The Festival, held from 2 to 12 November 2023, brings forth one of the most powerful symbolisms in the history of mankind and cinema: ghosts, the spectral forms that haunt us and reside at the very place where imagination pairs up with folklore beliefs, unspoken fears and the timeless attraction of the humankind towards the otherworldly.
The 63rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival helded from Thursday 3 to Sunday 13 November 2022, both in physical spaces and online. Within the framework of the 63rd TIFF, 199 full-length and 68 short films will be screened in the time-honoured home ground of the Festival, theatres Olympion, Pavlos Zannas, the theatres situated in the Port of Thessaloniki, Frida Liappa, Tonia Marketaki, John Cassavetes, Stavros Tornes, as well in the movie theatre Makedonikon. In addition, the audience had the chance to watch 93 films online, through the digital platform of the Festival. Multifaceted and stunning Charlotte Gainsbourg attended the Festival, on the occasion of the screening of her film, Passengers of the Night by Mikhaël Hers, within the framework of the Open Horizons section of the 63rd TIFF. Moreover, lifelong friend of both the Festival and the city of Thessaloniki, Fatih Akin, landed in Thessaloniki to greet the audience in the screening of his latest film, Rhinegold.
Gifted and multitalented Charlotte Gainsbourg honored the 63rd TIFF on the occasion of the screening of her latest film The Passengers of the Night by Mikhaël Hers on Friday November 11 at the packed Olympion theatre.
The radiant, multi-dimensional and daring Charlotte Gainsbourg, one of the biggest stars of European and World Cinema, awarded at Cannes and winner of the César Award, will be at the 63rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival for the screening of her film «The Passengers of the Night» by director Mikhaël Hers.
The screening of the film Rheingold took place, in the presence of the famous director and lifelong friend of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Fatih Akin, on Saturday, November 5th, at the packed Olympion theatre. Director Fatih Akin, actor Arman Kashani and the rapper Giwar Hajabi, whose experiences are the main story of the film, honoured with their presence the screening.
The screening of the film No Bears by Jafar Pahani, the Iranian director, imprisoned by the Iranian regime, was held on Friday, November 4th, at the packed Olympion theatre. Actress Mina Kavani, self-exiled in Paris, honoured the screening of the film. Elise Jalladeau, the General Director of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, took the floor and expressed her regret that Jafar Panahi, the film director, would not be able to watch the screening in Thessaloniki: «Jafar Panahi, an old friend of the Festival, unfortunately cannot be here with us. But we are honoured to welcome Mina Kavani, the protagonist, who does not have the opportunity to go back to Iran because she lives in exile in Paris.»
No director left a mark to the art of theater in the 20th century more than Peter Brook, who passed away this year at the age of 97. But Brook’s spiritual adventure also expanded in cinema: five great films – from the legendary Lord of the Flies (1963) to the five-hour long epic Mahabharata (1989) – give the portrait of a great and innovative artist. The spotlight to Peter Brook is complemented by a soulful documentary-portrait, shot in 2002 by his son, also a director, Simon Brook, who will be in Thessaloniki to talk about his father and the great artistic legacy he left behind.
The 63rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival is welcoming one of the most fascinating, radical and idiosyncratic filmmakers of the last fifteen years, hosting a full-scale homage to his work. British (with Greek roots) director Peter Strickland, who will be honouring this year’s Festival with his presence, has built a passionate fan base, eager to follow him in all his bizarre, unconventional and adventurous endeavours. From queer chamber dramas and stylized horror grandeur, all the way to dark realism and his sui generis humour flirting with avant-garde, Peter Strickland outlines an uncanny, experimental and highly demanding personal path.
The 63rd Thessaloniki International Film Festival will be held from Thursday 3 to Sunday 13 November 2022, both in physical spaces and online. Within the framework of the 63rd TIFF, 199 full-length and 68 short films will be screened in the time-honoured home ground of the Festival, theatres Olympion, Pavlos Zannas, the theatres situated in the Port of Thessaloniki, Frida Liappa, Tonia Marketaki, John Cassavetes, Stavros Tornes, as well in the movie theatre Makedonikon. In addition, the audience will have the chance to watch 93 films online, through the digital platform of the Festival, online.filmfestival.gr.
Two large-scale exhibitions that intertwine the start of his brilliant career and his swan song, the universally accessible screening of his debut film, Reconstruction (1970), a documentary that unveils a fascinating conversation between Theo Angelopoulos and his fellow director Nikos Panayotopoulos, as well as a pioneering two-language edition that delves into the power and mystery of Angelopoulos’ cinematic images, are the main pillars of the tribute, at the 63rd TIFF (03-13/11).
George Roussos 