06/11/2025 - The festival’s industry strand has rewarded projects such as The Tide Hears Them but They No Longer Have a Voice by Yiannis Veslemes and The Leaves Hang Trembling by Stefan Djordjević

The Agora of the 66th Thessaloniki International Film Festival (TIFF) presented its awards on 5 November at its Warehouse C venue. Agora manager Thanos Stavropoulos and head of Agora Angeliki Vergou presided over the event, joined by the festival’s artistic director, Orestis Andreadakis, and its general director, Elise Jalladeau.

Starting with the 21st Crossroads Co-Production Forum, the jury – comprising Frank Hoeve (producer at BALDR Film), Uljana Kim (producer at Studio Uljana Kim) and Andreas Zoupanos Kritikos (producer and COO of Faliro House) along with Mathilde Hersant (head of Finance at ARTE France Cinéma) – took the floor to give out the awards.

The Two Thirty-Five (2|35) Award for image and sound post-production services went to The Leaves Hang Trembling by Serbian filmmaker Stefan Djordjević, produced by Dragana Jovović for Non-Aligned Films. The jury praised the movie as “courageous, fierce yet deeply empathetic, and profoundly moving as it places children and students at its heart”.

The €8,000 CNC Script Development Award was presented to The Unmoving Hands by Spanish director Víctor Diago, produced by Andrés Mellinas for Boogaloo. The jury deemed it “a genre-fluid story that explores men living on the margins of society, lifting up their experiences in a compelling and original way”.

The Romanian project The Life and Times of Ion G. by Andreea Cristina Bortun, produced by Gabi Suciu (Atelier de Film), was honoured with both the ArteKino International Award and the EAVE Thessaloniki Award – Marketing Scholarship. The ArteKino jury decided to “reward a young director whose project deals with exile, inequality and politics, but uses light and love in its treatment”.

The Finos Film Award for a Greek project was handed to Pirateland by director Stavros Petropoulos; the jury highlighted its “exceptional team effort and strong international potential”. Further recognition came through the MIDPOINT Consulting Award, given to The Dictator’s Dream by Albanian director Erenik Beqiri for its “political relevance and bold, original vision”, and the Producers Network Accreditation at Cannes 2026, which went to producer Fahriye Ismayilova for Goodbye for Now.

Among the independent prizes, the prestigious Onassis Film Award, valued at €10,000, was granted to Greek director Yiannis Veslemes for The Tide Hears Them but They No Longer Have a Voice, produced by Nicholas Alavanos for Filmiki. The award was handed out by Vassilis Panagiotakopoulos, head of Productions at the Onassis Foundation, who stated: “With a clear directorial vision, it addresses one of the darkest political periods in Greece in order to speak about timeless themes and universal questions surrounding death and immortality.”

Sustainability also took centre stage with the Greener Screen Award, which went to A Girl Named Zeus by Nikos Dayandas, for its “poetic reflection on heritage and commitment to environmental values”. Robbing Beirut by Katia Jarjoura received the Sofia Meetings Award, and the MFI “George Kalogeropoulos” Award was bestowed upon La Forma Animal by Spaniards Isa Luengo and Sofia Esteve.

In Agora Works in Progress, the 119 Marvila Studios Award for sound-mixing services went to Tonight Is Forever by Fernando Souza, which the jury comprising Dorian Magagnin (Cercamon), Danae Spathara (Heretic) and Barbara Wurm (Berlinale Forum) “felt connected us with the emotional layers of this character in his pursuit of love. We were captured by the silence, echoing loneliness. We were stunned by the strong cinematic language and the subtle atmosphere that this film conveys.”

The Authorwave Post-production Award went to Promised Spaces by Serbian director Ivan Marković, for its “strong visual conception, mise-en-scène and close observation of urban architecture”. The ERT Agora Works in Progress Award, endowed with a €2,000 cash prize, was given to the Greek project Ways to Get Rid of Some Freedom by Chrisanthos Margonis, lauded for “its overwhelming energy, freshness, directness and riveting performances”.

Finally, within the newly launched Agora Series Talents initiative, the Crew United Award was presented to screenwriter Katerina Papanastasiou for Elena, Unhinged.

Here is the complete list of award winners:

Crossroads Co-Production Forum awards

2|35 Post-production Award
The Leaves Hang Trembling – Stefan Djordjević (Serbia)
Producer: Dragana Jovović (Non-Aligned Films)

CNC Development Award
The Unmoving Hands – Víctor Diago (Spain)
Producer: Andrés Mellinas (Boogaloo)

ArteKino International Award
The Life and Times of Ion G. – Andreea Cristina Bortun (Romania)
Producer: Gabi Suciu (Atelier de Film)

Finos Film Award
Pirateland – Stavros Petropoulos (Greece/France)
Producers: Leonidas Konstantarakos (Alaska Films), Stéphane Marschal (Yukunkun Productions)

Cannes Producers Network Award
Fahriye Ismayilova – Goodbye for Now (Turkey/France)

MIDPOINT Consulting Award
The Dictator’s Dream – Erenik Beqiri (Albania)
Producer: Dritan Huqi (On Film Production)

Onassis Film Award
The Tide Hears Them but They No Longer Have a Voice – Yiannis Veslemes (Greece)
Producer: Nicholas Alavanos (Filmiki)

Greener Screen Award
A Girl Named Zeus – Nikos Dayandas (Greece)
Producer: Konstantinos Koukoulis (ΠLANKTON)

Sofia Meetings Award
Robbing Beirut – Katia Jarjoura (France/Norway/Lebanon)
Producer: Michel Zana (Blue Train Films)

MFI “George Kalogeropoulos” Script 2 Film Workshop Award
La Forma Animal – Isa Luengo, Sofia Esteve (Spain)
Producers: Laura Rubirola (Nocturna Pictures), Carlotta Schiavon, Eva Murgui (Vayolet Films)

EAVE Thessaloniki Award – Marketing Workshop Scholarship
Gabi Suciu – The Life and Times of Ion G.

Agora Works in Progress awards

119 Marvila Studios Sound Mixing Award
Tonight Is Forever – Fernando Souza (France/Japan/Spain)
Producers: Quentin Laurent (Les Films de l’Oeil Sauvage), Lucas Senecaut (L’Oeil Vif Films)

Authorwave Post-production Award
Promised Spaces – Ivan Marković (France/Germany/Serbia/Cambodia)
Producers: Jasmina Sijercić (Bocalupo Films), Zsofi Lili Kovacs (Fiskultura Films), Jelena Radenković (Big Time Production), Daniel Mattes (Anti-Archive)

ERT Agora Works in Progress Award
Ways to Get Rid of Some Freedom – Chrisanthos Margonis (Greece/Cyprus)
Producers: Eleni Kossyfidou (Blackbird Production), Marinos Charalambous (Boycott Films)

Agora Series Talents Award

Crew United Award
Katerina Papanastasiou – Elena, Unhinged