05/04/2005

'This is a coup, an ideological revolution'. This is how Haris Papadopoulos, president of the Federation of the Greek directors, reacted to the announcement that Théo Angelopoulos was to be replaced at the presidency of the Salonica Film Festival. The famous director's position will be taken by director Pantélis Voulgaris. This is part of a big reform the Greek governement has wanted for this activity.
Neither was Michel Demopoulos' contract renewed. He who created this international event in 1992 and promoted it until it became a crucial moment for national productions, and a key-event for the South-East of Europe, will not be managing the festival anymore. The new director is the producer Despina Mouzakis, as the national Cultural Affairs Secretary Petros Tatoulis announced.

65-year-old Pantélis Voulgaris, whose latest film was The Brides (2004), coproduced by Martin Scorsese, is seen in his country as the second best Greek director after Théo Angelopoulos. He is well-known for being a lefty and making socially and politically committed movies, such as Anna's Arranged Marriage (1972), Happy day (1976) and The Stone Age (1985),
Another news was the nomination of Thanassis Valtinos as head of the Centre of Greek cinematography (CCG); he will replace Diagoras Chronopoulos and supervise the production of most of the Greek films.
The reform also entails the creation of three new organisations: a National Commission for Cinema, designed to implement national policies, the Hellenic Screen, aimed at promoting Greek films in foreign countries, and the Film Commission Office, which will inform and help foreign productions in Greece.
For the national Secretary Tatoulis, it is important to 'create a strong and competitive national market or even, why not, a proper film and audiovisual industry' to end 'the passive waiting for public subsidies which has made our cinema become a state industry.'

(Translated from Italian)