Sophia Exarchou’s Animal Won the €10,000 Golden Alexander-Theo Angelopoulos Award for Best Film at the 64th Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF, 2–12 November). For the first time in 30 years a Greek production has won the top prize.
The film’s lead actress Dimitra Vlagopoulou also won Best Actress alongside Joanna Arno for the US production. The feeling that it’s too late to do somethingWhich he also directed.
Vlagopoulou had previously won the Best Actress award at Locarno, where the film had its world premiere.
The Greek, Austrian, Romanian, Cypriot, Bulgarian co-production follows a group of female entertainers spending a wild and violent summer working on a Greek island resort. World sales are handled by Shellac.
Arno also won the Best Director award of €5,000. Feeling… An American production that depicts a single young New York woman’s frustrating job, daily life, and dealings with her Jewish family. The film premiered at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and is sold by French outlet Loco Film.
The jury of the international competition, reserved for the first and second films, included former Berlin-based director Dieter Koslick, Belgian producer Diana Elbaum and Greek film director Elena Psykou.
Best Screenplay Award for French, Belgian Project Zero Gratton the Lost Boys which follows a teenager being released from a youth detention center. It is sold by Indie Sales.
Greece’s Kostas Koronios won Best Actor for his role as a frustrated middle-aged taxi driver in Sergios Pascho. last taxi driver,
Two separate juries chose the winners for the Meet the Neighbors+ and Film Forward sections.
The Meet the Neighbors + award for best film, worth €10,000, was awarded this year in memory of the late former festival director Michel Demopoulos. love gloria By Marie Amachoukelly. Silver Alexander for Best Director (worth €5,000) notes on summer By Diego Llorente of Spain.
Film Forward Golden Alexander (€8,000) went to Lois Patino WorldWhereas All dirt roads taste like salt The Silver Alexander (€4,000) was received by Raven Jackson.
Fipress Award given to Nakkash Khalid‘S UK title in the camera in international competition and femme fatale By Eva Nathena in the Greek section.
Monica Bellucci, Alexander Payne, Volker Schlöndorff, Jeremy Podeswa and local director Nikos Perakis were among those paid tribute and homage.
Industry Winner
Thessaloniki’s industry section once again got a boost thanks to the Agora TV series strand, which was introduced last year.
Crime drama from Oscar-nominated Bosnian filmmaker Jasmila Żabnik i know your soul serieswhich was presented in the strand, has been acquired by HBO Max for Central and Eastern Europe.
Greek directors Maria Hatzakou and Alexandra Matthews string Won the Crossroads Co-Production Forum Award. Produced by Mericoat’s Maria Hatzakou, the film will receive full post-production image and sound services from Greek company 2/35.
Another Greek project, Friends, Birthday, Murder etc. Received a CNC-supported award of €8,000 for script development by Lydia Vartziotti and Dimitris Tsakalias.
Artecino International Prize worth €6,000 goes to i matter by Romania’s Elena Șerban, while the Greener Consultancy Prize of €7,000 was awarded to the Egyptian, German co-production of Kesmat Elsayed. and me too.
The Cannes Producer Network Award went to Anna Szijjarto of Kinomoto KFT, the producer of the Hungarian project. Lady Sunshine By Anna Corome. Greek project awarded Onassis Foundation Film Prize worth €10,000 maldives By Daniel Bolda.
Work in progress winners include Maldives, Which received the ERT (Greek Public TV) prize of €2,000.
The total value of the Agora prizes was €200,000 in cash and services.