23/10/2024 - The 65th edition of the festival returns with a star-studded line-up, honouring Juliette Binoche, Ralph Fiennes and Panos H Koutras, while showcasing regional and international cinematic voices

The 65th Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF) will take place from 31 October-10 November, featuring a mix of in-person screenings and online events. The festival will showcase a diverse line-up of 252 movies, including both full-length and short films, along with star appearances, world premieres, master classes and competitive sections.

This year’s festival will pay tribute to two cinematic icons: European Film Academy president Juliette Binoche and Academy Award-nominated actor Ralph Fiennes. Both will receive honorary Golden Alexander Awards in recognition of their outstanding contributions to film. TIFF will also screen The Return [+see also:
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In addition to honouring international stars, the festival will celebrate Greek cinema with a tribute to filmmaker Panos H Koutras, who will also receive an honorary Golden Alexander. Renowned casting director Ellen Lewis – well known for her longstanding collaboration with Martin Scorsese – will offer a master class, sharing insights from her career and discussing the intricacies of the casting process.

The festival will open with Maria [+see also:
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film profile] by Pablo Larraín, starring Angelina Jolie, while the closing ceremony will feature The End [+see also:
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interview: Joshua Oppenheimer
film profile], directed by two-time Academy Award nominee Joshua Oppenheimer, who will present the film in person.

TIFF 2024 will feature four international competition categories, with substantial cash prizes on offer. The International Competition includes 12 films, three of which hail from Greece. This section will hand out the Golden Alexander "Theo Angelopoulos" (€10,000), the Silver Alexander for Best Direction (€5,000), and prizes for Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay or Artistic Achievement. The selection includes Arcadia [+see also:
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interview: Yorgos Zois
film profile] by Yorgos Zois (Greece/Bulgaria/USA), Edge of Night [+see also:
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film profile] by Türker Süer (Germany/Turkey), Happy Holidays [+see also:
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interview: Scandar Copti
film profile] by Scandar Copti (Palestine/Germany/France/Italy/Qatar), Julie Keeps Quiet [+see also:
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interview: Leonardo van Dijl
film profile] by Leonardo Van Dijl (Belgium/Sweden), Meat [+see also:
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interview: Dimitris Nakos
film profile] by Dimitris Nakos (Greece), On Falling [+see also:
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interview: Laura Carreira
film profile] by Laura Carreira (UK/Portugal), Pierce [+see also:
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interview: Nelicia Low
film profile] by Nelicia Low (Singapore/Taiwan/Poland), September Says [+see also:
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interview: Ariane Labed
film profile] by Ariane Labed (Ireland/UK/Germany), She Loved Blossoms More [+see also:
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film profile] by Yannis Veslemes (Greece/France), To a Land Unknown [+see also:
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interview: Mahdi Fleifel
film profile] by Mahdi Fleifel (UK/Palestine/France/Greece/Netherlands/Germany/Qatar/Saudi Arabia), Under the Volcano [+see also:
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interview: Damian Kocur
film profile] by Damian Kocur (Poland), and Went up the Hill by Samuel Van Grinsven (New Zealand/Australia).

The Meet the Neighbors+ Competition is also showcasing 12 films. This strand celebrates regional cinema and cultural exchange, with awards including the Golden Alexander "Michel Dimopoulos" (€10,000) and the Silver Alexander for Best Direction (€5,000). Featured films include The Exiles [+see also:
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film profile] by Belén Funes (Spain/Chile), Holy Electricity [+see also:
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interview: Tato Kotetishvili
film profile] by Tato Kotetishvili (Georgia/Netherlands), Hunt [+see also:
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interview: Christos Pitharas
film profile] by Christos Pitharas (Greece), Ink Wash [+see also:
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film profile] by Sarra Tsorakidis (Romania/Greece/Denmark), Killerwood [+see also:
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film profile] by Christos Massalas (Greece), The Mohican [+see also:
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interview: Frédéric Farrucci
film profile] by Frédéric Farrucci (France), New Dawn Fades [+see also:
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interview: Gürcan Keltek
film profile] by Gürcan Keltek (Turkey/Germany/Italy/Norway/Netherlands), Red Path [+see also:
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film profile] by Lotfi Achour (Tunisia/France/Belgium/Poland/Saudi Arabia/Qatar), Riviera [+see also:
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film profile] by Orfeas Peretzis (Greece/France), Thank You for Banking with Us! [+see also:
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film profile] by Laila Abbas (Palestine/Germany/Saudi Arabia/Qatar/Egypt), U Are the Universe [+see also:
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interview: Pavlo Ostrikov
film profile] by Pavlo Ostrikov (Ukraine/Belgium), and Vittoria [+see also:
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interview: Alessandro Cassigoli and Ca…
film profile] by Alessandro Cassigoli and Casey Kauffman (Italy).

As for the Film Forward Competition, which highlights innovative storytelling, it also features 12 films competing for the Golden Alexander (€8,000) and the Silver Alexander Special Jury Award (€4,000). The selection includes The Ballad of Suzanne Césaire by Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich (USA), Café 404 by Alexandros Tsilifonis (Greece), The Hyperboreans by Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña (Chile), I Saw the TV Glow by Jane Schoenbrun (USA), Invention by Courtney Stephens (USA), Kyuka - Before Summer’s End [+see also:
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interview: Kostis Charamountanis
film profile] by Kostis Charamountanis (Greece/North Macedonia), Maldives by Daniel Bolda (Greece), Sugar Island [+see also:
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interview: Johanné Gómez Terrero
film profile] by Johanné Gómez Terrero (Dominican Republic/Spain), Tale of Shepherds [+see also:
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interview: Jaime Puertas Castillo
film profile] by Jaime Puertas (Spain), Universal Language by Matthew Rankin (Canada), When the Phone Rang [+see also:
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interview: Iva Radivojević
film profile] by Iva Radivojević (Serbia/USA) and Xoftex [+see also:
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interview: Noaz Deshe
film profile] by Noaz Deshe (Germany/France).

Finally, the Immersive Competition returns with a selection of eight films. This category celebrates cutting-edge virtual- and augmented-reality projects, with a Golden Alexander Award of €2,000 up for grabs. An out-of-competition highlight will be Intangible, an installation by Danish artist Carl Emil Carlsen.

Once again this year, the festival incorporates podcasts, with ten Greek- and English-language offerings competing for the Best Podcast Award (€2,000). Additionally, 17 more podcasts will be showcased in the Nexus section. Podcasters aged 25-35 participating in either competition will be eligible for the ENS Louis Lumière – French Institute of Greece Award, recognising emerging talent in audio documentary creation. All podcasts will be accessible online via the festival's website.