The 10th Crossroads Co-Production Forum that is organized by the Thessaloniki International Film Festival opened on Wednesday, November 5, at the Electra Palace hotel, in the context of the 55th TIFF.

Crossroads is part of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival Agora Industry section. Mediterranean, Balkan and Central European producers with a feature film script are given the chance to meet a new network of financiers, co-producers and leading industry specialists. Crossroads’ goal is to support the producers of feature-length fiction film projects that contain a link to the Mediterranean and Balkan regions as well as Central Europe. Qualifying features will be produced or co-produced by a country in this area or are movies that contain story elements based in these regions.

In his opening speech, Festival Director Dimitri Eipides welcomed the producers and directors joining the current edition of Crossroads and said he was greatly satisfied with the fact that the number of participants in the Co-Production Forum continues to rise. “Crossroads gives filmmakers the opportunity to meet with other producers and distributors, facilitating the completion of film projects which are still in the making,” he added, and then wished participants the best of luck, in the hope of seeing their films on the big screen soon.

Taking the floor, Head of Crossroads Marie-Pierre Macia, presented the members of the Crossroads team and thanked the institutions supporting the Agora Industry Section.

She then went on to present the 2014 Crossroads jury, which consists of Ewa Puszczynska (producer – Opus Films, Poland), Thania Dimitrakopoulou (sales agent – Match Factory, Germany), and Elise Jalladeau (producer/Audiovisual Attachée of the Embassy of France in Greece, France).

Crossroads celebrates this year its 10-year anniversary, which coincides with the centennial of Greek cinema. This prompted organizers to give special attention to film projects and films in production or post-production from Greece. This emphasis is reflected in the fact that 6 out of the total 13 projects, all of which were selected on the basis of their script quality, are from Greece.