'Three Blind Mice'
Nov. 14-23
Where: Thessaloniki, Greece
Web: filmfestival.gr
Greece's top annual international film festival is dedicated to the discovery and promotion of new directors from around the world.
This year's competition of 14 films includes three European premieres of Asian pics -- "Cell," by Filipino directors Ellen Ramos and Paolo Villaluna; "A Broom Becomes a Goldfish," the debut of Dong-joo Kim; and "Winds of September," by Taiwanese director Tom Lin (Lin Shu-yu) -- and the second film of Australian newcomer Matthew Newton, antiwar opus "Three Blind Mice."
With origins that go back to the creation of a Week of Greek Cinema in 1960, the Thessaloniki Intl. Film Festival today positions itself as "the Balkans' primary showcase for the work of new and emerging filmmakers."
It certainly has clout, as its Golden Alexander Award comes with a cash prize worth more than $55,000 and second prize of just over $30,000.
Rich in retrospectives (including tributes to the Dardennes Brothers, Ousmane Sembene and Terence Davies) and with an annual survey of Greek and Balkans filmmaking, Thessaloniki has a reputation as a cineaste's festival. Its noncompetitive Independence Days section is renowned as a cutting-edge showcase for the latest trends in independent film production.
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