Thessaloniki Film Festival’s AGORA Co-Production Forum Sets 15 Projects from 17 Countries For 20th Anniversary Edition — Full List

EXCLUSIVE: The Thessaloniki International Film Festival’s industry-focused AGORA section has selected 15 projects from 17 countries for this year’s Crossroads Co-production Forum. Scroll down for the full list of projects. 

Hailing from across southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean region, the projects are in various stages of development. The selection features debut and sophomore feature films alongside more experienced directors.

Among the notable projects is the latest feature film by prolific Romanian director Adrian Sitaru. There are also sophomore film projects from Yorgos Goussis, Kaltrina Krasniqi, Diego Llorente, Nikola Mijović, Ahu Ozturk, Sonia Liza Kenterman, and Ahmad Ghossein. Debut feature filmmakers are Neritan Zinxhiria and Thelyia Petraki.

The selected projects hail from countries including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Jordan, Kosovo*, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Palestine, Romania, Spain, and Turkey. This year’s selection was co-curated by an advisory committee featuring industry consultant Thibaut Bracq (France) and producer Rula Nasser (Jordan).

Elsewhere, Sweden is the guest country of Thessaloniki’s 2024 Bridge to the North scheme. The festival has partnered with the Swedish Film Institute, the Gothenburg International Film Festival, and the Swedish Institute. A Swedish delegation of film industry professionals will attend AGORA. The Bridge to the North scheme, launched last year, is a collaborative strand aimed at connecting filmmakers and financiers. Each year, the strand platforms a guest country from the Baltic and Scandinavian regions. Last year it was Lithuania. 

This year marks the 20th edition of the Crossroads Co-production Forum. It will run Nov 3-7. Recent Crossroads Co-production Forum projects include Cannes titles Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry by Elene Naveriani and Inshallah A Boy by Amjad Al Rasheed. Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren’s Berlin competition title, 20,000 Species of Bees, was also developed at Crossroads. 

The Thessaloniki Film Festival will run from October 31 – Nov 10. 

Selected Crossroads Co-production Forum projects 2024:

THE APPALLING HUMAN VOICE OF THE ANIMALS      

Director: Neritan Zinxhiria, Production: Efijeni Kokedhima – Reconstructing Memories

Greece           

A WHITE HOUSE

Director: Francesco Romano, Production: Raffaella Pontarelli – Amarena Film,

Co-production: Giovanni Donfrancesco – Bocalupo Films

Italy, France

AFRICAN GREY       

Director: Yorgos Goussis, Production: Konstantinos Koukoulis – PLANKTON

Greece           

BLEACH        

Director: Kaltrina Krasniqi, Production: Ares Shporta – Vera Films,

Co-production: Ognen Antov – Dream Factory, Bojana Radulović – Code Blue Production

Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro

DYING BIRD 

Director: Diego Llorente, Production: Lara González Lobo, Diego Llorente, Rubén G. Revilla –  Failo Cine

Spain 

FOG   

Director: Denis Spiridonov, Production: Katia Khazak – Aurora Films, Co-production: Vanya Rainova – Portokal

France, Bulgaria

FOUR FUNERALS AND A WEDDING        

Director: Nikola Mijović, Production: Maja Kecojević – Parangal Film, Co-production: Stefan Mladenović –  Plan 9, Vladimir Anastasov – Sektor Film, Dagmar Sedláčková – Masterfilm Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Czech Republic

THE HOUR BETWEEN DOG AND WOLF  

Director: Terézia Halamová, Production: Natália Pavlove – Other Stories, Co-production: Matej Sotník – Guča Films

Czech Republic, Slovakia

THE HUNCHBACK   

Director: Ahu Ozturk, Production: Pinar Aydin – Leyla Film

Turkey           

LA YOLI

Director: Sandra Reina, Production: Valérie Delpierre – Inicia Films

Spain

Mediterranean Film Institute Project selection

NEARBY FARAWAY

Director: Sonia Liza Kenterman, Production: Myrto Stathi – BYRD, Co-production: Roshanak Behesht Nedjad – In Good Company, Alexandra Hoesdorff – Deal Productions

Greece, Germany, Luxembourg

THE PASSPORT      

Director: Rakan Mayasi, Production: May Odeh, Zorana Musikic – mayana films,

Co-production: Abdallah Al Ramahi – Zenobia  Productions

Palestine, Germany, Jordan

THE SIDE EFFECTS OF TRUSTING LIFE

Director: Ahmad Ghossein, Production: Georges Schoucair – Abbout Productions

Lebanon

VIRGIN MARY           

Director: Adrian Sitaru, Production: Iriana Adnana – 4 PROOF FILM, Co-production: Yohann Cornu – Damned Films

Romania, France

WAKE

Director: Thelyia Petraki, Production: Kostas Tagalakis – Out of the Box Films

Greece