67th Thessaloniki International. The film festival, running from November 5 to 15, has revealed the lineup of its Meet the Neighbors+ and >>Film Forward competition sections.
Films in the Meet the Neighbors+ section include Blerta Basholli, who won at Sundance with “Hive,” and comes to Thessaloniki with Kosovan war-era drama “Dua,” winner of the SACD Award at Critics’ Week in Cannes. Myrsini Aristido’s “Hold Onto Me,” winner of the Audience Award in the World Cinema-Dramatic section of the Sundance Film Festival, is also in competition. The Variety review described the film as “a heartfelt drama” that “tells the story of a plucky young girl who is haunted by her long-absent, scoundrel father.” Pierre Le Gall’s gay truck driver love story “Flesh and Fuel,” which won best film in Zurich, is also in competition.
The section features debut or sophomore films from upcoming film directors that “intend to provide us with a deeper understanding of life, the human condition and the state of things in our wider geographic region or take a look at the world ‘beyond our neighborhood’ through a unique and innovative artistic lens,” the festival said.
The jury includes Cristina Cassano, head of contemporary Italian cinema promotion at Cinecittà, filmmaker Sofia Exarcho and film editor Anne Osterud.
The films will compete for the Golden Alexander – Michel Dimopoulos Award, which carries a 10,000 euro ($11,240) cash prize, and the Silver Alexander for Best Direction, which comes with a 5,000 euro ($5,620) cash prize. The jury will also award Best Actor and Actress awards, and may also award a Screenplay Award or an Artistic Achievement Award.
“History by Siege,” Abdallah al-Khatib, Algeria-France-Palestine
“Dua,” Blerta Basholli, Kosovo-Switzerland-France
“Meat and Fuel,” Pierre Le Gall, France-Poland
“Furies,” Rami Kodeh, Lebanon-Brazil
“The Lost Sun,” Darko Stante, Slovenia-Greece-Croatia-Italy-North Macedonia
“Until the End of the Day,” Jelena Maksimovic, Serbia-Bulgaria-Slovenia-Montenegro-Germany-Croatia
“Where Giants Sleep,” Arthur Mitchell, Belgium-Kosovo (world premiere)
“Elena’s Shift,” Stefanos Tsivopoulos, Greece
“Recrucified,” Theo Papadoulakis, Greece-Italy-Luxembourg-Cyprus (European Premiere)
“Hold Me,” Myrsini Aristidou, Cyprus-Greece-Denmark
“The Lion at My Back,” Tonia Micheli, Cyprus-Luxembourg-Greece
Film Forward >>The jury of the Film Forward competition section, which hosts 10 “boundary-breaking” films, is composed of Carlos Rodríguez Ríos, D’A – Director of the Barcelona Film Festival; Ana Vujanovic, researcher, writer, playwright and lecturer; and Yorgos Zois, film producer.
The films are competing for the Golden Alexander >>Film Forward – Best Feature Film award with a 10,000 Euro cash prize, the Silver Alexander – Best Direction award, 5,000 Euro cash prize and the Best Actor and Actress award. The jury may also award a Best Screenplay Award or a Best Artistic Achievement Award.
“Chronovisor,” Jack Auen, Kevin Walker, US
“Filipiana,” Rafael Manuel, Singapore-UK-Philippines-France-Netherlands
“I Plant My Hand in the Garden,” Boris Hadžija, Hoda Taheri, Germany-Serbia-America
“Objet A,” N. Oren, Germany-Luxembourg-Greece
“Ponderosa,” Rob Rice, US
“The Promised Place,” Ivan Markovic, France-Germany-Cambodia-Serbia
“Snapshot,” Joseph Archer, UK
“The Golden Age,” Bérenger Thoin, France-Italy
“Mites of Dust,” Argyris Germanidis, Greece-Germany (world premiere)
“Under the Judas Tree,” Christos Manson Chouliaras, Greece-Cyprus