We turn our attention to the three award-winning projects (see the news) presented in the Agora Works in Progress section of the 66th Thessaloniki International Film Festival, which continues to serve as a crucial platform for films in the final stages of production, providing visibility and industry connections for emerging European talents.

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The Agora Works in Progress jury – composed of Dorian Magagnin, acquisitions and festivals manager at Cercamon; Danae Spathara, producer at Heretic; and Barbara Wurm, head of the Berlinale Forum – granted three main awards at the event. We take a detailed look at the winners below:

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)
A hybrid drama unfolding amidst Tokyo’s nightlife, Tonight Is Forever follows Hikaru, a charismatic host who spends his nights selling affection to women yearning for connection. As his professional charm conceals a growing emotional void, Hikaru’s carefully crafted persona begins to unravel when his real relationship is exposed, forcing him to confront the emptiness behind his illusions of love. Drawing on the director’s own experience in Tokyo’s host clubs, Fernando Souza creates an atmospheric and introspective work exploring desire, fantasy and the transactional nature of affection by blending documentary and fiction.

Currently in image editing, the feature is a French-Japanese-Spanish co-production involving Les Films de l’Oeil Sauvage, L’Oeil Vif Films, Kowatanda Films and Dichosos los Ojos. Supported by France Télévisions, the CNC and several French regional funds, the film has secured 70% of its budget, and the team is aiming for delivery in March 2026. They are looking for post-production support, investors, co-producers, a sales agent and a festival premiere.

Promised Spaces by Ivan Marković

Authorwave Post-production Award

Promised Spaces – Ivan Marković (France/Germany/Serbia/Cambodia)
Producers: Jasmina Sijerčić (Bocalupo Films), Zsofi Lili Kovacs (Fiskultura Films), Jelena Radenković (Big Time Production), Daniel Mattes (Anti-Archive)
Set in Cambodia’s rapidly transforming urban landscape, Promised Spaces intertwines two stories: that of Vollak, a construction worker wandering through unfinished towers where migrants seek shelter, and that of Seda, a young woman isolated in a pristine luxury high-rise. Through their parallel existences, the film reveals the invisible walls separating social classes and the alienation born of speculative urbanism. Ivan Marković, known for From Tomorrow on, I Will [+lire aussi :
critique
bande-annonce
fiche film] (Berlinale Forum, 2019), once again merges fiction and documentary aesthetics, using real locations and non-professional actors to reflect on architecture as a mirror of ideology and inequality.

Produced by Bocalupo Films and an international network of European partners, the project has already secured 80% of its budget, backed by the CNC, CNAP, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and Film Center Serbia. With a planned delivery in early 2026, the film is looking for post-production funds, partners, sales agents and festival exposure.

Ways to Get Rid of Some Freedom by Chrisanthos Margonis

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)
In this road movie blending delirium and emotional rawness, Ways to Get Rid of Some Freedom follows Pavlos, a middle-aged man trapped in routine, who meets Kelly, a volatile woman claiming to be searching for her missing brother. Their spontaneous journey across Greece turns into a chaotic odyssey through fights, disguises and narrow escapes, culminating in a hallucinatory confrontation with their own desires and failures. Shot in Athens, Crete and Evia, the film marks the feature debut by Greek director Chrisanthos Margonis.

Produced by Blackbird Production in co-production with Boycott Films, the project received support from the erstwhile Greek Film Centre, as well as from EKOME and ERT. With 90% of its budget secured, the film is slated for delivery in April 2026. The team is seeking co-production opportunities, a sales agent and distribution partners.