Our guest on the 38th FEST is Dimiris Kerkinos, the Director of the Thessaloniki Film Festival. For a long time, only Greek films were being shown at the Festival. In 1992 it became an international event and has remained such to this day.

- The Festival has an international competition program, a segment of Greek films, a segment of independent films and a "Balkan Review“, consisting of films from the region. In the last couple of years an industry section with workshops was introduced, where coproductions are negotiated and scripts and projects promoted, something like pitching. All these projects can compete in the Balkan Fund. All these gatherings are more than useful, because directors and producers alike have the opportunity to meet and discuss cooperation. Even some projects from Serbia have applied with the Balkan Fund, such as "Here and There" of Darko Lungulov. Each awarded projects receives about ten thousand euros.

How many people are working on the Thessaloniki Festival? 

- The Festival is held in Thessaloniki, but it is prepared in Athens. About 25 people are working all year round. A large number of people are working on the basis of service contracts, some of them in Thessaloniki and others in Athens. During the festival, the number of people working dramatically increases. We have a lot of volunteers and the final number is about 400 people.

What is the current situation in Greek cinema? 

- If we look at last year, I can say that it was very good for Greek cinema. However, it is an exception. We had fourty films, including documentaries. As for full feature films, there were about 30 of them. Truth be told, these were mostly great films. Although some were commercial and had a great promotion and script, they were not good. Only three or four films were good ones in my opinion. That number includes "Dogtooth", which is screened on FEST. It was also shown in Cannes. The other two were shown in Karlovy Vary, Locarno and Berlin. The problem with Greek film lies in the Law regulating this area, which law is very problematic. Certain directors rose against this law and want it changed. They insist that the state must help cinema more and that TV stations must pay a percentage to film directors after they show their films. These directors are putting pressure on the Minister of Culture to change the law and at the same time they are boycotting festivals. They don’t want to show their films at these events and this includes our festival in Thessaloniki. The directors have said they would boycott the festivals until the law is tabled to the Parliament. Everyone now expects that this problem will be solved and a new law adopted.

Do you make coproductions with other countries? 

- We do and lately we mostly cooperate with Balkan countries - with Turkey the most. Of course, the films directed by Theo Angelopoulos are realized in coproduction with large international production companies.  

What is, in your opinion, lacking in Greek films, which are not successful on international festivals?

- People say that what is lacking are quality scripts, but I think that this is a misconception and that the directors are the ones that have a problem. It seems to me that they don’t know how to adapt the story or to put it on film. The other thing is that many directors can not afford to make a film. Some are trying to make a film for six or seven years and they are worn out. Even if they suceed in finishing it, ultimately it’s not a quality film. They often make another mistake: they try to say everything with one film and ultimately they simply fail. Therefore, I think that the problem with Greek cinema lies in the scripts and in the lack of resources for directors. They can not realize their ambitions. The problem is perhaps also in education. We have several private schools, as well as a Film Faculty and the first generation of students graduated last year. Unfortunately, we are yet to see their results.

Greece is currently in a major financial crisis. To what extent has that affected cinema? 

- There's a major crisis in Greece and many financial problems. As for the film industry, it seems to me that there are people who manage to achieve whatever they want regardless of the circumstances. Others fail. Many series are made on television stations, some even in coproductions. As for the media, many stations are turning towards reality shows and similar stuff. Many young people were lost their job and can't find one again. Some of them do turn to making films, but there was never enough money there and they are forced to work for free. Those who have been in this industry for years are better off. They have their connections and acquaintances. If you are young, it’s all much more difficult. Many film directors are therefore turning to advertising.