A masterclass with three renowned cinematographers, a prior agreement of cooperation between the Greek and the French Film Center and the beginning of submissions for the 10th CROSSROADS Co-production Forum projects, are making the news these days among filmmakers, professionals and movie fans in Greece.

On April 23 and 24, Greek audience will have the rare oppurtunity to attend a masterclass with three important cinematographers. The Greek Society of Cinematographers (GSC) and the European Federation of Cinematographers (IMAGO) are bringing to Athens Michael Haneke’s regular D.O.P., Christian Berger (Caché, The Piano Teacher, The White Ribbon), Haris Zambarloukos (Sleuth, Mamma Mia, Thor) and Phedon Papamichael (Nebraska, W, The Idles of March). 

Berger, Papamichael and Zambarloukos will discuss on the European and American D.O.P. landscape, Creative Europe, European Commission’s new seven-years programme on the boosting of cultural and creative European sectors, join in the round tables and presentation of film cameras, and screen new and older films they have lit.

The event is being held in the context of IMAGO’s annual meeting, co-organised by the Greek Film Center, the Greek National Tourism Organisation, the Greek Film Archive, OTE and the European Cultural Centre of Delphi inviting from 25 to 27 of April 47 cinematographers from around the world. 

Beside co-organising the event, the Greek Film Center (GFC) has published a press release informing the public about the signing of a prior agreement with the French Film Center (CNC) on the creation of a three-year bilateral fund supporting co-productions between the two countries. Based on the crucial role international co-productions play in today’s film industry and their contribution to the best possible spread of films, the Fund’s share committee will finance co-productions made of at least one French-based production company and one Greek-based company.

The signing ceremony was part of the “Future of culture, future of Europe” Forum, held in Paris few days ago by the European Film Agency Directors (EFAD), the French Minisry of Culture and Communcation and the French Film Center in which they agreed on a roadmap to reshape the European audiovisual policy.

The reassessment of the solidarity between European nations, whatever their size, so they can produce and distribute audiovisual works, even in an unstable economic environment, was agreed as a basic principle of the agenda the EFADs are launching.

Back in Greece, the CROSSROADS Co-production Forum of Thessaloniki Film Festival, where Balkan and Central European producers with a feature script meet a new network of co-producers, distributors, broadcasters, sales agents and consultants, announced the beginning of submissions, lasting until July the 31st. With the goal to support the producers of feature film projects that contain a link to the Mediterranean, Balkan and Central Europe, CROSSROADS previous years’ projects included those of Athina Tsangari, Amos Gitai, Radu Jude, Yesim Ustaoglu and others. The countries submitting their projects are: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Egypt, France, Greece, Jordan, Spain, Israel, Italy, Croatia, Cyprus, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Montenegro, Hungary, Palestine, F.Y.R.O.M., Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Syria, Turkey and Tunisia.