48th Thessaloniki International Film Festival

An ideal festival for young audiences. The Thessaloniki International Film Festival completed its 48th edition with a program and organization reaching the festival’s traditional high standards. The TIFF succeeded in putting together an interesting international program, whereas the Greek films of the year were quite disappointing.

The John Sayles retrospective undoubtedly marked the festival. The master was present for the whole period and his favorite actor friends Chris Cooper and David Strathairn, two of the best American actors of their generation, supported him. So did Danny Glover, the star of the latest Sayles film Honeydripper. The presence of these names that are not only involved in cinema but are activists, created a political ambiance at the festival.

The Balkan Survey and the tribute to the Romanian master Nae Caranfil were discoveries to many cinephiles and critics. The audience and the critics agreed that some of the best titles in the whole program were selected for this section.

Unfortunately, it was not a good year for the Greek Panorama. It is reported that the quantity of film production in Greece is lower than the previous years due to shortage of funding by the Greek Film Center, therefore the quality of the films could not reach the desired level. On the other hand the Greek Digital Wave was quite remarkable in quantity and a few films by Greek Diaspora directors were promising for the future.

A young, enthusiastic public enjoyed the Thessaloniki Film Festival to the limit. Almost all the projections were full and there were even angry protests when the box office was closed. They do not mind sitting on the floor or stairs when they intend to see a film! One would think there were enough master classes in the program but the young audience, some of whom came all the way from Athens and other cities only to attend the festival, might have demand even more. (Alin Tasciyan)