Thessaloniki Film Festival’s Industry Arm Ups Ante on TV Strand, Doubles Down on Efforts to Create More Diverse and Inclusive Market
variety.comChristopher Vourlias When the Thessaloniki International Film Festival’s industry arm, Agora, kicks off this week in Greece’s second city, organizers will be looking to expand upon recent additions to a time-tested formula that’s served the event across nearly two decades as a launching pad and incubator for Greek and regional talent. “We’ve been doing the Agora since 2005, and we have slowly but steadily established it as one of the markets where you can find new talents and emerging directors from this region,” says industry head Angeliki Vergou, who took over from longtime Agora topper Yianna Sarri last year. “I think we are maintaining the essence of Agora that we have developed all these years, but just tweaking it a little bit to make it more available and more open to bring in new opportunities.” In her second year in charge of the Agora, Vergou is looking to build on the foundation laid in the previous edition, when Thessaloniki introduced a new TV strand, Agora Series, to its industry program, while also launching a Think Tank series — in partnership with the Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film and the Berlinale’s European Film Market — tasked with looking at how film markets can adapt to meet the needs of a rapidly changing industry.
Read more on variety.com