Athens, Jan. 17, 2011

PRESS RELEASE – GREEK FILMS PARTICIPATING IN THE BERLIN

AND ROTTERDAM IFF

Amnesty, the first feature by Bujar Alimani,an Albanian, Greek and French co-production, will hold its world premiere in the Forum of the 2011 Berlin IFF. The announcement follows the second one in a period of exceptional news for local filmmaking, as Greek production Wasted Youth by Argiris Papadimitropoulos and Jan Vogel will screen in the competition section of the 2011 Rotterdam IFF.

States Thessaloniki Festival Director Dimitri Eipides, “This new period in Greek filmmaking, with young and forward-looking directors crossing the borders and enjoying success in major international festivals, is in accord with the spirit that the Thessaloniki Festival wishes to promote and establish, particularly through its industry activities. The Festival’s goal for the future is to play an even more vital role in the inception, creation and success of Greek films and to fully support this new wave of fresh filmmakers and ideas”.

Both Amnesty and Wasted Youth were presented during the Agora / Market Works in Progress industry section of the 51stThessaloniki International Film Festival, showcasing films in the post-production stages to sales agents, distributors and programmers. Amnesty was also one of the projects of the 2008 Crossroads co-production forum during the 48th TIFF, where it found its French co-producer. It also  participated in the “Greece: Generation Next” industry event of that year. In addition, during the 51st TIFF, a panel entitled Greek Cinema Beyond its Borders saw various directors discussing the new wave of Greek films enjoying success at an international level.

Thessaloniki PRESS