Emanuel Rayo’s “Days of Dogs,” a story about coming of age in a hot summer in the Spanish countryside, won first prize at the Crossroads Co-Production Forum at the Thessaloniki Film Festival, which concluded with an awards ceremony Wednesday night.
The Basque director’s fourth film received a Two Thirty-Five Co-Production Award, which provides full post-production picture and sound for a film currently in development. Producer Iker Januza of Spanish production company Lamia was on hand to accept the award from the jury, who praised the film as “a story about both emerging and buried sentiments, approached with a very personal touch of sensitivity.”
Talking to diverse Prior to the industrial event in Thessaloniki, Rayo described his “sensual summer story” as “a reflection on the way human intervention or ‘climate change’ is altering the landscape and the habits and lives of ordinary people.” The director’s debut feature film, “Two Brothers,” won the Zinemira Prize in San Sebastian in 2011, and its 2020 follow-up, “Death Knell,” premiered in the festival’s new directors troupe.
The Onassis Film Award, a €10,000 ($10,000) prize that Onassis Culture presented last year in support of Greek cinema, went to “Achinos,” a coming-of-age drama from writer-director Iris Baglanea about two young sisters who become sea urchins of death and turn death into a game. To protect themselves from the harsh realities of life. Pic produced by Ioanna Bolomyti for Atalante Productions.
Medal of Honor, whose sophomore film Dirty Difficult Dangerous opened the Venice Days section at this year’s Venice Film Festival, won a CNC (National Center for Cinema and Motion Picture) development award of €8,000 ($8,000) for script development. For his feature film “Holiday”. Set in Beirut, the story about a family fleeing turmoil was produced by Charlotte Vincent and Katia Khazak of the French company Aurora Films, and co-produced by Marco Valero Fusco of the Italian company Intramovies and Pierre Sarraf of the Lebanese company Né à Beyrouth Films.
The Arte Kino International Prize of €6,000 ($6,000) went to “Five Murders Without Cause” from writer-director Kostas Gerambines and producer Vassilis Chrysanthopoulos, of PLAYS2PLACE Productions. A crime drama that made headlines about a gentle shepherd who killed five fishermen in cold blood, the film also won the Finos Film Prize of €3,000 ($3,000) for a prominent Greek project.
The Producers’ Network award giving free credit to the Cannes Film Festival in 2023 went to Marinos Charalambous, of Provincial Films Cyprus, for “The First Cypriot Astronaut,” a film by Stavros Pambalis about a sick professor’s chance of fulfilling a crazy childhood dream. Pic was jointly produced by Joyce Purbolin (Perbolin Films) and Bernard Bucher (Iron Box Films).
The Script2Film Workshops grant from the Mediterranean Film Institute for script development went to the Ukrainian project “Fater” from director Anna Morozova, who co-wrote the script with Anna Chernivtsi. Pic is produced by Kyrylo Nechmonia for Mir & Co Productions.
“Rien ne va plus” directed by Daniel Bolda and produced by Nicholas Alafanos (Filmiki Productions) has won an Initiative Film award for providing consulting services to a Greek project development strategy.
Thessaloniki EAVE Marketing Workshop Scholarship has chosen Andraž Jerič, from Temporama in Slovenia, to participate in the 2023 workshop. The producer was in Thessaloniki with the road movie Lost Years by writer and director Aaron Horvath.
The Crossroads Co-Production Forum jury consisted of Alessandro Amato, Producer and CEO of Italian production company despàrte. Marketing and distribution consultant Christina Pelicani, co-founder of Endorphin Film Sales; and Marianne Sassine, Artistic Director of Beirut Film Platform and Producer at Abbott Productions. The jury also made special mention of the “Y” from writer-director duo Alexandro Paseo and Maria Bobistao and producer Annamaria Antossi of Tangaj Production.
The first prize in the Agora’s Ongoing Business division went to “Summer with Carmen,” a whimsical comedy film directed by Zakaria Mavroidis and produced by Ioana Polometti for Atalant Productions. The film received an Authorwave Post-Production Award for post-production services.
The MuSou Music and Sound Award for Audio and Music Services went to “I’m Here, I’m Fine” directed by Emine Emel Balci and produced by Dilek Aydin, Derya Turkmen and Jens Meurer for the films Heimatlos, Egoli and Tossell Pictures.
Lebanese fantasy drama “The Sea and Its Waves” by directors Liana Kassir and Renaud Bachot and producer Mathieu Molier-Griffiths (Cavard Films) won the 119 Marvela Studios Award for Sound Mixing Services. The film also received a Yafka VFX Award for Visual Effects.
The Marketing Award from ASTERISK*, which provides services in major artwork, press kit content and social media, went to “Overwatch” from director Janez Berger and producers Miha Cernik, Josko Rotar, Nina Rubinick, Robert Jazadziski, Ugur Prinsic and Boris T. Matic. For Staragara Production, Kaval Film, Transmedia Production and Propeler Film.
The ERT Agora Works in Progress Award with a cash prize of €2,000 ($2,000) for a Greek project, went to Alexandros Vulgaris’ “Polydroso”, a family drama produced by Nicholas Alafanos and Kristina Stavropolou for Filmiki Productions.
The on-going business jury consisted of Agathe Corbin, Director of Acquisitions, Urban Sales; Lenka Terbakova and programmer of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival; and Konstantinos Vasellaros, of Athens-based production company StudioBauhaus.
The Thessaloniki Film Festival runs from November 3-13.
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