamer
All Yours / Je Suis A Toi, 2014, 103’, Belgium, Canada, David Lambert
Amour Fou, 2014, 96’, Austria, Luxembourg, Germany, Jessica Hausner
Angels of Revolution / Angely Revolucii, 2014, 113’, Russia, Aleksey Fedorchenko
Artic / Artico, 2014, 78’, Spain, Gabriel Velazquez
August Winds / Ventos de Agosto, 2014, 77’, Brazil, Gabriel Mascaro
Between 10 and 12 / Tussen 10 en 12, 2014, 67’, Netherlands, Peter Hoogendoorn
Black Souls / Anime Nere, 2014, 103’, Italy, France, Francesco Munzi
Buzzard, 2014, 97’, USA, Joel Potrykus
Charlie's Country, 2014, 108’, Australia, Rolf De Heer
Difret, 2013, 99’, Ethiopia, Zeresenay Berhane Mehari
Dust on the Tongue / Tierra en la lengua, 2013, 90’, Colombia, Ruben Mendoza
Fidelio, Alice's Journey / Fidelio, l'Odyssιe d'Alice, 2014, 96’, France, Lucie Borleteau
Five Star, 2014, 83’, USA, Keith Miller
Force Majeure / Turist, 2014, 118’, Sweden, Ruben Ostlund
Free Range / Balaad Maailma Heakskiitmisest, 2013, 104’, Estonia, Veiko Ounpuu
The Gold Bug / El Escarabajo De Oro, 2014, 102’, Argentina, Denmark, Sweden, Alejo Moguillansky
I Won't Come Back / Ya Ne Vernus, 2014, 110’, Russia, Estonia, Finland, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Ilmar Raag
If You Don't, I Will / Arrκte ou je continue, 2014, 102’, France, Sophie Fillieres
In Her Place, 2014, 115’, Canada, South Korea, Albert Shin
In Silence / V Tichu, 2014, 84’, Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, Zdenek Jirasky
The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq / L'enlevement de Michel Houellebecq, 2014, 92’, France, Guillaume Nicloux
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter, 2014, 105’, USA, David Zellner
Land of Storms / Viharsarok, 2014, 105’, Hungary, Germany, Adam Csaszi
Listen Up Philip, 2014, 105’, USA, Alex Ross Perry
The Little Death, 2014, 96’, Australia, Josh Lawson
Love Is Strange, 2014, 98’, USA, Ira Sachs
Love Me / Elsk Meg, 2013, 72’, Norway, Hanne Myren
Nagima, 2013, 80’, Kazakhstan, Zhanna Issabayeva
Quiet Bliss / In Grazia di Dio, 2014, 127’, Italy, Edoardo Winspeare
Refugiado, 2014, 93’, Argentina, Poland, Colombia, France, Diego Lerman
Silent Heart / Stille Hjerte, 2014, 98’, Denmark, Bille August
Something Must Break / Nanting Maste Ga Sonder, 2014, 82’, Sweden, Ester Martin Bergsmark
Speed Walking / Kapgang, 2014, 108’, Denmark, Niels Arden Oplev
A Street in Palermo / Via Castellana Bandiera, 2013, 94’, Italy, Emma Dante
Tales / Ghesseha, 2014, 88’, Iran, Rakhshan Banietemad
The Third Side of the River / La tercera orilla, 2014, 92’, Argentina, Germany, Netherlands, Celina Murga
Today / Emrouz, 2014, 88’, Iran, Reza Mirkarimi
The Way Out / Cesta Ven, 2013, 102’, Czech Republic, France, Petr Vaclav
 
Currents:
Bypass, 2014, 103’, United Kingdom, Duane Hopkins
The Goob, 2014, 86’, United Kingdom, Guy Myhill
Memphis, 2013, 78’, USA, Tim Sutton
Metamorphoses, 2014, 102’, France, Christophe Honore
The Princess of France / La Princesa de Francia, 2014, 65’, Argentina, Matias Pineiro
Slimane, 2013, 60’, Spain, France, Morocco, Jose A. Alayon
Test, 2014, 95’, Russia, Alexander Kott
Words With Gods, 2014, 135’, Mexico, USA, Bahman Ghobadi, Emir Kusturica, Warwick Thornton, Guillermo Arriaga, Hector Babenco, Amos Gitai, Hideo Nakata, Alex De La Iglesia, Mira Nair