Thessaloniki's Agora Expands Regional Pitching Platform

The Agora industry section of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival will launch a new regional pitching platform for screenwriters. Incoming industry head Thanos Stavropoulos announced the initiative on the eve of the event, which begins November 5. The program is designed to offer emerging and established talent from Southeast Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea region more visibility for their projects.

Stavropoulos, who has worked with the festival for nearly twenty years, assumed the role of industry head this spring. He previously served as a programming assistant and held various other positions before taking the reins of the Agora. The industry arm, which launched in 2005, aims to facilitate the growth of local and regional film industries by connecting filmmakers with international partners.

The new pitching platform arrives as Greece seeks to leverage a historic European Convention signed earlier this year. This treaty represents the first international agreement supporting the independent co-production of series for television and streaming platforms. Stavropoulos stated that the Agora wants to help local series industries benefit from this momentum. The initiative will focus on packaging and co-producing local content for global markets.

Changes to the festival structure will also make industry conversations more accessible. Sessions that were previously closed to industry guests will now be open to all festivalgoers. This shift is part of a broader effort to widen the festival's focus. A dedicated decompression room, introduced last year to support mental health, will host a discussion on resolving conflict in creative collaborations.

The television component of the Agora has grown since the launch of a dedicated series strand in 2022. This year's lineup includes masterclasses from Tom Rob Smith, screenwriter for American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. Christopher Papakaliatis, creator of the Netflix series Maestro in Blue, will also lead a session. Other talks will examine the future of Greek scripted television and the mechanics of international co-production.

The festival will showcase three recent Agora alumni who are currently shortlisted for the European Film Awards. These films are Black Money for White Nights by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, Hold Onto Me by Myrsini Aristidou, and I Matter by Alina Șerban. Aristidou’s film, which won an award at Sundance, marks the first Cypriot submission for the Academy Awards.

The Works in Progress strand will feature new projects from directors including Darko Lungulov, Nikola Ležaić, and Egyptian filmmakers Ayman El Amir and Nada Riyadh. Stavropoulos described the lineup as spanning diverse themes and visual approaches. He noted that the projects range in setting from Beirut to the 1980s, reflecting the creative ambitions of the teams involved.

Stavropoulos said the Agora will maintain its current size while expanding its international connections. He emphasized the goal of creating a safe space for meaningful partnerships. The Thessaloniki Film Festival runs from November 5 through November 15.