Thessaloniki's Agora/Market to showcase 15 features, 11 works in progress

The film projects are presented under the sixth Crossroads Co-Production Forum catering to works coming from the Balkan, Southeaster Europe and Mediterranean areas.

Among the films selected at the Works in Progress section, seeking post production partners, a considerable number return to TIFF, a place where they had been originated and nurtured in the Balkan Fund and Crossroads strands in the recent past.

Among those selected are the new projects by Hany Abu Assad (Paradise Now), Aida Begic (Snow), Constantine Giannaris (One Day in August, Hostage) and Philippos Tsitos (Plato’s Academy).

Crossroads and the Works in Progress sections are headed by Marie Pierre Macia and they benefit to different extends by the backing of the EU Media program and private foreign and local institutions.

The Crossroads (Dec 4-6) winning project will receive film material and services up to 10,000 Euros offered by Kodak Cinelabs Greece.

Its producer will be entitled to a free accreditation for the Producer’s Network at the Cannes Film Festival 2011 and the project will be presented at the Sofia Meetings in March 2011.

Finally the Mediterranean Film Institute (MFI) will offer a scholarship for its next round of Script 2 film workshops to one of the selected projects.

The Works in Progress winning film will receive services up to Euros 70,000 offered by Kodak Cinelabs Greece and local digital intermedia (DI), special effects and production powerhouse Graal S.A.  

The Crossroads jury is comprised of: ARTE France’s Claire Launay; Gabor Greiner, head of acquisitions for Films Boutique; and Greek producer Dionyssis Samiotis.

The Works in Progress jury includes MK2’s Juliette Schrameck, Karlovy Vary’s Karel Och, and Greek producer Konstantina Stavrianou.

Crossroads:

Beyond the Hill, director: Emin Alper, producer: Enis Köstepen, Bulut Films, Turkey

My Brother Lazarus, director / producer: Svetozar Ristovski, FYROM

Cajón, director: Dimitris Bavellas, producer: Yannis Exintaris, N-Orasis Audiovisual Productions, Greece

Downpour, director: Mori Li-Dar, producer: Yoav Roeh & Aurit Zamir, Gum Films, Israel

Echo Hotel, directors:  Menotti & Marco Marchionni, Italy (MFI Project)

Gated, director / producer: Aslihan Unaldi, Turkey

The Japanese Dog, director:  Tudor Cristian Jurgiu, producer: Bogdan Craciun, Libra Film Productions, Romania

Luton, director: Michael Konstantatos, producer: Yorgos Tsourgiannis, Horsefly Productions, Greece

Music for Strangers, director: Eric Nazarian, producer: Guillaume de Seille, Fresco Films/ Arizona Films, Armenia / France (Sofia Meetings Project)

Quiet People, director: Ognjen Svilicic, producers: Damir Teresak, Janja Kralj, Maxima Film / KinoElektron, Croatia / France

Sleeping on Stone, director: Nicole Ballivian, producers: Nagham Osman, Nicole Ballivian / Osama Bawardi, Bint Film, Palestine/US

Touch Me Not, director: Adina Pintilie, producer: Marius Iacob, Manekino Film / Atopic, Romania / France

Weekend, director: Áron Mátyássy, producers: Tamás Joó, Gergely Fodor, Budapest Film Production, Hungary

The Women of my Life, director: Antoniy Donchev, producer: Ivan Tonev, Ars LTD, Bulgaria

Youth, director: Tom Shoval, producer: Gal Greenspan, Greenproductions, Israel

Works In Progress

Adalbert’s Dream, director/producer: Gabriel Achim, Green Film, Romania. (The film participated in Thessaloniki’s Crossroads Co-production Forum in 2009.)

Amnesty, director Bujar Alimani, producers: Bujar Alimani/90 Production, Thanos Anastopoulos/Fantasia Audiovisual, Guillaume De Seille/Arizona Films, Albania/Greece/France. (The film participated in Thessaloniki’s Crossroads Co-production Forum in 2008 securing there its French co-producer Arizona Films.)

Do not Forget me Istanbul, directors:Hany Abu Assad, Stefan Arsenijevic, Aida Begic, Josefina Markarian, Eric Nazarian, Stergios Niziris, Omar Shargawi, producers: Hüseyin Karabey, Sevil Demirci, Emre Yeksan / Unutma Beni Istanbul Ltd. Sti, Turkey / Greece.

The Enemy, director: Dejna Zečević, producer: Nikolina Vucetic / Biberche Productions, co-producers: Tihomir Stanić / Balkan Film, Damir Terešak / Maxima Film,Denez Szekeres/Tivoli Film, Serbia / Bosnia & Herzegovina / Croatia / Hungary.

In the Fifth Heaven, director: Dina Zvi Riklis, producer: Yifat Prestelnik / Yifat Prestelnik Films, Israel.

J.A.C.E, director/producer: Menelaos Karamaghiolis, co -producers:Pandora Da Cuhnan Telles / Uk Bar Filmes, Zoran Risteski / Geyzer Ltd., Ceyda Tufan / Pi Films, Mete Gümürhan / Kaliber Films, Greece / Portugal / FYROM / Turkey / Netherlands. (The film participated in Thessaloniki’s Balkan Script Development Fund in 2005.)

Man in the Sea, director: Constantine Giannaris, producer: Yorgos Lykiardopoulos / Highway Productions, Greece. (The film participated in Thessaloniki’s Balkan Script Development Fund in 2006 and in the Crossroads Co-production Forum in 2007.)

Off-White Lies, director: Maya Kenig, producers: Yoav Roeh & Aurit Zamir / Gum Films, co- producer: Janja Kralj / KinoElektron, Israel / France. (The film participated in Thessaloniki’s Crossroads Co-production Forum in 2009.)

Punks not Dead, director: Vladimir Blazevski, producer: Darko Popov/Pank Film, co-producers: Zarko Dragojevic / Vitagraf, FYROM / Serbia.

Unfair World, director: Filippos Tsitos, producer: Alexandra Boussiou, co-producer: Gian – Piero Ringel / Neue Road Movies, Greece / Germany.

Wasted Youth, Directors: Argyris Papadimitropoulos, Jan Vogel, producer: Argyris Papadimitropoulos / Oxymoron Film, co-producers: Federico Pietra, Yorgos Karnavas / Stefi Productions, Greece.

Other sections, apart from Crossroads and the Works in Progress, included in the Agora/Market are the Film Market featuring a digital video library, the Balkan -script development fund and the film students workshop Salonica Studio.