Animal scoops Thessaloniki’s Golden Alexander

by Vassilis Economou

13/11/2023 - Sofia Exarchou’s sophomore film has won the International Competition, Àma Gloria was victorious in Meet the Neighbors+, and Samsara came out on top in >>Film Forward

Animal scoops Thessaloniki’s Golden Alexander

The winners of this year's Thessaloniki International Film Festival

Animal [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sofia Exarchou
film profile], the sophomore feature written and directed by Greek filmmaker Sofia Exarchou, has secured the prestigious "Theo Angelopoulos" Golden Alexander for Best Feature Film at the 64th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, held from 2-12 November. Notably, this marks the first occasion in three decades that a Greek feature has clinched the festival's top honour.

The international jury – consisting of Dieter Kosslick, former director of the Berlinale; Belgian producer Diana Elbaum; and Greek filmmaker Elina Psykou – presented the €10,000 cash prize. The jury was “impressed by Animal and the behind-the-scenes peek at a Greek island in the summer and the unseen artists animating the tourists. This ensemble film is a condensation of finding a family, maybe love, and for sure sadness.” Additionally, Animal earned the Best Actress Award for Dimitra Vlagkopoulou, and Exarchou received the inaugural Crew United Award.

(The article continues below - Commercial information)

The recipient of the second prize, the Best Direction Award – Silver Alexander, valued at €5,000, was Joanna Arnow for The Feeling that the Time for Doing Something has Passed. The jury “appreciated the humour and absurdity of this bittersweet comedy about a woman, her body and sexuality”. Arnow also earned herself the Best Actress Award for her outstanding performance. The Best Actor accolade was awarded to Greek thesp Kostas Koronaios for his role in The Last Taxi Driver [+see also:
film review
film profile], directed by Stergios Paschos. The film also garnered the Greek Association of Film Critics’ Award. Furthermore, the Screenplay Award was presented to The Lost Boys [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Zeno Graton
film profile], directed by Zeno Graton and co-written by the director and Clara Bourreau.

In the Meet the Neighbors+ competition, Marie Amachoukeli's Àma Gloria [+see also:
film review
interview: Marie Amachoukeli
film profile] was honoured with the section's Golden Alexander - Michel Dimopoulos. The film was recognised for “its intimate and heart-rending portrayal of an alternative kind of motherhood. In full harmony, the two actresses create tour-de-force performances, and they really are the beating heart of the movie.” The jury was composed of Xenia Kaldara, general director of the Michalis Cacoyannis Foundation; festival programmer and film critic Cedric Succivalli; and actor Nahuel Pérez Biscayart.

Notes on a Summer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Diego Llorente clinched the Best Direction Award - Silver Alexander, accompanied by a €5,000 cash prize for “its sensuous, refreshing and delicate mise-en-scène”. Mouna Haw received the Best Actress Award for her compelling performance in Inshallah a Boy [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Amjad Al Rasheed. The Best Actor Award was shared between Richard Langton for his role in We Have Never Been Modern [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Matěj Chlupáček and Miro Ši…
film profile] by Matěj Chlupáček and Soma Sándor for his performance in Without Air [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Katalin Moldovai
film profile] by Katalin Moldovai.

Eva Nathena's Greek flick Murderess was honoured with the Best Artistic Achievement Award, and the director also received the Greek Film Center Award. Additionally, the picture secured the FIPRESCI Award for the best Greek film premiering at the festival, as well as the inaugural Finos Film Award.

In the >>Film Forward Competition section, Lois Patiño's Samsara [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lois Patiño
film profile] was awarded the Golden Alexander for “pushing the boundaries of film language, and for its rich sensorial cinematic form, which allowed us to experience a film with closed eyes”. The Silver Alexander was jointly bestowed upon Raven Jackson's All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, for “highlighting the affective dimensions of human experiences, for its haptic qualities and for exploring the realm of memory through an original approach”, and Eduardo Williams' The Human Surge 3 [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], for “its innovative technique, for immersing us within the human and non-human worlds of care, and for its queer sensitivities”.

Here is the complete list of winners at the 64th Thessaloniki International Film Festival:

International Competition

Best Feature Film Award - “Theo Angelopoulos” Golden Alexander
Animal [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sofia Exarchou
film profile] - Sofia Exarchou (Greece/Austria/Romania/Cyprus/Bulgaria)

Best Direction Award - Silver Alexander
The Feeling that the Time for Doing Something has Passed - Joanna Arnow (USA)

Best Actress Award (ex aequo)
Dimitra Vlagkopoulou – Animal
Joanna Arnow – The Feeling that the Time for Doing Something has Passed

Best Actor Award
Kostas Koronaios - The Last Taxi Driver [+see also:
film review
film profile] (Greece)

Best Screenplay Award
Zeno Graton, Clara Bourreau - The Lost Boys [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Zeno Graton
film profile] (Belgium/France)

Meet the Neighbors+ Competition

Best Feature Film Award - “Michel Dimopoulos” Golden Alexander
Àma Gloria [+see also:
film review
interview: Marie Amachoukeli
film profile] - Marie Amachoukeli (France)

Best Direction Award - Silver Alexander
Notes on a Summer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Diego Llorente (Spain)

Best Actress Award
Mouna Haw - Inshallah a Boy [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Jordan/Saudi Arabia/Qatar/France)

Best Actor Award (ex aequo)
Richard Langton - We Have Never Been Modern [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Matěj Chlupáček and Miro Ši…
film profile] (Czech Republic/Slovakia)
Soma Sándor - Without Air [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Katalin Moldovai
film profile] (Hungary/Romania)

Best Artistic Achievement Award
Murderess - Eva Nathena (Greece)

>>Film Forward Competition

Best Feature Film Award - Golden Alexander
Samsara [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lois Patiño
film profile] - Lois Patiño (Spain)

Silver Alexander (ex aequo)
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt - Raven Jackson (USA)
The Human Surge 3 [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Eduardo Williams (Argentina/Portugal/Netherlands/Taiwan/Brazil/Hong Kong/Sri Lanka/Peru)

Immersive: All Around Cinema - Golden Alexander
Finally Me - Marcio Sal (Brazil)

Podcast Competition

Podcast Award
Persistence of Memory - Courtney Hope Therond, Rhiannon Ciara Vaughn (USA)
Special Mention
By His Side As Long As It Lasts - Dafni Anesti, Danai Dragonea (Greece)

Other awards

Mermaid Award
The Summer with Carmen [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Zacharias Mavroeidis
film profile] - Zacharias Mavroeidis (Greece)

Smart7 Award
India - Telmo Churro (Portugal)

FIPRESCI awards

Best Film in the International Competition
In Camera [+see also:
film review
interview: Naqqash Khalid
film profile] - Naqqash Khalid (UK)

Best Greek Film Premiered at Thessaloniki
Murderess - Eva Nathena

Greek Association of Film Critics’ Award
The Last Taxi Driver - Stergios Paschos

Human Values Award of the Hellenic Parliament
Fingernails - Christos Nikou (USA)

Alpha Bank Accessibility Award
Stavros Zafeiris - Touched [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Claudia Rorarius
film profile] (Germany)

ERT Original Music Award (ex aequo)
John Konsolakis - Dolls of Dresden (Greece/Germany)
Nikos Veliotis, Dimitris Kariofilis - Embryo Larva Butterfly [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kyros Papavassiliou
film profile] (Cyprus/Greece)