The 2026 Thessaloniki Film Festival has unveiled the eleven titles selected for its Agora Works in Progress sessions, spotlighting films in post-production that have a connection to Southeastern Europe and the Mediterranean region. The program, running from November 8 to 12, is designed to present these projects to key industry players—including sales agents, distributors, producers, streaming platforms, and festival programmers—with the goal of helping filmmakers secure finishing funds, attract sales representation, lock in festival premieres, and forge essential partnerships. The selection underscores Thessaloniki’s role as a launchpad for emerging regional cinema and a vital meeting point for the Mediterranean film industry.
This year’s Works in Progress jury comprises Maria Drandaki, producer and founder of Homemade Films (Greece); Wouter Jansen, founder and head of sales and acquisitions at Square Eyes (Austria); and Gabriela Trujillo, programmer at Quinzaine des cinéastes / Directors’ Fortnight – Cannes Film Festival (France). Their involvement reflects the program’s emphasis on connecting projects with experienced industry decision-makers who can guide films toward international visibility.
The 2026 lineup spans a diverse range of countries and voices. Among the selected titles is *Swell*, the new film by Alexandros Voulgaris (*The Boy*), which will screen as a sneak preview during the AGORA WiP presentations and is based on the multi-awarded novel of the same name by celebrated author Ioanna Karystiani. Other projects include Darko Lungulov’s *1970* (Serbia, Luxembourg, Hungary, Croatia), Panagiotis Charamis’s *Avanos* (Greece), Mari Gulbiani’s *The Crossroad* (Georgia), Diego Llorente’s *How the Light Gets In* (Spain, Uruguay), Tunahan Kurt’s *The Law of the Flies* (Türkiye), Ismet Sijarina’s *The Longest Night* (Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia), Sofia Georgovassili’s *Mignon* (Greece, Romania), Sylvie Weber’s *Río Masacre* (Austria), Dimitris Koutsiabasakos’s *Winter Semester* (Greece), and Kyros Papavassiliou’s *Yiannis* (Cyprus, Greece).
The Agora Works in Progress program has a strong track record of propelling projects to major international platforms. Previous participants include Tonia Mishiali’s *The Lion At My Back* (Karlovy Vary IFF – Crystal Globe Competition 2026 – Prize of the Ecumenical Jury), Ivan Marković’s *Promised Spaces* (Cannes FF – ACID Cannes 2026), and Thanasis Neofotistos’s *The Boy With The Light-Blue Eyes* (SXSW London 2026). These success stories highlight how the Thessaloniki event serves as a critical stepping stone for regional filmmakers aiming to reach global audiences and major festival circuits.
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Forrás: http://deadline.com/2026/10/thessaloniki-2026-agora-works-in-progress-ioanna-karystiani-1237157892/.