The 59^th Thessaloniki International Film Festival is ready to unspool and will run from 1-11 November. In parallel with the festival, its industry section, Agora, has announced the selection for this year’s edition. Taking place once again at Warehouse C, from 3-10 November, Agora will be spread across different sections that cover the film industry in general and projects at various stages of development. Supported by Creative Europe – MEDIA, Agora is keeping its focus on South-Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Mediterranean Basin. 

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A total of 220 movies will be hosted at this year’s Agora Film Market and will be available via its Digital Video Library from 3-10 November. As every year, the most notable event is expected to be the 14^th Crossroads Co-Production Forum (7-10 November), where 15 projects from 15 different countries have been selected. Click here for a full overview of the selection.

The other highlight at the Agora is the Works in Progress closed session, which is taking place on 8 November and will present 12 films currently in post-production to the invited guests. Eleven of them will be competing for the prestigious €50,000 Eurimages Lab Project Award. More details on the selection are available here.

Once again this year, Agora is investing in its training section and will host the third edition of the Thessaloniki-Locarno Industry Academy (5-10 November), increasing the number of participants. This year, eight young professionals have been invited and will have an opportunity to glean more experience in the film industry. Furthermore, 6 November is the Agora Training Day, when local film professionals will have a chance to further develop their international collaborations. Also, representatives of the Greek Film Centre, the Hellenic Film Commission and the National Centre of Audiovisual Media and Communication will present all the latest news on the newly introduced tax rebate. Another section will offer an overview of blockchain, while Chinese producers will be seeking co-production opportunities with Greece.

Finally, two new initiatives are being introduced. One is the Innovation Day Lab (2 November), in partnership with Europa Cinemas and the Greek Cinema Federation, where Nina Peče, director of Kinodvor (Slovenia), and Marynia Gierat, manager of Kino Pod Baranami (Poland), will examine new ways for cinema exhibitors to attract the audience, centring on the topic “Cinema-goers of Today and Tomorrow: How to Develop and Renew Audiences”. On the last day of Agora, 10 November, the study “Films for Kids in South-Eastern Europe: A State of Play” will be presented, focusing on the future of the audiovisual industry in the region and younger audiences.