Veteran film critic Orestis Andreadakis has been named as the new artistic director of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, the institution announced yesterday. Andreadakis, who was a key contender in the race for the seat, overcame fellow candidates such as previous Thessaloniki Festival director Michel Demopoulos, and current Thessaloniki programmers Yorgos Krassakopoulos and Dimitri Kerkinos.

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A welcome upgrade for the seasoned festival executive, the appointment comes after Andreadakis’ 21-year presence as a key figure of the Athens International Film Festival, a vibrant event that he helped create as a founding member in 1995, and has shaped ever since as co-ordination and communication manager, before taking over as artistic director in 2007, when he was also appointed director of Cinema magazine, the country’s only surviving film publication.

Moreover, Andreadakis’ new position will mark a return to Thessaloniki for the well-travelled journalist, as he worked as a co-ordinator, screening presenter and press conference moderator for the festival between 1994 and 2000. 

Andreadakis, who was selected by the festival’s general director, Elise Jalladeau, was appointed by the Thessaloniki International Film Festival’s governing board. The new governing duo will head both the feature and the documentary festivals, and have already announced a shuffle in the administrative process, starting with the establishment of Program and Film Selection departments, to be manned by experienced and renowned professionals.

It remains to be seen whether a spot will be found for outgoing artistic director Dimitri Eipides, who has repeatedly pronounced his desire to retain a post at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, while Thessaloniki’s local core film press is also eagerly awaiting a heightened involvement in the festival.