Thessaloniki Festival; From Iranian Cinema to the Representation of Turkish Kurds

The 56th Thessaloniki Festival, one of the oldest and most recognized festivals in Europe, was held this year with great success despite Greece's economic problems, showcasing 200 films from 53 countries, including two from Iran. The festival features a significant competition section, with fifteen films presented this year. The first prize, named after the most famous Greek filmmaker, Theo Angelopoulos, was awarded to the film Rams by Icelandic director Grimur Hakonarson; one of the brightest films this year. Its simple story unfolds in the fabric of the rural setting, presenting one of the best examples of 'native cinema,' where the atmosphere, relationships, and logic of the story only make sense in that place and among those characters: the story of two brothers who have not spoken for decades and compete in raising a ram in their neighborhood. The film's beautiful ending is perhaps its most memorable scene, where love emerges in a beautiful and commendable idea, replacing hatred. The jury's special prize went to the Colombian filmmaker Cesar Acuña for the film Land and Darkness; a gripping story about a very poor family living and working in inhumane conditions, where the mother refuses to migrate for their 'land' as her son has been bedridden for years. The film creates rich imagery with a mostly static camera, and the actors perform with extraordinary power, leading the audience through the film's cold atmosphere. The bronze jury award went to the road movie To La Paz by Argentine filmmaker Francisco Varone, and the best director award went to Gabriel Ripstein from Mexico for the film Six Hundred Miles. The film From Afar by Lorenzo Vigas, which won the Golden Lion at this year's Venice Festival, also received the best screenplay and best actor awards. Thus, most awards went to Latin American countries, marking a golden year for them. Iranian cinema has had a fruitful presence at the Thessaloniki Festival over the years, and this year the festival hosted two Iranian films. Majid Barzegar's third film, A Completely Ordinary Citizen, experienced its European premiere in the festival's Open Horizons section. This film was recently screened in the competition section of the Chicago Festival. The filmmaker's camera observes an elderly man with poor memory who is alone in today's Tehran, while his son cannot come to visit him from across the waters. However, one day a beautiful young girl arrives to help him prepare to visit his son. This begins a cold and bitter story with a tragic fate intertwined with dark humor. The second Iranian film at this year's festival was Taxi by Jafar Panahi, which has been showcased at various festivals after winning the Golden Bear at the Berlin Festival and has now reached Thessaloniki (in the special screenings section). Unlike English and French critics, the Greeks were not particularly impressed by the film, leading to two completely different groups: those who considered Taxi a masterpiece according to the trend in Europe, and those who found it quite trivial and superficial. The brilliance of Turkish cinema does not end with Nuri Bilge Ceylan; Emin Alper's film Frenzy was the best film at this year's Venice Festival (which was also screened at Thessaloniki). Now, another new film in the Thessaloniki competition section, titled Ivy by young filmmaker Tolga Karacelik, gathers its characters—each clearly symbolizing the ethnicities and political currents of today's Turkey—on a ship to fight each other, exploring Turkey's current situation, including its treatment of Kurds, represented by a character named 'Kurd,' in a post-apocalyptic imagery; featuring an unforgettable dreamlike sequence towards the end of the film. Greek cinema has had a prominent and extensive presence in various international festivals in recent years and has received awards. Among the latest awards is the best film award at the London Festival for the film Knight by Athina Rachel Tsangari. This film experienced its first screening in Greece at the Thessaloniki Festival and was very well received: the story of six men on a yacht who start a game to choose the best man from all aspects. They must observe each other's actions and behaviors, ultimately giving scores, and the one with the highest score will win the knight's ring. The film has specific attractions, but ultimately, it does not delve deeply into critiquing bourgeoisie, preferring to keep all types of audiences, including the general audience, satisfied with a humorous language; while this film, made by a well-known female Greek filmmaker, appears very masculine and creates a world where women have no place.