The Thessaloniki Film Festival, which is funded by the Ministry of Culture, contributes to the greater international outreach of Greek cinema and the promotion of creators from Greece abroad. The Festival gives the opportunity to four producers from Greece, who have participated in the Festival’s industry section, Agora, to travel to the top industry event, the European Film Market (EFM) of the Berlin Film Festival, in order to promote their work. The Festival’s outreach activities are carried out with support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).
More specifically, the producers who participated at the Agora Works in Progress of the 66th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, will present their work to the Spotlight On program, that brings together projects which are at the development or post-production stage with top film professionals, potential partners, distributors and festival programmers.
In Spotlight On: Greece, TIFF’s Agora presents an exciting lineup of four remarkable Greek films just before completion. Each project is articulated through a refined narrative style, visual form, and a commitment to independent, unique storytelling perspective.
The participating producers from Greece are: Ioanna Bolomyti (Atalante Productions) with the project The Boy with the Light-Blue Eyes directed by Thanasis Neofotistos, Eleni Kossyfidou (Blackbird Productions) with the project Ways to Get Rid of Some Freedom directed by Chrisanthos Margonis, Marinos Charalambous (Boycott Films) with the project The Lion at my Back directed by Tonia Mishiali, Dionyssis Samiotis (Tanweer Productions) with the project Last Call directed by Sherif Francis.
Award-winning producer Katarina Tomkova (Punkchart films / kaleidoscope) undertook the tutoring of the four producers, with the aim of preparing them for their presence in Berlin and providing consultancy services before, during, and after the completion of their trip.
Reception for Greek Cinema
Within the framework of the Berlin International Film Festival, and more specifically on February 15th, a reception will be held to promote Greek cinema to the international industry professionals attending the festival and to celebrate all Greek participants to this year’s edition. The reception, taking place at the Greek Embassy in Berlin, will provide a significant opportunity for networking among Greek creators at the world’s leading film market, fostering the development of new projects and films, securing co-productions, funding, and new collaborations, as well as highlighting Greece as a location for international productions. The reception also marks the start of the countdown to the European Film Academy Awards ceremony, which will take place in 2027 in Athens at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC). The event is organized by the Thessaloniki Film Festival and the Hellenic Film and Audiovisual Center - Creative Greece (EKKOMED).
