How Thessaloniki’s Industry Arm Continues to Launch Regional Talent, Widen Its Focus With Partnerships ‘Across Europe and Beyond’

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It’s been almost two decades since Thanos Stavropoulos, the Thessaloniki Intl. Film Festival’s incoming industry head, was hired by the long-running Greek fest as a programming assistant, assuming a variety of roles before taking the reins of its widely respected industry program this spring.

That continuity is a hallmark of both the festival and its industry arm, Agora, and on the eve of this year’s event, Stavropoulos says he’s “committed to the same objective my predecessors served so very successfully” since the Agora launched in 2005. Namely, “to facilitate the growth of the local and regional industry through the establishment and continuous development of programs which will help bring the filmmakers and their projects out into the world,” he says.

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It’s a simple enough mission on its surface, but one that is facing unprecedented headwinds from a range of political, social and economic factors. This year’s event unfolds against the backdrop of ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine, fears of a widening war in Iran and the Middle East, social and economic unrest across Europe and much of the world — not to mention the industry-specific factors, such as the continued shake-ups and consolidations at studios in the U.S. and Europe, that only add to the lingering sense of uncertainty.

“The world is a bit of a mess, isn’t it?” Stavropoulos deadpans. “We can do only so much from where we stand, as professionals in this particular industry.”

What the Agora team can do more than anything is build bridges and create an environment for collaborations — the lifeblood of the European industry — to take root. “Our mission is to continue to aid, foster and support in any way we can the filmmakers — whether emerging or well-established — from the countries represented in the Agora and provide the platform for them to connect with partners from Europe and beyond,” says Stavropoulos.

In ways big and small, the Agora continues to evolve with the times, allowing it to better meet the needs of both the industry and the festival audience. Its conversation series, which previously included closed sessions for industry guests, will now be open to all festivalgoers “with a curious mind and interests that go further than what’s on the cinema screen,” he says.

Meanwhile, a dedicated decompression room — inaugurated last year as part of a broader festival focus on mental health — will be bolstered by an Agora discussion on the importance of resolving conflict in creative collaborations. “The Agora is an ever-developing system, and like in nature, when the components of a habitat work together in harmony, it thrives,” Stavropoulos explains.

One of the industry section’s most significant moves in recent years was the launch of a dedicated series strand in 2022, introducing a loaded program of talks and TV-focused sessions which Stavropoulos says has “grown and become more dynamic” and now takes place across the opening weekend of the festival.

This year’s edition includes masterclasses from “American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace” screenwriter Tom Rob Smith and Christopher Papakaliatis, creator of the hit Netflix series “Maestro in Blue.” Other sessions will assemble key players in the Greek TV ecosystem to unpack the future of Greek scripted television in the global landscape, and a focus on how to package and co-produce local series for the international market.

Such talks come at a pivotal moment for TV creators in Greece, which was among the signees earlier this year of the historic European Convention that marks the first international treaty supporting the independent co-production of series for television and streaming platforms. “We want to catch that momentum and focus more on how we can help the local series industry and talents from Greece and the region benefit from this treaty,” Stavropoulos says.

That includes plans for the Agora to launch a regional pitching platform for emerging and established screenwriters and their projects. “The region is so rich in original stories and absolutely wonderful talents which deserve more opportunities, more visibility and outlets for their creative energy to be channeled through,” Stavropoulos says.

Nowhere are those stories and talents more evident than in the Crossroads Co-Production Forum and Agora Works in Progress, the Agora’s long-running strands for films from Southeast Europe, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea region. Stavropoulos cites a trio of Agora alumni playing at this year’s festival — “Black Money for White Nights,” by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov; “Hold Onto Me,” by Myrsini Aristidou; and “I Matter,” by Alina Șerban — as evidence of the event’s track record: All three have been short-listed for the next European Film Awards, to be held in Athens, while Aristidou’s Sundance-awarded debut (pictured, top) marks the first ever Cypriot submission for the Oscars.

Looking over this year’s lineup, Stavropoulos highlights “a wide variety of themes, different filmmaking styles and intriguing visual approaches,” with new projects from Tribeca prizewinner Darko Lungulov (“Here and There”), Serbian director Nikola Ležaić (“Tilva Roš”) and Egyptian filmmakers and 2024 Variety MENA Talents of the Year Ayman El Amir and Nada Riyadh (“The Brink of Dreams”) being presented to an audience of industry professionals.

“We’ll venture in every direction and move towards every horizon: from Beirut to the moon and then time travel to the ’80s. Then we sling back to today to hear a dark story from the early years of the 20th century,” he says. “There’s no particular geography; our projects’ creative teams’ visions and dreams go above and beyond space and time.”

As he settles into his new role, Stavropoulos is already looking ahead to how he can leave his mark on the Agora, insisting that the process will likely involve fine-tuning the event’s already proven formula.

“What we will certainly continue to do is sustainably grow. Our size will not change. But we will reach out further into the world and our circle of friends will widen,” he says. “The target remains the same: to connect, network and create opportunities for the local and regional film professionals. Our modus operandi remains the same: we will continue providing a space that is safe and offers for meaningful, trusting and productive partnerships.

“Thessaloniki sits at the very crossroads of the wider region of Southeast Europe and the Mediterranean,” he adds, “and the Agora is the natural place for these connections to begin and to grow.”

The Thessaloniki Film Festival runs Nov. 5 – 15.