The Thessaloniki International Film Festival and the Athens Epidaurus Festival, two historic Greek cultural institutions, inaugurated the beginning of a creative dialogue with the signing of a cooperation memorandum on Wednesday, November 5th, in the Green Room at the Olympion theatre, within the framework of the 66th edition. The memorandum was signed by Elise Jalladeau, General Director, and Orestis Andreadakis, Artistic Director, on behalf of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival and by Ioannis Kaplanis, General Director and Michail Marmarinos, Artistic Director, on behalf of the Athens Epidaurus Festival.
The memorandum expresses the shared intention of the two institutions to explore avenues of collaboration and to jointly design initiatives which will highlight the dynamic convergence of the arts. At the same time, it opens up a broader horizon for dialogue and partnerships with institutions that share common sensitivities, values and aesthetic pursuits.
Orestis Andreadakis welcomed the two representatives of the Athens Epidaurus Festival and expressed his joy at the signing of the memorandum. “We are very glad to be here again, partly because, together with Michail Marmarinos, we had previously met in this very room for a series of collaborations and joint actions within the framework of “2023 ELEUSIS European Capital of Culture”. We are even more excited that these two important festivals have found a common language of communication. The memorandum is only the beginning of a long list of ideas which we have already exchanged and which we hope to implement in the near future, starting this summer, perhaps even earlier. Allow me not to reveal them just yet,” he said, expressing his belief in a very fruitful collaboration.
Michail Marmarinos, on his part, expressed his enthusiasm on the upcoming collaboration between the two institutions: “I am delighted to be in the welcoming city of Thessaloniki and at the Thessaloniki Festival. It is my pleasure to be in the city as the Festival’s spectator. This has to do with the city itself, but also with the excellent work carried out by the Festival team, which is truly impressive. It makes me feel proud as a citizen of this country. I am very happy that my first action as Artistic Director at such an important festival is the signing of this memorandum, and I am also happy that this takes place here, in Thessaloniki. This agreement reflects a cooperative willingness of major culture institutions, which I assume can only prove fruitful. It is the tangible confirmation of a culture that is neither so common nor so easy to cultivate in Greece, and I believe that it carries weight", he mentioned.
"This collaboration is very important and I hope it will be put into practice with other institutions as well. Τhat is the essence of it: to communicate and collaborate. Here in Thessaloniki, we have such a tradition. Over the years we have collaborated with almost all of the city’s cultural institutions. This year in particular, we co-organized the opening of the 9th Biennale with MOMus, while we are also co-organizing a major concert at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, where Tan Dun, the Academy Award winning composer will perform," Mr. Andreadakis added.
Elise Jalladeau spoke of a long-awaited collaboration: "I think that the theatrical and cinematic arts are destined to meet and collaborate. Our institutions have been already close to each other, so it was time to formalize this proximity and work together. We are excited because on the occasion of the memorandum, we will face together the challenges that await us in the future and we will collaborate on many issues that concern us all, such as the crucial issue of sustainability," she concluded.
Ioannis Kaplanis, on his part, expressed his joy at the synergy of two such historic cultural institutions. “We are very happy to be in Thessaloniki and at the Film Festival, a historic institution for the city and the whole country. The Film Festival is open and innovative, just as we are. With Michail Marmarinos taking on the role of Artistic Director, the program for the coming years is already being prepared and we look forward to the collaboration between the two institutions on joint artistic projects co-shaped by the two artistic directors,” he noted, and immediately afterwards added: “As Elise mentioned, there are other initiatives grounded on culture which we sometimes overlook, such as environmental sustainability, green policies and accessibility, on which we can also collaborate.” He then spoke about the participation of the Athens Epidaurus Festival in this year's Thessaloniki International Film Festival program: "Although we are a festival primarily focused on theatre, music, dance and performing arts, this year we are also participating in the TIFF’s program with two films. The first is Mahi by Elias Giannakakis, which premiered on Sunday and we co-produced, and the second is Electra7, a co-production of Athens Epidaurus Festival and the Hellenic Film Academy, which premieres tonight."
Orestis Andreadakis concluded by referring to the future plans of the two institutions: “We intend to implement various actions, either at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival next November or at the Athens Epidaurus Festival during the summer, as well as at the Evia Film Project during the summer, but also throughout the year.” Emphasizing the importance of this initiative, he pointed out: “Our partnership will not be only related to performances or screenings, it will be a broader collaboration that has to do with the development of co-productions, but also with the promotion of Greek cinema and theatre. The key point is that we are connected by a common language.”
