Thessaloniki Film Market Opens Doors to Wider Audiences Amid Industry Shifts

Film industry professionals attending the Thessaloniki International Film Festival this week will find more opportunities to engage with content creators. The festival’s industry arm, Agora, is opening its conversation series to all ticket holders, not just industry guests. This change allows attendees with a deeper interest in filmmaking to participate in discussions about craft and production strategies.

Thanos Stavropoulos, who has worked at the festival for nearly twenty years, takes over as head of Agora this spring. He states that the program’s core mission remains helping local and regional filmmakers reach global audiences. Stavropoulos acknowledges the current geopolitical and economic pressures on the industry, including conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and studio consolidations in Europe and the United States. His team focuses on building collaboration bridges within this environment.

The Agora is also strengthening its support for mental well-being. A decompression room introduced last year will remain available. The program will add discussions on resolving conflicts in creative partnerships. These initiatives aim to create a supportive environment for industry professionals.

Television has become a major focus for the festival since the launch of a dedicated series strand in 2022. This year’s schedule spans the opening weekend and includes masterclasses with screenwriter Tom Rob Smith and series creator Christopher Papakaliatis. Sessions will address the future of Greek scripted television and methods for packaging local series for international markets.

Greece signed the European Convention earlier this year, the first international treaty to support independent co-productions for streaming and television. Stavropoulos intends to use this framework to help regional talents. The Agora plans to launch a regional pitching platform for both emerging and established screenwriters to facilitate these connections.

The festival continues to showcase films from Southeast Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea region. Recent alumni from the Crossroads Co-Production Forum and Agora Works in Progress have been short-listed for the European Film Awards in Athens. Myrsini Aristidou’s debut film, Hold Onto Me, is the first Cypriot submission for the Oscars. Other upcoming projects feature directors Darko Lungulov, Nikola Ležaić, Ayman El Amir, and Nada Riyadh.

Stavropoulos aims to maintain the festival’s current size while widening its international reach. He views Thessaloniki’s location as a strategic hub for connecting these regions. The Thessaloniki International Film Festival runs from November 5 to 15.