Soul Kitchen and Wild Grass to bookend 50th Thessaloniki film festival

The films are screening out of competition at this year’s event, which is expected to attract industry luminaries including film-makers Werner Herzog, Goran Paskaljevic and Theo Angelopoulos, British producer Jeremy Thomas, actress Jane Birkin and composer Alexandre Desplat. The festival has dedicated retrospectives to both Herzog and Paskaljevic.

Angelopoulosis leading theseven-member international jury, which also includes the celebrated Serbian actress Mirjana Karanovic, Hungaria maverick director Gyorgi Palfi, and directors Amos Poe and Lav Diaz. The 15-strong competition line-up includes world premieres of films including Calin Netzer’s Medal Of Honour (Medalia De Onoare) as well as European premieres of Ahmad Abdalla’s Heliopolis and Samantha Morton’s The Unloved (full list below).

The festival will screen eight new Greek films, two in international competition, and a further eight will show in the Digital Wave sidebar. The screening come despite the boycott of the festival by the 100-strong group Film-Makers in the Mist. As reported on ScreenDaily (September 8), the group are calling for an overhaul of the Ministry of Culture Film Awards because they claim the jury system is “biased and corrupt”. To quality for the awards, a film must be screened at Thessaloniki.

There are a number of other non-competitive sections, such as Independence Days, which focuses on Balkan films, Focus-Post Romance and the Experimental Forum. There will also be a series of masterclass sessions hosted by Jim Giannopoulos, Herzog, Paskaljevic, UK screenwriter Tony Grisoni and Academy award-winning Mexican production designer Eugenio Caballero.

International Competition

Medal Of Honor (Medalia De Onoare),Dir: Calin Netzer (Romania)
Dancing On Ice, Dir: Stavros Ioannou (Greece)
Father’s Acre (Apafold), Dir: Viktor Oszkar Nagy (Hungary)
The Unloved, Dir:Samantha Morton, (UK)
St. Nick, Dir:David Lowery (USA)
The Day Will Come (Es Kommt Der Tag),Dir: Susanne Schneider (Germany-France)
Missing Person (Sarameul Chatseumnida), Dir: Seo Lee (Korea)
Bakal Boys (Children Metal Divers), Ralston Jover (Philippines)
Northless (Norteado),Dir: Rigoberto Perezcano (Mexico-Spain)
Heliopolis, Dir: Ahmad Abdalla (Egypt)
Small Revolts, Dir: Kyriakos Katzourakis (Greece)
Ajami, Dir: Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani (Israel-Germany)
The Day God Walked Away (Le Jour Ou Dieu Est Parti En Voyage) Dir: Philippe Van Leeuw (Belgium-France)
Blood And Rain (La Sangre Y La Lluvia) Dir: Jorge Navas (Colombia-Argentina)
The Last Summer Of La Boyita (El Ultimo Verano De La Boyita), Dir: Julia Solomonoff (Argentina-Spain-France)

Out of Competition

Milk Of Sorrow(La Teta Asustada), Dir: Claudia Llosa (Spain-Peru)
North (Nord), Dir: Rune Denstad Langlo (Norway)
I Killed My Mother (J’ Ai Tue Ma Mere) Dir:Xavier Dolan(Canada)

Special Screenings

Capitalism: A Love Story, Dir: Michael Moore (USA)
Creation, Dir: Jon Amiel (United Kingdom)
(500) Days Of Summer, Dir: MarcWebb (USA)
Desert Flower, Dir: Sherry Hormann (UK-Germany-Austria)
The Cove, Dir: Louie Psihoyos (USA)
Persecution, Dir: PatriceChereau (France-Germany)
Around A Small Mountain (36 Vues Du Pic Saint Loup),Dir: JacquesRivette, (France-Italy)
Duress, Dir: Jordan Barker (USA)
The Age Of Stupid, Dir: FrannyArmstrong (UK)
Cartagena (L’ Homme De Chevet) Dir: AlainMonne (France)
The Beat That My Heart Skipped (De Battre Mon Coeur S’ Est Arrete), Dir: Jacques Audiard (France)