Artistic director Orestis Andreadakis says the 67th Thessaloniki Intl. Film Festival (TIFF) aims to offer "a little hope, ease pain and resist horror, polarization, hostility and dehumanization" during a period he describes as one of the most "difficult and volatile" for humanity. Andreadakis told Variety that the festival's selection reflects a shared reality involving wars, massacres, the rise of neo-fascism, social unrest, the climate crisis, and uncertainty regarding artificial intelligence.
The festival, which runs from Nov. 5 – 15, opens with "Minotaur" by two-time Academy Award nominee Andrey Zvyagintsev. Andreadakis described the film, which won the Grand Prix in Cannes and will represent France in the international feature film Oscar race, as a "natural choice" for the programming because it is a "powerful and unsparing portrait of a society trapped in its own labyrinth of fear and moral compromise." He stated the film is "exactly the kind of cinema we believe in: brave, demanding and able to sharpen our awareness of the world we live in."
The festival will conclude on Nov. 15 with "Woman Unknown" by May el-Toukhy, the Venice Golden Lion winner, with Venice best actress winner Mathilde Arcel in attendance. Other notable guests include Spanish filmmaker Oliver Laxe, who will curate a special programming sidebar titled “Welcome to the Desert” and deliver a talk. Turkish filmmaker Emin Alper will receive a tribute for his work, including the Berlinale Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize-winning “Salvation,” while German director Fatih Akin will present his latest film, “Ghost Song.” Additionally, Greek composer and conductor Stavros Xarchakos and filmmaker Nikos Grammatikos will receive honorary Golden Alexander Awards.
A total of 258 films will screen across various sections. Ten films are vying for the Golden Alexander in the main international competition, including:
“If I Go Will They Miss Me” by Walter Thompson-Hernández (Sundance premiere)
“Too Many Beasts” by Sarah Arnold (Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight)
“The Riverbank” by Matheus Farias and Enock Carvalho (Locarno and Rio prize winner)
“Titanic Ocean” by Konstantina Kotzamani (Un Certain Regard premiere)
“A Whole Person Almost” by Efthimis Kosemund Sanidis (Karlovy Vary competitor)
“A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra” by Jacqueline Lentzou (Venice Film Festival’s Horizons strand winner)
Andreadakis noted that "Greek cinema is in a great place right now," stating that 26 Greek feature films will be screened, with seven appearing in the three international competition sections. He emphasized that the festival and its industry arm, Agora, serve as a hub for the Greek film community to network and find international markets.
Reflecting on his 10 years as director, Andreadakis said the festival had to overcome many challenges, specifically the COVID period which forced a rethinking of the festival's concept. He stated that the period showed "how much a festival is needed as a meeting point." He expressed a goal to keep finding ways to bring audiences, particularly younger ones, back to the "shared experience of the cinema" while strengthening Agora to make Thessaloniki a key hub for European cinema.
