49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival

(GREEK NEWS AGENDA)   Faithful to its annual rendezvous with cinephiles, the 49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Greece’s grandest and most prestigious film event opens its doors on November the 14, 2008, bringing about the transformation of the city of Thessaloniki to a youthful hive of life and creative association. Multi-awarded Belgian auteurs Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, heretical Japanese actor and director Takeshi Kitano, unconventional English director Terence Davies, internationally renowned and two-time Academy Award winner Argentinean composer Gustavo Santaolalla and Brazilian director Walter Salles are only a few of the big names of modern cinema that are expected to honour this year’s festival with their presence. The event features the International Competition, the Greek Cinema section, the Independence Days programme, the Balkan Survey, and numerous retrospectives and tributes to leading figures in the world of film.  The International Competition Section caters to first or second features by new and emerging filmmakers. Feature films will vie for the two main awards: the Golden and the Silver Alexander. The festival’s Jury includes the writer Michael Ondaatje as president, Director Yesim Ustaoğlu, FilmCritic and Historian David Robinson, and Screenwriter Diablo Cody as members. At the same time various events, such as art exhibitions and concerts, and industry initiatives (special Masterclasses, a Script Development Fund for South-Eastern Europe, the Crossroads Co-Production Forum, and the Salonica Studio student workshops) have turned the Thessaloniki TIFF into a major event on the European film festival circuit. Thessaloniki International Film Festival: www.filmfestival.gr; 49th Thessaloniki International Film Festival: Screenings Schedule

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